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.
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14 UCW JANUARY 29-FEBRUARY 4, 2020 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM EVENTS Gilbert Theater presents 'Ruins' by OLIVIA BURKE If you want to see a play that tells a story that is both entertaining and relatable then "Ruins" is a must-see. is play is both humorous and in touch with what it feels like to experi- ence a natural disaster. Written and directed by Montgomery Sutton, "Ru- ins" will be performed at the Gilbert eater Jan. 24-Feb. 9. What starts as a simple story of a man who visits his former friend and lover, who has been affected by a hor- rific natural disaster, evolves into a reflection on their relationship, their memories and what led to their even- tual breakup. is is production is an in-depth examination of what we feel like as people in romantic relation- ships and how these relationships affect our everyday lives. Unlike other plays performed in the Gilbert eater, the set for "Ruins" has a look to it that is far from the glitz and glam of many typical sets. e set is so unique and life-like, it looks like a torna- do blew through the theater, decimating the stage. Broken furniture is scattered everywhere. Remnants of a house have been spread all around the stage and the cast even describes where each room of the house formerly was throughout the course of the play. e performance starts off with a scene where we meet the two main char- acters, Grace Garson and Adam Smith. Grace is played by Megan L. Martinez, and the character that is Adam is played by Justin Matthew Toyer. During the opening scene, Garson and Smith meet for the first time in over a decade. ey are in the literal ruins of Garson's childhood home, reminiscing about all the memories they made in the home. Garson was not expecting to see Smith, and Smith is very nervous to see Garson after all of these years. e tension between these two could have been felt from miles away. Martinez and Toyer do an incredible job displaying the complexity of the many feelings their characters are feeling at that moment. e talent of Martinez and Toyer shines throughout the course of the play. Regardless of what emotion they are supposed to evoke, they show it with care and with intense passion. ere was intense passion the audi- ence could feel from the actors. It was almost as if the lines between actor and character were blurred. As the show goes on audience learns more and more about their relationship. e two started out as high school sweethearts. ey were crazy about each other. ey were so crazy about each other that in college they even contemplated the idea of going to New York City together. Later down the road, their rela- tionship faced much adversity. ey wanted different things from life, which led them down two separate paths. e actors portray their story through reflections told by the char- acters and flashback scenes. e symbolism in the story was touching as well. One thing that re- ally broke my heart was the tree com- ing down. is tree was Grace and Adam's favorite tree when they were teenagers. e tree coming down es- sentially symbolized the end of that time that they had together. To experience the artistic creation that is "Ruins," visit w w w.gilbertthe- ater.com for tickets and information. "Ruins" is at Gilbert eater through Feb. 9. Deprecia's School of dance (910) 500-3053 dsodstudio.com dsodstudios@gmail.com 8175 Cliffdale Rd. Suite 113 Fayetteville NC, 28314 Dance into the New Year with Joy & Happiness OLIVIA BURKE, Contributing writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910- 484-6200.