Up & Coming Weekly

OCTOBER 28 - NOVEMBER 3, 2009 UCW 11 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM It's a White Christmas at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre by JANICE BURTON With the passage of Halloween, Fayetteville residents are looking ahead at the holiday season. Nothing could put them in the mood more than a timeless production of White Christmas at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre. The classic musical incorporates some of the best of Irving Berlin's music, and will be brought to the stage under the direction of Dirk Lumbard. Lumbard is no stranger to the CFRT stage having recently appeared in Barnum and 12 Angry Men. He last directed Singin' In the Rain, another classic musical. Lumbard will be joined by Erik Floor, who also last seen as the lead in Singin' in the Rain; newcomer Andrea Mislan, who has just fi nished up a tour with Broadway's International Cellblock Tour of Chicago; and Fayetteville residents Kenn Griggs and Cassandra Vallery, both perennial favorites on the CFRT stage. "There is just a wealth of musical in this simple love story," said Lumbard. "It's very sweet. Irving Berlin is one of the greatest composers, he's up there with Gershwin and Cole Porter. He was crazy brilliant. He not only composed the music, but he wrote all the lyrics. This musical is fi lled with so many beautiful tunes, and they all fi t into the story line and move the plot along. The songs — all songs you know — are just part of the draw to the show, the other is the dancing. There's everything from jazz to ballroom, and according to Lumbard, the four lead carry not only the music, but the dancing as well, with the style and aplomb that makes for great musicals. "I have four fantastic leads. They are all so well-suited to play these parts. My two dance leads (Floor and Mislan) are going to blow everybody away," he said. That goes for the ensemble that is comprised of local residents, many in their teens. "They've come a long way in the two weeks we've been rehearsing," said Lumbard. "It's great to see their joy and commitment to the show. That is going to be a big part of the success of this show. I love working with these wonderful Fayetteville kids. I've seen a lot of them grow up here. Some of the dancers I'm directing now were munchkins when I did the Wizard of Oz here years ago." Floor, who has been doing shows in New York, was excited at the idea of returning to the CFRT sage. "I've been looking for quite some time to fi nd a way to come back to this theatre. In fact, I begged and begged to come back," he said with a laugh. "This seemed like the right time and the right show. I knew Dirk would make a great director and I love performing with Bo (Thorp) and this community of performers." Mislan moved to North Carolina in August. "I was thrilled when I heard there was this theatre here. I knew Dirk as a friend, but didn't know what to expect, but everyone has been so open, and working with Dirk and the cast has been amazing," she said. For Griggs, the show is particularly fi tting for this community because as much as it is a love story, it's also a story about the bonds between soldiers. "This is a very heartwarming story," he said. "The fi rst time I read it through, I got choked up. The show starts with a scene between a general and his men. In Fayetteville, we know the bond between these soldiers is real, people in this town get it." Griggs, who is known more for his singing than his dancing, was a little hesitant to talk about his own dancing but not that of the dance leads. "They are great," he said. "They will blow you away." And that's what Lumbard hopes will happen. "It's going to be a fi rst-rate show," he said. "And, we're even going to bring snow to Fayetteville." The show opens on Thursday, Nov. 5 and runs through Nov. 22. Tickets range in price from $10 to $28, and can be purchased at the CFRT Box Offi ce by calling 323-4233 or online at www.cfrt.org.

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