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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Tyler Perry Brings Laughter to the Crown by SHANNON ANGRY Do you have an appreciation for timeless and eye-catching performances? The latest offering by Tyler Perry, the talented director, producer and actor, The Haves and Have Nots, will be on stage at the Crown Center on Thursday, Feb. 23 and Friday, Feb. 24. The play is a powerful story of love and honor presented. It follows the life of a wealthy family that seems to have all they could ever need or want. They are involved in the material things in life and are quite superfi cial. The tables turn when they are forced to face the other side of life when their housekeeper, who is poverty-stricken, asks them for help. The family comes to her rescue, and soon discovers they are the ones in need of help. The play includes powerful new music written by Perry and a wonderful cast, which includes both actors and singers. The cast includes Palmer E. Williams, Patrice Lovely, Tony Hightower, Alexis Jones, Maurice Lauchner and Jeffrey Lewis. Written and directed by Perry, the play is heartfelt but also humorus. Perry has touched the lives of many individuals with his plays because so many people can relate to them. Perry's climb to fame is inspirational because he came from a modest background. Perry grew up an abused kid on the rough side of New Orleans. Growing up in the rough side of New Orleans. Through his strong faith, Perry made it through and used the bad times to build his career. Many of the scenarios acted out on stage, come from the pages of Perry's own life. Advice he received from Oprah Winfrey pushed hime to begin keeping a diary of all his daily deliberations and incidents. To deal with his emotions, Perry often wrote letters to himself and later used them in his works. In 1992, Perry traveled to Atlanta with the hope that he would receive rave reviews for his fi rst offering, I Know I've Been Changed. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and Perry lost all of the money he invested in the play. Perry was forced to sleep in broke down motels and in his car. His faith in God was the one thing that kept him in high spirits and gave him the strength to continue to have a positive outlook. His spirituality became even stronger with his close ties to the church. In 1998, Perry was given the opportunity to showcase his musical I Know I've Been Changed at a local church. The musical was eventually moved to the very prominent Atlanta Fox Theatre. Since those days, Perry has built a huge fan base. He has had success with 13 plays and of course, his infamous Madea character. Madea received so much success and love that Perry started a series with the character including Madea's Family Reunion (2002), Madea's Class Reunion (2003) Madea Goes to Jail (2005). Perry's plays have led to many successful movies such as Why Did I Get Married, Why Did I Get Married Too, Meet the Browns, The Family that Preys, I Can Do Bad all by Myself, and Diary of a Mad Black Woman, to name a few. Perry also released his fi rst book Don't Make a Black Woman Take off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Life and Love. The writer has two successful television shows, Meet the Browns and House of Payne, and he does much charitable work with donations to Feed America, the NAACP, Feed the Hungry and Perry Place — a 20-home community that Perry built for those affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Crown Center is excited about Perry's upcoming play. Marshall Perry, director of marketing and sales, says that Perry's past performances at the Crown Center has garnered large crowds. Because of the big turnout of his past shows, Perry feels that it will be no exception for this show and advises people to purchase tickets early. "It is highly recommended that you purchase your tickets as soon as possible," Perry explains. "He always has terrifi c, terrifi c performances with a great turnout!" There will be two productions of the play that start at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and 8 p.m. on Friday. For more information or tickets,call 438-4100 or visit www.atthecrown.com. Lunch 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Tues. - Sat. Dinner 5 p.m. - 9 p.m., Tues. - Thur. 5 p.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. - Sat. Sunday Brunch 10:30 a..m. - 2:30 p.m. Closed Monday Sit down and enjoy award winning cuisine in our elegant dining rooms set in a historic home built in 1908. Complement your entree with a selection from our extensive wine list. Fine Dining Surrounded by Timeless Elegance! Experience our higher standards and excellence with our catering services. 1240 Fort Bragg Road • Fayetteville, NC • 910.484.6699 www.hilltophousenc.com 8 UCW FEBRUARY 15-21, 2012 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM R