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(10/02/02 5:28am)
"We go together like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong…" These recognizable lyrics are from the third longest running show on broadway which opens tonight at the IU Auditorium. "Grease," written by Warren Casey and Jim Jacobs, is the story of Danny Zuko, king of the Burger Palace Boys and Sandy Dumbrowski, the wholesome, naïve, pretty transfer student whose life changes after meeting Rizzo, the tough yet vulnerable leader of the Pink Ladies gang. \nThis hilarious, musical and loving look at what it was like growing up in the zany '50s was one of the most popular shows on the research survey put out last year by the IU Auditorium, said Doug Booher, director of the auditorium. Booher expects this high energy, exciting production to have a positive response by audience members as it is "one of those shows that everyone knows and loves."\nTaking place during a time when hot rod loving boys in leather jackets chased girls in white bobby socks and pedal pushers, this show is full of thrill and crosses generations. \n"This is a great opportunity for us to jump onto the success of The Temptations," Booher said. He said he hopes "everyone comes out and has an enjoyable evening."\nAs an added bonus, there will be a pre-show oldies dance contest that will start at 7:45 p.m. and take place at the auditorium and will feature deejay character Vince Fontaine.\nBruce Perry, assistant company manager for the tour, said this particular company will be traveling all over the United States, into Canada and going as far north as Alaska. Perry, whose job consists of many duties including getting the cast from place to place, booking hotels, travel and pay, has been touring with theater companies for years. \nAfter growing up in a small Louisiana town, he attended North East Louisiana University and graduated with a degree in radio/TV and film. Besides "Grease," Perry has toured with companies such as "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Bye, Bye, Birdie" both as an actor and a crewmember.\n"This is an amazing tour," Perry said. "It's an incredible experience being in a new city every few days and meeting people all over the country."\nThis brand new production features songs from the 1978 film of the same name starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Rights were granted to this tour to include songs such as "Hopelessly Devoted to You," "You're the One that I Want" and "Grease," which had previously not been included in the stage show. Other songs include "Greased Lightning," "We Go Together" and "Born to hand Jive."\nMatt Mindrum, a sophomore and the customer relations' specialist at the auditorium, expects this show to be well attended due to it being a favorite of many. \n"Many people have seen the movie or done it in high school," Mindrum said.\nTickets are still available and range from $17 to $37 for students and $32 to $57 for the public and can be purchased at the box office or by calling 855-1103. "Grease" will be showing today, Oct. 2 and tomorrow, October 3 at the IU auditorium.
(03/21/02 4:50am)
Behind the song and dance of admired Broadway plays that tour through the IU Auditorium lies a group of 400 people who help to make it all happen.\n They are rarely formally recognized, but without them, a patron's experience at the IU Auditorium would not be the same. They are the ones who show you to your seat -- show after show -- and help to ensure that your experience at the Auditorium is most enjoyable.This group of people, known as the usher corps, has been scattered throughout the house for every event at the Auditorium since the building's opening March 22, 1941. The total number of students originally involved was 80 and has grown significantly since then. Composed of full-time students, the corps offers students the opportunity to see a variety of productions at no cost while assisting patrons in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Ushers sign up for eight shows per semester and are assigned to work in specific locations to facilitate patrons' use of the building.\n"There aren't that many places to volunteer where you feel like you are part of the community," usher Natalie Beckley said.\nBeckley, a senior, has been ushering since her freshman year and originally decided to usher as a way to become involved at IU. She said she enjoys the opportunity to see free shows. She also said she "feels like I'm helping out, because otherwise the Auditorium would not function as well as it does."\nMid-term graduate Dave Neustadter, a senior student manager at the Auditorium, was one of the first student managers to work at the Auditorium after its renovation and is in his third year in this position. He said the reason he continues to return year after year is that it's the only place where he gets to structure his job. He also works part time as a waiter at Scotty's, so having the flexibility to choose when he wants to work is a necessity for him.\nNeustadter's main job is assuring that the managers are doing what they're supposed to, and he's a paid staff member at the Auditorium. He also is in charge of pre-show operations such as getting box office information, programs and backstage info, as well as telling ushers where they need to be.\n"We provide one of the best experiences that Bloomington has to offer, partly due to the ushers and student managers," Neustadter said.\nHe said he believes that part of his job as a senior student manager is providing a true experience for people and not just the event itself. Whether it's helping an elderly lady to her seat or voluntarily clearing a patron's windshield of snow so that he or she can drive home more safely, he said those are the reasons people come back.\nNeustadter said he feels he has learned valuable life skills while working at the Auditorium. Communication skills, for example, are extremely important no matter what career field you end up in.\nKristen Tharp, a sophomore microbiology major, planned on ushering at the Auditorium before she even knew that there was an organized group. In addition to being able to see the shows at no cost, Tharp said it's nice to interact with people from the community, and ushering gives her a great opportunity to get to know people.\nAlthough Tharp, Neustadter and Beckley said the major overall perk of working at the Auditorium is seeing the spectacular productions at no cost, Tharp also said it is "fun to watch them do pre-show sound checks."\nThe IU Auditorium is currently seeking more students to join the usher corps and see shows such as David Copperfield, "Cabaret," Lord of the Dance and more. Training sessions will be held March 18 and 24. For more information contact housemgr@indiana.edu.
(02/19/02 7:01am)
The National Equity tour of "Fiddler on the Roof" will open at the IU Auditorium tonight and will play through Thursday. "Fiddler," which takes place in Anatevka, Russia in 1904 tells the story of a dairyman Tevye and his five daughters. The story is about the family trying to marry off the oldest daughter, Tzietel, and the journey to find her a proper mate. At that time in history, women's husbands were chosen for them. In this case Tzietel does not want to marry her arranged mate, Lazar Wolf, the butcher, and finds that she loves Motel, the poor tailor. \nDoug Booher, interim general manager at the IU Auditorium, said this play is one of his favorites and features many classic songs. Songs like "If I were a rich man," "Tradition," and "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" are only a few of the songs that have made this play a favorite among audiences around the globe.\n"'Fiddler on the Roof' is probably the highest quality show that has been performed at the Auditorium so far this season," Booher said. "It features Theodore Bikel, a very well known and fine actor who has played the role of Tevye in well over 1,000 performances."\nJonathan Hadley, who plays Perchik in the production, said his favorite part of touring with the company is working with (Theodore) Bikel, who is living theater history. \nHadley started acting in community theater near his home in North Carolina, where his parents were college professors. He went pro when he was 12, acting in commercials. Later he attended North Carolina School of the Arts where he earned a BFA in Acting.\n"I always enjoyed acting and singing, and musicals were a good combination of both," Hadley said. \nThe play stresses the importance of family and community, which both Booher and Hadley said is an important message at this time.\nHadley said it is interesting to see how this show is increasingly moving to audiences since Sept. 11.\n"Fiddler on the Roof" originated from the stories written in Yiddish by the popular fiction writer who called himself Shalom Aleichem (literally meaning "peace be with you" in Hebrew.) In 1953, Arnold Perl, a long-time admirer of Aleichem\'s work put together a series of short plays. They were based on Aleichem\'s stories, and under the title "The World of Shalom Aleichem" vivified dramatically the life of the Jewish "Shtetls" in Czarist Russia. \nThe success of "The World of Shalom Aleichem" encouraged Perl to go further, and in 1957, he brought out a play about the milkman called "Tevye and his Daughters." This impelled Joseph Stein to believe that the Tevye stories could be made into a musical, and "Fiddler on the Roof" was born.\nGeorge Pinney, professor of theatre and drama who played Perchik years ago, said "Fiddler" is a classic of the American music theater. Pinney also said "Fiddler" will stand up very well to other productions that the Auditorium has hosted this season.\nThe show will be performed Tuesday Feb. 19 through Thursday Feb. 21 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets range from $16 to $36 for students and can be purchased at the Auditorium box office.