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/1506964
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM SEPTEMBER 6 - 12, 2023 UCW 11 "No, Florence, no, not another one of your episodes," Jonathan Judge- Russo says. Judge-Russo, dressed in a vest over his street clothes and knee pads, stands at the edge of the rehearsal space at Cape Fear Regional eatre. Amber French flutters over to him, mid-panic attack that her character Florence is supposed to be having. Judge-Russo digs into his pocket and reveals a small, silver tin for pills, the kind that men might have carried at the turn of the century and might still be found in old ladies' purses. He pops it open and grabs an imaginary pill. "Here, take one of your pills," he says, two of his fingers pinched together. He picks up his hand and pretends to throw a pill into French's mouth. She walks back to the middle of the room, falls to the floor and screams hysterically until she calms down. "Well done, Florence. ere, there." Judge-Russo says. Director Laura Josepher stands looking over the binder containing her script. She gives directions to Judge-Russo and French. She wants to see more of a reaction from French and a visual moment of her swallowing the tiny pill just chucked into her mouth. "e reaction is good, but just to help me know, it got in there," she says to French. French and others laugh a little. She mimics a mouth open and, suddenly, a very visible swallow. With a nod, she and the others begin the scene again with no less vigor than the first time. In a short time, from September 7 to 24, e Play at Goes Wrong will take the stage at Cape Fear Regional eatre, and each of the actors wants to make sure they get it going wrong in precisely the right way. Judge- Russo is playing omas Colleymoore and also Robert, an actor playing omas. French plays Sandra, an actor playing the character Florence Colleymore. is is a play within a play, Josepher explained. In the rehearsal room, Josepher moves from the pill scene to another play segment. is time, Mitchell Stephens, playing both Chris the actor and his character Inspector Carter, enters the rehearsal space. Stephens has the unique job of being both the actor of this play within a play and the fight/movement coordinator for the show. e Play at Goes Wrong is about a play, e Murder of Havershsam Manor, going from "bad to utterly disastrous" and gives the comedic vibes of Gene Wilder with accident- prone actors and a corpse that has a hard time remembering to play dead. Stephens' coordinator role is integral to the comedic timing. "Every moment has to be pretty live," Judge-Russo says. "… I think everybody has shown up from moment one … and brought their game real hard." All the other actors shake their heads in agreement. at game is one of farce and comedic timing. Stephens, very vocal and comedic in his own right, speaks about the genuine collaboration and power of the actors in the play. "We then all celebrate every laugh that happens," Stephens says. "Instead of it being each one of us jockeying for who gets the biggest laugh or the best one, it now becomes a laugh as something to celebrate ... getting super not precious with our bits and our gags." Stephens says each actor will strip out jokes to serve the collective laughs in the play better. Each one creates what they call a true ensemble to bring comedy to the Cumberland County community. "Farce is hard," Josepher says. "It is such specific timing. ere's so many moments in the show … the world is a tough place that [it's nice to have] an evening of just laughing." Tickets for the play are available at CFRT.org and include special pricing for the military on September 13 and Teachers on September 15. e folks at the theatre will also host a Welcome Back Bash on September 7 and Murder Mystery Trivia on September 8. Visit www.CFRT.org for more details. KATHLEEN RAMSEY, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Getting it wrong in exactly the right way by KATHLEEN RAMSEY EVENTS SEP. 7 - 24 BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW! CFRT.ORG or 910.323.4233 About the show: Welcome to opening night of the Cornley Drama Society's newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. This whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show—an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can't play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). Nevertheless, the accident-prone actors battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences! Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, & Henry Shields Directed by Laura Josepher (CFRT's Murder for Two) Rated PG-13 for parental guidance. This play contains some mild adult language and comedic violence. Tickets- $15–$28 A NON-STOP, GUT-BUSTING HIT!