Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1168827
12 UCW SEPTEMBER 18-24, 2019 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM ere is a party happening here in Fayetteville that you do not want to miss! Rising to the challenge yet again, Cape Fear Regional eater, under the auspices of Artistic Di- rector Mary Kate Burke, kicked off the 2019-2020 theater season with "Mamma Mia!" easily rivaling last year's "Music City" opener. Among the night's outstanding performances were those turned in by Scenic Designer Sarah Harris and Sce- nic Artist David Rawlins, who man- aged to make an entire Greek island resort, including the surrounding sea, come breathtakingly alive. e movie version's soundstage didn't do it any better. And the movie version didn't offer theatergoers an onstage bar, which really got the party going. With music and lyrics by Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Stig Anderson and a book by Catherine Johnson, credit the able direction of Suzanne Agins, along with the choreography of Ryan Migge, and the sterling performance of Zeek Smith and his orchestra for keeping the show fast-paced, lively and fun. Along with the accessible bar, using the theater's aisles to help stage several dance numbers further engaged the audience as active party participants. And those ABBA songs never grow old, some of them being a party unto themselves. "Mamma Mia!" tells the story of Sophie, a 20-year-old who invites three men from her mother's past to her wedding with the hope of discov- ering which one of them is her father. Alexa Cepeda, making her CFRT debut, played Sophie, and hers was consistently the strongest voice of the evening. In addition to her vocal talent, she infused her character with sparkling charm. Joanne Javien played Donna, Sophie's mother, with the dramatic passion one would expect from the lead of Donna and the Dynamos, her throw-back 70s trio. Her rendition of "e Winner Takes It All" was superb. Heather Setzler played Tanya, the seductive member of the trio, and had fun with her "Does Your Mother Know" number. Nicki Hart played Rosie, the third Dynamo, and man- aged to be funny, sexy and a little bit vulnerable as she propositioned Bill, one of Donna's former lovers, to "Take a Chance on Me." Graham Stevens, Brent Schraff and Jock Brocki, playing Donna's past loves and Sophie's prospective fathers, worked well in the backup male roles as did Simon Schaitkin, who plays Sophie's fiancé. e Ensemble, composed of multitalented players, delivered stellar vocal backup and dance moves. e entire production consistently drew cheers and thunderous ap- plause, and the finale had the entire theater audience up and dancing in their seats. "Mamma Mia!" runs through Oct. 6 with both evening and matinee per- formances scheduled. Also, there will be bonus preshow features such as Greek Night, 70s Nights and discounts for Military and Teacher Apprecia- tion Nights. For bonus and discount details, as well as a schedule of perfor- mance times, dates and ticket prices, visit www.cfrt.org. Take a chance on 'Mamma Mia!' PRUDENCE MAINOR EVENT e entire production of "Mamma Mia!" consistently drew cheers and thunderous ap- plause, and the finale had the entire theater audience up and dancing in their seats. PRUDENCE MAINOR, Contributing Writer. COM- MENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com 910-484-6200. An MVP Fan From Our KICKOFF CLUB Will be Chosen on Game Days! * *Some limitations may apply. Exclusive to BMFCU Members with active membership status. Official account and prize entry rules and a complete list of prizes are available at BraggMutual.org/kickoff-to-savings/. ARMY VS NAVY – WIN $ 500 SUPER BOWL – WIN $1,000 Equal Credit Opportunity Lender. Text the Word CLUB to 88000 to Learn How to Play! WIN $ 1,000 KICKOFF CLUB WIN $ 100 Monday Night Football Games JOIN THE KICKOFF CLUB