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Lincoln Community Theatre productions
Lincoln
Community Theatre's summer productions are "Nuncrackers," presented June 13-21;
"Steel Magnolias," July 11-19; and "1776," Aug. 1-9. The box office
at the Johnston Center for Performing Arts on the Lincoln College
campus is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday; call (217)
735-2614. For more information, visit
www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre.
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|
'Marika'
[JUNE
18, 2003]
"Marika,"
by Andrea Cheng. Front Street, 2002, 163 pages.
|
Review by Linda Harmon
This story is a debut novel for Ms.
Cheng and is loosely based on her mother's life. It begins in
Budapest in December of 1939 with Marika's father, Apa, and her
uncle Lipot asking Marika to forge some documents for the family.
She is 12 but her handwriting is exceptional. She has no idea why
they are making this request of her, but as the story unfolds, the
reason becomes very apparent. The story covers a 10-year period in
Marika's life, from age 6 to age 16, when the Nazis take over the
country until the end of World War II.
In 1934, when Marika is 6 years old,
she returns from vacation with her mother and older brother Andras
to find that her father has built a wall in their duplex, making it
into two apartments. The larger of the two apartments is for the
three of them and the smaller for him. Even though she sees her
father daily, she still longs for the way things used to be when the
family lived together. At this age, the situation with her parents
and beginning school are the biggest worries in her life.
In 1935, when Marika starts school, she
meets a girl named Zsofi. While the rest of the class attends Mass,
Zsofi sits in the hall and studies her "Israelite religion."
Marika's family is Jewish, but they don't practice their faith;
instead they celebrate Christmas and Easter and attend Mass like
Christians. Marika wants to tell Zsofi that she is also Jewish, but
she knows that her father would be very angry with her, so instead
she offers to teach her Latin. Marika is very envious of Zsofi's
working-class, ordinary family that all live together. In contrast,
her father is wealthy, her parents are separated, and her mother has
emotional problems that often embarrass her children.
[to top of second column in
this review]
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In February of 1944 Marika and Andras
take the train to visit Uncle Lipot and Aunt Ila. When they arrive
back in Budapest things have changed. Andras shows a man a piece of
paper and tells him that he is a college student on vacation with
his little sister. Marika asks about the paper, but Andras won't
tell her anything. They arrive at the apartment, and it is obvious
that their parents have been very worried about their safety.
At this point Marika still does not
understand what this is all about, but by April she understands
completely. The radio announces that all Jews are to report to a
central office to pick up their yellow stars. The Nazis now occupy
Poland.
The rest of the story chronicles
Marika's family's struggle to survive as their ordinary life
disintegrates and they are separated, detained and forced into
hiding.
This book reads more like a journal
than a novel, and it gives a child's perspective of a very terrible
situation. The reader feels the pain and confusion as Marika's world
is shattered. The epilogue gives interesting closure to the story.
The book is recommended for grades four to eight.
For more
information about this book, visit the library at 725 Pekin St. or
call (217) 732-5732.
[Linda Harmon, Lincoln
Public Library District]
|
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LCT
'Nuncrackers' opens
[JUNE 10, 2003]
Lincoln Community
Theatre's first production of the season, the hilarious musical "Nuncrackers,"
will open Friday, June 13, at 8 p.m. at the Johnston Center for
Performing Arts, 300 Keokuk, Lincoln. Performances run through
Saturday, June 21. The Tuesday through Saturday shows are at 8 p.m.,
and the Sunday production will be a 2 p.m. matinee. There is no
performance on Monday.
|
With a somewhat
ridiculous premise, the saga of the Little Sisters of Hoboken that
began with "Nunsense" and "Nunsense II" continues as the madcap
singing nuns attempt to stage "The Nutcracker" as a holiday
fund-raiser. They incorporate audience participation while
delivering two hours of groaner puns and snappy musical numbers,
while attempting to tape the pageant for the Hoboken cable access
station. Assisted in their efforts by the kindly Father Virgil and
the kids who won the talent contest at Mount St. Helen's School,
things go awry… to put it kindly. The Christmas pageant ends up as a
hilarious comedy of errors sprinkled with witty barbs on Catholic
and Protestant life, home-shopping networks, Julia Child and the
"Nutcracker" ballet. This show is (our apologies) habit-forming. It
will make you laugh and perhaps will tug at your heartstrings.
[to top of second column in
this article] |
LCT box office hours
are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday and one hour before
each performance. The box office, phone (217) 735-2614, is located
in the Johnston Center on the Lincoln College campus. Tickets are $9
for adults and $6 for children through eighth grade.
Season tickets, now
priced at $24 for adults and $15 for children through eighth grade,
are still available for the 2003 summer series. The season tickets
also include the July production of "Steel Magnolias" and the August
musical "1776."
Further information is available at
www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre.
[Judy
Rader, LCT publicity]
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|
Classic films
return to Lincoln Cinemas
The Logan County Arts
Association, in conjunction with GKC Cinemas Corporation, has
brought the classic film night series back to the Lincoln Cinemas.
The next set of films is scheduled for every second Thursday through
October, with shows at 7 p.m.
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Classic films lined up for the 2003
season:
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Tickets are $5.50 for adults and $4.50
for senior citizens and children 12 and under. The tickets are
available at GKC Lincoln Cinemas. Anyone
wanting more information may call the Logan County Arts Association
at (217) 735-4422.
[Press release from the
Logan County Arts Association] |
|
Lincoln Community Theatre
information
Lincoln
Community Theatre's box office, phone
735-2614, is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through
Saturday for the summer season. The office is located in the lobby
of the Johnston Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of
Lincoln College.
Performances of
"Dearly Departed" are scheduled for July 12-20, and "The King and I"
will be presented Aug. 2-10. Show times are 2 p.m. on Sundays and 8
p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
The LCT mailing address is Lincoln Community Theatre, P.O. Box 374, Lincoln,
IL 62656; e-mail: lincolncommunitytheatre@yahoo.com.
Visit the
LDC website at www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre/index.html.
Pictures from past productions are included.
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