Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 42

4E SaturdayMarch 41 989 Star Tribune Kennedy's Children' grows in stature as play ages WCCO grabs; top billing in February Nielsen ratings The February ratings sweeps ended at midnight Wednesday. Thanks to the A.C. Nielsen eternally vigilant audience meters, stations now can get the good news or the bad news within hours. .4 i I fc4-y Xlmtm The strongest work comes from J.P. Moholt and Sara Stevenson.

Mohott plays Sparger, the gay actor, who mourns the loss of freedom and family he felt while a member of an off-the-waH. off-off Broad- way theater. Moholt gives Sparger a tenderness and wry sense of humor that marks him as a sympathetic, lost soul. Stevenson is Rona, the former activist who finds her lover and friends no longer share her enthusiasm to continue the ywj fVjhf SN rjiw9 tfw part an intelligent, committed air and moves quickly and convincingly into anger when Rona mourns the deflation of her dreams. Dan Douthit plays the nearly mad soldier, just back from Vietnam, with a quiet intensity but doesn't summon the psychopathic air that has overcome him.

Cynthia Goattey finds a telling edginess in her portrait of Carta, who thought she could become another Marilyn Monroe. Mary Jo Savage finds the pathetic single-mindedness of Wanda, a single woman who has turned JFK into a deity to be continually mourned. This is a Tine production of a very prescient play. Peter VaughnStaff Writer Robert Patrick's "Kennedy's receiving a strong staging by -Outcast Players Theatre, is a play Ithat has improved with age. -Written in the mid-70s, it sought to capture the sense of loss and that had overcome the altruism of the 1960s.

Its five 'characters, now mired in alcoholic -excess, each represented a differ- MAMMA soldier, a liberated gay actor, an idolizer of JFK and his court, an aspiring movie queen and a tie-. dyed activist of a hundred social and political causes. Patrick visits them as they sit in isolation recounting the destruction of their dreams, sipping their liquors of choice and lacking the ability to reach out and connect with one another. While "Kennedy's Children" has always been a strong reminder of how painful it was "the day the music died," it gains stature today by how accurately it anticipates the narcissistic pragmatism of the '80s. Patrick had already sensed that the high-minded ideals of the civil rights The cast delivers a well-acted production of "Kennedy's Children." Back row: Dan Douthit, left, and Charles Sampson-Dawson; front row, Sara Stevenson, left, and J.P.

Mono It, Cynthia Goattey and Mary Jo symbols and real, flawed personalities. His cast is well-suited to the approach and produces some fine performances. Advice Fine line separates social, problem drinkers, When is a person a social drinker? A "problem" drinker? An alcoholic? It's not always easy to tell. The alcoholic can appear to be a social drinker. A person who drinks socially may, on occasion, consume too much alcohol.

One may even drink excessively for a time but return to social use and never become alcoholic. But once a person has crossed that line, clinical experience tells us he or she can never use alcohol safely. The risks are too great. What are the differences and when do you cross the line to alcoholism? To begin with, it is important to remember that for a substantial part of our population, not drinking is the norm. One-third of adult Americans abstain completely from alcohol for reasons ranging from health, to taste, to religious and beliefs.

Most people who choose to drink do so for pleasure. They don't feel especially self-conscious about it, or worry about their drinking habits. They make decisions to drink based on a number of questions: Will I enjoy it? Will it interfere with my work or other responsibilities? Will I be driving? How will it affect The use of alcohol becomes a compulsion or exaggerated dependency on the drug, a drive at times stronger than any other human need. It is paramount to survival. Compared to the social drinker, who can take or leave alcohol at any given time without struggle, the active alcoholic can no longer make such a decision.

For an active alcoholic, the options become white-knuckled refusal of alcohol or intoxication. It can be difficult to tell the difference between social drinking and alcoholic drinking because before the behavior gets out of hand, social drinkers and alcoholics look alike. Even after many episodes of alcoholic bingeing, an alcoholic can be very adept at presenting himself or herself as a social drinker. Our culture's confusion about alcohol consumption doesn't make things any easier. We haven't embraced the concept that alcohol is a mood-altering drug, and it doesn matter what form the drug comes in.

We have considerable conflict over appropriate use of alcohol, describing intoxication as alternately manly, fun, silly, revolting, immoral, or normal, depending on point of view. We haven't agreed at what age alcohol use should be permissible. We disagree about drunken WCCO-TV, Channel 4 was happily reporting Nielsen's findings by Thursday afternoon, when the ink was barely dry on the computer printouts. The CBS affiliate had the highest average rating and share from sign-on to sign-off and came in first in the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

newscast competition, just as it has every month since the Twin Cities joined the ranks of Nielsen's metered markets. The February Nielsen numbers looked a lot like those of January, which is to say they didn't exactly jibe with Arbitron's January numbers. As KARE-TV. Channel 11 recently bought a huge newspaper ad to publicize Who's Arbitron said that KARE was on top at 10 p.m. in January.

Arbitron still uses viewer diaries to ascertain who's watching what, so its findings will take a while to compute. Look for them to be published in a few weeks. Meanwhile, here are some highlights from Nielsen's February survey, on which the prices of commercial time for the next few months will be Sign-on-sign-off: WCCO averaged a 25 percent audience share throughout the day through February. KSTP-TV. Channel 5 was second (23 percent) and KARE third (19 percent).

KMSP-TV. Channel 9 averaged a 16 percent share, unusually high for an independent. KTCA-TV, Channel 2 has a 5 percent sign-on-to-sign-off share. KITN-TV, Channel 29 had a 4 percent share. KTMA-TV, Channel 23 a 2 percent share.

5 p.m.: KSTP won again, with a 23 percent share. But WCCO. with 22 percent, made it the tightest 5 p.m. news competition in more than a year. KMSP's "Family Ties" reruns ran third, its 20 percent share topping the KARE 5 p.m.

news' 18 percent. 6 p.m.: WCCO's "Moore Report" won, as usual, but here it was KSTP's 6 p.m. newscast's turn to narrow the gap. WCCO had a 26 percent share, KMSP (with its second daily "Family Ties" broadcast) had 24 percent. KSTP attracted 23 percent of the viewers at that hour, KARE 13 percent.

6:30 p.m.: WCCO took the time period with "Wheel of Fortune" (33 share). KSTP came in second with "A Current Affair" (26 percent). "Night Court" reruns on KMSP ran third (24 percent), and "USA Today TV" on KARE was fourth (10 percent). 10 p.m.: WCCO attracted 31 percent of the audience, KARE 25 percent and KSTP 22 percent. KMSP had a 13 share with "The Love Connection." Also notable: KMSP's "Prime Time News" at 9 p.m.

averaged an 1 1 percent share. KSTP's "Good Company" eked out a victory at 3 p.m., tying cartoons on KMSP with a 24 percent share. "Sally Jessy Raphael" on WCCO had a 20 share, "St. reruns on KARE a 1 0 percent share. NBC's "Tonight Show" remains the late-night leader, averaging a 26 percent share.

But the new contenders did OK: CBS' "Pat Sajak Show" averaged a 17 percent share, and the syndicated "Arsenio Hall Show" on KMSP averaged 15 percent. KSTP's late-night odd couple, "Nightline" and "The Morton Downey Jr. Show." averaged a 20 share and a 14 share, respectively. nixG Try Our t-0LD-FASHI0NED jff uirhlm milium Soup or salad, real mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetable. Roast Chicken Hot Turkey Sandwich nomemaoe Meat Loaf -TSkX Walleye "Shrimp Steak Shrimp ZZZZmUf I 'New York Steak lilW -m A review Kennedy's Children Whot Outcast Players Theatre.

Dt-rected by David Norman. Whara: Kenwood Park Center, 2101 W. Franklin Minneapolis. Whm Through March 18. 1 KMtti $4 and At trie ooor.

Review: Crisply directed, well-acted production of Robert Patrick's knowledgeable play centered on five disillusioned survivors of the 1960s. Not only does Patrick reflect the despair of the 70s, but he accurately anticipates the narcissistic pragmatism of the 1980s. and antiwar movements had been turned inward. He shows his characters in a vacuum, no longer able to expand their concerns outward, their love of individual freedom no longer understood. They have begun to crumble inward, beginning the journey to condos, car phones and comfort.

David Norman's sensitively staged Hazelden report Daniel J. Anderson my health? Responsible decisions about drinking are associated with good friends, good food and good feelings. Social drinkers consume alcohol as an adjunct to other activities, not as an end in itself. Put another way, an essential ingredient in social drinking is choice: the choice to drink alcohol, and how much, or the choice not to drink at all. Alcohol can dull emotional pain, leading some drinkers to see the drug as a solution for life problems.

Use of alcohol in this way has been called stress-relief drinking or situational abuse. Drinking to "cure" insomnia, drinking to forget a bad fight, drinking to escape a bad day at work, or drinking to "get back" at a spouse could be examples of stress-relief drinking. It is possible for a person to use alcohol this way for a short time without being an alcoholic, but it's a bad idea. Dulling emotional pain does nothing to solve a problem, stops a person from learning and growing, and can make new prob Ann Landers matter of time before something very embarrassing happens. I don't want to offend Mother by asking her to return the keys, but I can't think of any other way to solve the problem.

Can you? Grown Up in Evanston Ann says: Have your lock changed for security reasons and inform your mother you have done so. Tell her that you think it is best that she Dear Abby someone agrees to take him, he will not be abused or turned out. Better to put him to sleep. If you regard this as an unthinkable option, please read the following: In Memory of 'Beau' "Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me. "Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I might lick your hand between the blows, your patience and understanding will more quick Young woman would rather be left in the dark by her mother and well-acted production shows the play in a very strong light.

He doesn't judge the characters, choosing to present them as both lems of its own one of the most serious being the great risk of becoming alcoholic. The more a person uses alcohol as "medicine," the more vulnerable that person is to alcoholism. We are good at fooling ourselves, and it's all too easy to slip from social drinking to routine stress-relief drinking once the precedent has been set. An important factor in the definition of alcoholism is loss of control over the amount of alcohol consumed or the time of consumption. Loss of control doesn't happen at a specific point in a person's life.

It seems to develop through relapse and remission as time goes by. At times the alcoholic may carefully abstain or control drinking for weeks before another episode of uncontrolled alcohol use. Once the stage has been set and the line between social drinking and stress-relief drinking has been crossed, the potential alcoholic is living dangerously. Already, the alcoholic is changing to make room for alcohol. This person learns how to go to work with a hangover and not let it be too evident, and to hide alcohol from the family.

Slowly, everyone around the alcoholic makes accommodations for the increasingly strange behavior. not have a set of the new keys because you don't want to be scared out of your wits again. That should do it. Dear Ann: Your response to the Paducah woman who couldn't understand why the old geezers in the office were coming on to her was typical of the blame-the-victim mentality that is so prevalent today. You asked, "Were you standing too close? Do you engage in too much small talk? Are you too informal, excessively chummy perhaps?" Really! Before you make this woman (and others who have this problem) crazy with guilt and paranoia, please bear in mind that old geezers are just as capable of sexual harassment as the younger men.

Sometimes more so. At the very least, Ann, you might have acknowledged that the writer's complaint could have been le getting rid of ly teach me the things you would have me learn. "Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footstep falls upon my waiting ear. "Please take me inside when it is cold and wet, for I am a domesticated animal, no longer accustomed to bitter elements. I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth.

"Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for I can't tell you when I'm thirsty. "Feed me clean food that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life. "And, my friend, when I am very old, and I no longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having any fun. Please see that my trusting life is taken gently.

I shall leave this earth alcoholic drivers and what to do with them. In all of these conflicting views, the element of choice remains puzzling, because it is true that to begin with, everyone makes a choice to drink. But once a person is alcoholic, the only healthy option is to choose not to drink. In some cases, that decision must be made minute by minute, until the minutes grow to days, months and years of hard-won sobriety. If alcohol use has caused physical, social and emotional distress for you or your loved ones, you may well have crossed the line between social drinking and alcoholism.

Alcoholics Anonymous is an excellent choice for you: all that's needed is a desire to stop drinking. To find an AA group near you, check the phone book or all the Minneapolis Intergroup (612) 922-0080 or St. Paul Intergroup (612) 776-6566. The Hazelden report it produced under the direction of Daniel J. Anderson, president emeritus of Hazelden Foundation, a nonprofit agency in Minnesota providing a wide range of services relating to chemical dependency.

Address questions about chemical dependency to: Hazelden Report, 1400 Park Av. Minneapolis, Minn. 55404 my husband insisted that they knew he was kidding. I saw no evidence of this. We see these people once a week and I sense a definite coolness.

I am sure they thought my husband was serious. How do I handle this? Miserable in Oregon Ann says: Your husband made the mess and it's up to him to clean it up. Tell that down he owes it to you to set the record straight, in your presence, complete with an apology. What a tasteless remark! Ann Landers is a columnist for Creators Syndicate and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. Letters should be addressed to Ann Landers in care of the Star Tribune, 425 Portland Av.

Minneapolis, Minn. 55488. For a personal reply, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. ThePaiiypobie One of our co-workers never pulls his weight. He just sits around all day as if he's in a catatonic state.

We call him "Zombie." Yet he constantly insists that he's the best worker in the department. We all find his boasting offensive. What should we do? Zombie's co-workers. Never mind his boasting what you should find offensive is the fact that he never pulls his weight. Is he ill, on drugs or just plain lazy? And where's the boss also in a catatonic state? I'd ignore the boasting.

But I'd look to the boss, who should know what's going on in your department. Diane Crowley. The next time Zombie starts bragging (and infuriating everyone), someone should reply, "Yes, you've already told us how wonderful you are. Eventually, we assume, you'll prove it. Until then, why don't we all keep quiet about our working skills?" Jeffrey Zaslow.

Crowley and Zaslow are columnists for the Chicago Sun-Times. Dear Ann: I am a single woman (30 years old) and a successful professional who lives in a nice neighborhood in a Chicago suburb. My par-' ents live two miles away and we get along well, except for one problem. My mother is an inveterate worrier. I gave her a set of keys to my I apartment in case of an emergency.

If she telephones and expects me to be at home and I am not, she comes over and lets herself in to see if I am OK. If my answering machine isn't on, she worries that something is "wrong" and comes over to check. Once she came in and scared the daylights out of me. I thought someone was breaking in. Her rea- son for not knocking was that the lights were out.

can think of several things a 30-year-old woman might be doing the lights out, during which she not welcome a surprise visit from her mother. I fear it is just a gitimate. Annette in Minneapolis Ann says: An awful lot of women didn't like my answer, and after giving it some thought I can understand why. It was a clunker. In retrospect i don't know how I could have missed the mark so completely.

I know better. Mea culpa. Dear Ann: We were invited to a cocktail party at the home of a new friend. We were still in the get-acquainted stage and the question was asked, "How did you and your husband meet?" Before I could say anything, my husband said, with a perfectly straight face, "Doris was a hooker." I was so shocked I just sat there and couldn't think of anything to say. The women looked stricken and the men seemed somewhat amused.

Our hostess quickly changed the subject. On the way home I was in tears, but Ethical options' sought in crotchety dog knowing with the last breath I draw that my fate was always safest in your hands." Dear Abby: Please settle an argument I am having with all my friends and acquaintances on the subject of "Juniors" becoming "Seniors" when their fathers die. I say "Junior" automatically becomes "Senior" when the father dies. Right? Waiting in Annapolis Abby says: No. According to the revised edition of the "Amy Vander-bilt Complete Book of Etiquette" by Letitia Baldrige: "A usually drops the when his father dies, unless both he and his late father were so well known that to drop it would cause public confusion." Abigail Van Buren is a columnist for Universal Press Syndicate.

Letters should be addressed to Dear Abby in care of the Star Tribune, 425 Portland Av. Minneapolis, Minn. 55488. For a personal reply, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Dear Abby: Some will think this is -silly, but it's a real problem to our family.

I hope you can help us decide what to do. We got a puppy from the pound; he was supposed to be a sheltie mix. He now weighs 100 pounds, has allergies, hip dysplasia, unpredictable incontinence, predictable flatulence and an unpleasant personality. He's crochety (who wouldn't be with all these but he mean. Trying to find another home for him not worked (surprise, We could "put him to -sleep," but being obnoxious is not capital offense.

We enjoy our oth--er cats and dogs, so it's not as Ithough we don't know how to care animals. Can you think of any -ethical options that would relieve us him, yet give him a safe and not lonely life? Dog-Tired in Portland says: Bless you. Only a com-'passionate animal lover would be "ethical options." Since the ailing animal will not be easy to place, you must be very sure that if SEE VOU SUMOAY FOHDtNNFH I.