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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MAY 17-23, 2017 UCW 13 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Gates Four Golf and Country Club is known, among other things, for its manicured golf course, excellent service and love for this community. So when Fayetteville native Richard Guy was looking for a place to host the first celebrity charity golf invitational the county has seen in more than 20 years, it had to be at Gates Four. May 21 and 22, the Richard Guy Charity Invitational is set to host more than 20 celebrities, pairing them with local golfers for a fun-filled event that benefits local charities — with a focus on the military and military families. "I am born and raised here," said Guy. "My dad served. I love the military and military families. We came up with the idea because there hasn't been a celebrity tournament here in the last 20 years. I asked my friends if they would come support the community, and they said yes." e celebrities participating in the tournament include Dwayne Allen, NFL tight end; NFL player Leonard Black; NBA forward Dudley Bradley; Grammy- nominated trombonist Jeff Bradshaw; NCAA champion Tommy Burleson; NFL fullback Phil Crosby; Guinness World Record holder ad Daber; Golden Knight Mike Elliott ; NBA Guard Eric "Sleepy" Floyd; three-time NBA Champion Gerald Henderson Sr.; John Isley of the John Boy and Billy Show; NFL linebacker and Super Bowl XXIX Champion Rickey Jackson; Super Bowl XXXI champion Gorge Koonce; NFL tight end Deems May; three-time Super Bowl Champion Tim McKyer; 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers; WBA Heavyweight Champion James "Bonecrusher" Smith; two-time Super Bowl Champion Lawrence Taylor; NFL defensive back Terry Taylor; NCAA champion Dereck Whittenburg; NBA shooting guard Al Wood and NFL cornerback Donnell Woolford. Medal of Honor recipient, Navy SEAL Veteran, philanthropist and co-author of "By Honor Bound," Michael E. ornton, is the tournament's guest of honor. Each player will receive a signed complimentary book. "It is going to be one of the largest events played in Fayetteville with some of the celebrities we have on the list. It is a big draw," said Gates Four Golf and Country Club general manager Kevin Lavertu. ere is a pairings party May 21; the tournament is May 22. "Each team will get to play with a celebrity," said Guy. "e tournament is Monday. It is going to be a lot of fun. ... We've got some big names from the NBA, NFL and collegiate athletes, too." Organizations receiving proceeds from the event include In Support of Combat Injured Troops, Patriot Hunts, e Unit Scholarship Fund, Airborne Scholarship Association and Ways 2 Love Fayetteville. "All the money stays local," said Guy. "ere are great causes everywhere, but we also have a lot to do in this community. We are trying to give back and have fun doing it. After all, Fort Bragg and Fayetteville are really one community. We are a family." To schedule practice rounds, participants can call (910) 425-6667 ext. 224. ere will be a red carpet reception and cocktails at Gates Four from 6-7 p.m. on May 21, followed by the pairings party and dinner at 7 p.m. On May 22, there is a sunrise breakfast at Gates Four Golf and Country Club from 7:30-9:30 a.m. Player registration is from 8-9:45 a.m., followed by announcements. e shotgun start is at 10 a.m. e awards ceremony and players luncheon is from 3-5 p.m. For more information, visit www.rgcharitygolf.org or www. gatesfour.com. Celebrity Golf Tournament Raises Funds for Local Charities by STEPHANIE CRIDER EVENTS "Caroline, or Change" is Necessary, Beautiful Art by LESLIE PYO LESLIE PYO, Assistant Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. STEPHANIE CRIDER, Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200 Cape Fear Regional Theatre's production of "Caroline, or Change" is a beautiful, necessary and visceral work of art. I cried three times. And I will probably pay to see it again. "Caroline" was not the show I expected it to be. Neither was its protagonist. After interviewing Direc- tor Bryan Conger and lead actress Joy Ducree Gregory two weeks ago, I knew a few things. I knew the wash- ing machine, dryer, radio, moon and bus are all played by people. I knew it's a show deeply rooted in memory and imagination. I knew Caroline is a sad character. And I knew the story is all about change. But I didn't know the washing machine would feel like a wise, kind aunt. I didn't know the dryer would emanate both sensuality and fear. I didn't know the moon would feel so disconnected from and yet sympa - thetic to the humans below. The way these imaginary charac- ters sing, riding in and out of Jeanine Tesori's score, creates an atmosphere of authentic human experience that's better than realism. In the hot, damp basement where Caroline spends her days doing laundry as a maid, the audience is given a window into the way Caroline thinks and feels about and remembers her past — a window Caroline can no longer offer to real people. When she sings in that basement and is joined by the washer's song, the radio's song and the moon's, it's like seeing bright colors painted right next to each other — distinct and yet blending in the mind's eye to create something real, fresh and relatable. I also didn't know a sad, angry and hopeless protagonist could be so compelling and inspiring. I don't think we see enough char - acters like Caroline onstage. She was so very real. Ducree Gregory does an incredible job. The show is worth attending on the basis of her final song alone. The maturity, dignity and responsibility with which Ducree Gregory brings Caroline to life as a three-dimensional and complex woman who yes, is sad, is powerful. The entire cast is phenomenal. Their onstage chemistry was a bit slow to start, but once they found their groove, I didn't care; I was just there with them, completely absorbed in their world. Kesimy Martinez stood out as Caroline's oldest daughter, Emmy. Martinez has a unique presence — an understated confidence and spunk, and an expressive voice with impres - sive control. Christian Lattimore and Henry Gregory IV are delightful and completely unaffected in their acting as Caroline's two younger sons, Jackie and Joe. Michael Bertino is endear- ingly awkward and boyish as the son of the Jewish family Caroline works for. The last thing I did not know, go- ing into this show, is that the change this story is really about is a kind I'd never seen onstage before. The story is set in Louisiana, 1963; the number of political and social changes going on outside of Caroline are numerous, and those are addressed. Then there's pocket change; I won't say more than that this kind of change is important to the story, and to one particular relationship. Lastly, there's this other kind of change: "That's how Caroline will change — that's how Caroline will rearrange herself." Caroline sings out these words in the show's most beautiful and heartbreaking mo - ment. To understand this last kind of change, you have to see the show. It's more than worth it. CFRT invites the public to attend a pre-show conversation focused on the civil rights movement May 18 from 6:30-7:15 p.m., facilitated by Reverend Cureton Johnson. is event was made possible because CFRT received the prestigious NEA "Art Works" Grant for "Caroline, or Change." The show runs through May 28. Tickets cost $15-$25 and can be purchased by visiting w w w.cfrt.org or calling (910) 323- 4233. The change this story is really about is a kind I'd never seen onstage before. Photo courtesy of Raul Rubiera Photography.