Up & Coming Weekly

FEBRUARY 3 - 9, 2010 UCW 13 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM It's not often that the audience of the Cape Fear Regional Theatre is full of children, in fact, it's rare. So, I was happy to see the excited children lining up with their parents for the preview of Peter Pan at the CFRT. I was also a little worried, because while their excitement was contagious, I was worried whether or not they would be able to contain themselves during the show to actually allow the remainder of the audience to enjoy the show. I had nothing to worry about. From the opening music to the closing lines, the children were enchanted by the magic of the show — so were the adults. Before I go any further in this review, I must come clean and admit that I have a very close tie to this show. The Littlest Burton is one of the Lost Boys. You might be saying to yourself, "Oh, confl ict of interest!" But if you go see the show, you will know I'm speaking nothing but the truth. The musical brings some great talent to the CFRT stage. Led by Megan Ellis, who brings to life Peter Pan, the cast sang and danced its way into the audience's heart. Ellis, a Missouri native, brings an innocence and vitality to the role of Peter Pan. She has a lively spirit and connects well with the cast. Her voice is strong, although on the night I viewed the show her microphone was not working well, and Ellis' voice got lost when she was at the back of the stage. Pan's arch enemy Captain Hook was brought to life by Dirk Lumbard. I was really looking forward to seeing how Lumbard would bring Hook to life. I think he played it to perfection. He embraced the foppish nature of Hook, as seen in the many portrayals over the year. While he made Hook unlikeable, he didn't take it too far. The audience could still laugh at him. Like Ellis, Lumbard also encountered some microphone problems toward the end of the show. In the last couple of numbers, his microphone was muffl ed due to static. Lumbard is a consummate showman, and he led his cast of rowdy Pirates in song and dance numbers that were spot on. The Pirates as a whole were hysterical. Their bumbling, fumbling, fawning personna kept the audience in stitches. Of particular note was Robbie Gay, an Alabama native, who played Hook's fi rst mate Smee. Gay brought a lot of humor to the show and was a perfect foil to Lumbard's Hook. Andrea Mislan, who was last on the CFRT stage in White Christmas, played Tiger Lilly and did the choreography for the show. Mislan spent hours working with the cast to ensure the dance numbers are fi rst class. Her hard work paid off. There were three distinct groups Mislan worked with: the Pirates, the Lost Boys and the Indians. Most of the Pirates and the Indians have had some form of formal dance training. That wasn't the case with the Lost Boys, but she quickly whipped them into shape. In my opinion, the showstopper was the "Ugh-A-Wug" sequence performed by Tiger Lilly and her band of Indians and Peter Pan and his Lost Boys. The initial number was something of a dance-off between the Indians and the Lost Boys, with the fi nale being a spectacular drum rhythm performed by the Indians, Tiger Lilly and Peter Pan. It was spectacular. Mary Mattison Vallery gets kudos for her portrayal of Wendy. Vallery has literally grown up on the CFRT and other local stages. A freshman at Terry Sanford, Vallery has performed in more than 25 plays and musicals to date. She has a great voice and brought a sense of wonder to the stage. The Lost Boys were composed of two casts of 14. The boys, some of whom have been in other CFRT productions, also deserve kudos. They did a great job and helped create the magic of the show. While there were some minor technical problems with the performance I viewed, it was still one of the best shows of the season. The audience agreed with me, as I heard nothing but rave reviews from audience members as they exited the building. Peter Pan brings magic to the CFRT stage — catch it. No Girls Allowed! That was the rule in many professions until recent decades. Now the thought of telling a woman that she can't be a fi re fi ghter, a business professional, an airplane pilot, a professional baseball umpire or anything else she wants to be seems ludicrous — at least in this country — but that wasn't always the case. Just decades ago, even the most competent of women were commonly denied access to fulfi lling their dreams regardless of their ambition, talent or skill level. Gilbert Theater is taking on this topic with Play Balls, its third play of this theatrical season. A comedy based on the true-life experiences of Pam Postema and Bernice Gera, Play Balls is about a young woman trying to break into the male dominated world of professional baseball umpiring. "It's about more than baseball," said Director Peter Bonilla. "It's about breaking sexism. It's about a woman's journey trying to achieve a goal in a man's business. It's about Pam and her quest to be a professional major league ump and the hell she went through." There's plenty of strong language to be had in the production as fans and umpires hurl obscenities at the main character, so Bonilla cautions that it is not a kid-friendly event, but adds that the story is inspiring, the acting is excellent and the show something that is worth seeing. "She fought hard, really, really hard," Bonilla said of Postema. "If you stink, you stink, but to say 'Get back in the kitchen'? No way. She was a trailblazer women should look up to." Claudia Warga carries the lead as Lucy Posner, the fictional version of Postema/Gera. Jules Ollie Forde and Jim Darrien portray Ump 1 and Ump 2 as well as the other back up characters that harass and heckle Posner on her journey through the brutally competitive and chauvinistic world of umpiring. Bonilla, who has spent the past 17 years in New York City, is no stranger to theater. He's a professional actor, director, playwright, photographer and editor. Finding himself in Fayetteville for personal reasons, Bonilla sought an outlet for his creative energy and happened upon Gilbert Theater. "I'm not sure how it started, Lynn Pryer and I got to talking and I mentioned that I am a big baseball fan," said Bonilla. "Lynn said, 'Hey I've got a book you should read.' One thing led to another and I guess he liked what I brought to the table." The show runs Feb. 11 - Feb 28. Thursday through Saturday, show times are at 8 p.m. There is a matinee each Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 and reservations are highly encouraged. Visit www.gilberttheater. com or call 678-7186 for more information. Peter Pan Brings Magic To CFRT Stage by JANICE BURTON STEPHANIE CRIDER, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com. JANICE BURTON, Associate Publisher COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 106 or Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. Play Balls to Open at the Gilbert Theater by STEPHANIE CRIDER

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