Up & Coming Weekly

October 24, 2017

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 OCTOBER 25 - 31, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Riding on the success of sold-out performances of "Dreamgirls," the Cape Fear Regional Theatre will next bring local audiences a classic thriller sure to showcase the talent of cast and crew alike. The scene for "Wait Until Dark" is a basement apartment in New York City's Greenwich Village in 1967, said director Talya Klein. Susy and Sam Hendrix are newlyweds. "She lost her sight two years ago," Klein said. "Sam is an ex-Marine, now a photographer, who unknow- ingly becomes a drug mule." Sam is unaware that a doll he brought home is filled with drugs. W hen he leaves the apartment, Klein said, "three baddies tr y to con Susy into giving them the doll. Things escalate and get increasingly more dangerous." It is a harrowing tale made more unique by the lead character being blind, Klein said. "Wait Until Dark" was w ritten by Frederick K nott and premiered on Broadway in 1966. A mov ie adapta- tion opened in 1967 starring Audrey Hepburn, A lan A rk in and R ichard Crenna. K nott also w rote "Dial M for Murder," anot her play t hat A l- fred Hitchcock adapted for f ilm. A play confined to one apartment might sound like an easy and simple production, but Klein said "Wait Un- til Dark" requires sharp focus for set, prop and script details. "I've never directed a t hriller before," K lein said. "I'm hav ing so much f un. The stor y is beaut i- f ully const r ucted, and ever y piece means somet hing." "Ever y t hing is a big deal," she said. "W hen a character is smok- ing a cigarette and holding a match book, it is important. The details are constructing a chain." Audiences shouldn't worr y that they may miss vital clues and not understand the action, though, Klein said. "Even if you miss a couple of t hings, you'll get it," K lein said. "'Wait Until Dark' is for people who love details." Leah Curney plays Susy in the play. She said her character's blindness is a critical part of the story, but also that the story is really not about that. "She has to discover how capable she truly is, and her disability be- comes an asset," Curney said. "It's like watching really good martial arts. She's using the limitations of this space to her advantage." Jillian Wickens-Johnson, 13, is making her professional debut in "Wait Until Dark" as Susy's 10-year- old neighbor Gloria. Wickens-John- son said her character sees Sam as a father figure to her character but considers Susy more of an evil step- mother at the beginning of the play. "Gloria has a beautiful character arc," Wickens-Johnson said. "She comes in as an angr y child and, over t he course of t he play, … bonds w it h (Susy)." Susy and Gloria must work together against characters Klein calls 'the baddies' in the story – the three shady con men trying to retrieve the doll. Patrick Falcon plays Harry Roat, the mysterious lead con artist. "Roat is an alias," Falcon said. "It is a guise my character constructs. He has a history of darkness. He's very much a nebulous shape-shifter who could be anyone but no one at all." "I have the job of trying to make the character as vile as possible," Falcon said. "It's terribly fun as an actor." "Wait Until Dark" is a classic sus- pense thriller for audiences 13 and above due to some violence. "The most terrifying moments we don't see," Klein said. It is an example of the "story-telling that happens when we have to imagine what happens." "Wait Until Dark" runs Oct. 26 through Nov. 12. Ticket prices and information about several opening weekend specials are available at w w w.cfrt.org or by calling the box office at (910) 323-4233. Suspense thriller "Wait Until Dark" opens at CFRT by APRIL OLSEN EVENTS "Wait Until Dark" is a harrowing tale made more unique by the lead character being blind. APRIL OLSEN, Contributing writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. (910) 484-6200. FREE to Residents, Businesses and Organizations throughout our Community. For More Information Call 910-484-6200 Pick Yours Up Today! Welcome to Radio & TV Stations 18 Month Calendar Local Festivals County Libraries Area Health Facilities Schools Public & Private Parks & Recreation Universities & Colleges Frequently Called Numbers City Welcome Mayor Nat Robertson Darsweil Rogers John Meroski President of Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Live Theatres Museums & Galleries Local Annual Events Town of Hope Mills & Hope Mills Chamber Cumberland County Schools Dr. Frank Till Cumberland County Commissioner Glenn B. Adams

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