Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 28, 1994 TAG: 9401270031
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis-Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Then there was Nick the Lounge Singer, the Blues Brothers and the Coneheads.
And let's not forget Roseanne Roseannadanna, Mrs. Loopner, Emily Litella or Jorge and Yortuk Festrunk.
For nearly 20 years, "Saturday Night Live" has kept us in stitches.
These days, Cajun Man does it.
Adam Sandler, now in his third season as a regular on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," is known for his unmistakable accent as the New Orleans Cajun Man who delivers commentaries on the show's "Weekend UpDate" segment. He's also a popular draw at colleges and comedy clubs across the country.
Sandler will bring his stand-up comedy routine to Radford University's Preston Auditorium tonight. The lampoonery commences at 8.
Tickets for the show are $10. Call 831-5420 for information.
GONNA BE SOMEBODY: The Black Student Alliance of Virginia Tech is bringing a professional touring production of Endesha Ida Mae Holland's play, "From the Mississippi Delta," to Haymarket Theatre Wednesday.
Based on Holland's life, the play follows a rebellious black child (Phelia) from the segregated South of the 1950s to her present position as a professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
The play first opened at New York's Square Theatre in the fall of 1991. It was produced by Oprah Winfrey and quickly became an off-Broadway hit.
Daedalus Productions is now on a national tour with the play. Kathi Bentley, NeAnni Ife and Venida Evans are the three actresses who play multiple roles. While the play focuses on Phelia's journey, it is also a tribute to her mother, Ain't Baby.
Admission to Wednesday's performance at Virginia Tech is $2 for Tech students and $4 for the public. Curtain time is at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale at 7 p.m. in Squires Student Center.
\ BIG TIME BAND: Jim Miller and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra will set your feet to tappin' Wednesday in Virginia Tech's Burruss Auditorium. The famed "Big Band" will roll back to the '30s and '40s in this concert sponsored by the Virginia Tech Union.
Jim Miller has composed music for and played trombone with the best of the swing era: Glenn Miller, Tex Beneke, Guy Lombardo and, of course, Jimmy Dorsey. He has worked with the likes of Bob Hope, Liberace and Red Skelton in his 43 years as a musician.
The original Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra was founded in 1934. Dorsey, who sold over 40 million records, was the greatest saxophonist of his day. Some of his best-sellers include "Green Eyes," "Tangerine," "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Blue Champagne."
Miller became the band's leader in 1990. In 1992, Nancy Knorr joined the orchestra as its lead singer. Before that, she was the lead singer for the Pied Pipers.
Wednesday's concert at Burruss Auditorium starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, on sale now at the box office in Squires Student Center, are $14 for adults or $7 for children under 12. Tickets are $4 for Tech students or $11 for Tech faculty and staff members.
Call 231-5615 weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
BEAUTIFUL MUSIC: The Audubon Quartet, Virginia Tech's own quartet-in-residence, is celebrating its 20th anniversary by presenting the complete Beethoven string quartets in a series of six concerts. The second of the six is this weekend.
The musicians - violinists David Ehrlich and David Salness, violist Doris Lederer and cellist Thomas Clyde Shaw - will play Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. in Squires Recital Salon. The selections this time are Beethoven's Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 18; Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 74; and Quartet No. 15 in A Minor, Op. 132.
Tickets are $7 for adults or $5 for senior citizens, students and children. They're on sale at the box office in Squires Student Center.
Better hurry, though. The first pair of concerts last October sold out quickly.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Film maker and actor Blair Underwood will speak at Radford University Wednesday. Expect some challenging and thought-provoking discussion.
Underwood, who's best known for his role as Jonathan Rollins on NBC's "L.A. Law," recently produced his own 30-minute film, "The Second Coming." At Wednesday's presentation, he will screen the film and conduct a panel discussion with professors from several academic fields.
In "The Second Coming," Underwood portrays the second coming of Jesus. The film raises some important questions:
What would Western civilization be like if Christ had been depicted as a person of color as many believe?
Would there be racism?
Who are the righteous followers of Christ?
The program is part of Radford University's Black History Month observance and is sponsored by the Black Awareness Programming Board.
Underwood, who was picked by TV Guide as one of the "Top 10 Stars of the Nineties," recently starred in the western film "Posse" and will return next fall for his sixth season on "L.A. Law."
His program Wednesday starts at 8 p.m. in Preston Auditorium. Admission is $5 for the public or $3 for Radford University students and staff.
LAUGH A MINUTE: The Blacksburg Marriott is the place to be on Wednesday nights. Starting this Wednesday, Jacob's Lounge will have weekly comedy clubs featuring some popular funny guys (and gals) from all over the country.
Pat Miller starts it off as the headline act this week. A veteran on the comedy club circuit, he also has had roles in such movies as "Maximum Overdrive," "Blood Fist III" and "Terror in the Night," a made-for-TV film on CBS.
Magician-musician-comedian Bob Knigge is Wednesday's feature act. Knigge started out in the entertainment industry in 1959 as a singer and musician. For four years, he played bass for the Everly Brothers Band.
In 1981, Knigge took to the world of magic. He was voted "Magician of the Year" in 1985 and "Card Magician of the Year" in 1987 by the Society of American Magicians.
He became a full-time comedian in 1987, playing at well-known watering holes like Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and The Comedy Club in Long Beach.
The Blacksburg Marriott will have appetizer specials in Jacob's Lounge from 5 to 7 p.m. and serve dinner in the nightclub from 7 to 8:30 p.m. each Wednesday. Shows begin at 9:30 p.m.
The comedy club cover charge is $5.
by CNB