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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Gastric Bypass Is Not An Overnight Success..... Superstar Shines on the Cape Fear Regional Stage by JANICE BURTON Superstar, it was on an eight-track tape and I was about 5 years old. My dad, a Southern Baptist minister, who was not into the flower power scene of the late '60s , early '70s, saw the music and immediately thought it was a Christian tape — like his beloved Chuck Wagon Gang. Imagine his surprise the first time he popped the tape The first time I ever heard the music from Jesus Christ into the deck, and the rock score blasted out at him. My siblings and I, of course, loved it. My dad quickly removed it from the deck and we smuggled it into the house to play when he wasn't around. We had a great time pretending we were the apostles, and we knew all of the words. My mom, who also was not a rocker, was amused by our fascination with the music — and she real- ized that while it wasn't her traditional Sunday school material, it was helping us see the story of Christ. So, she indulged us. All of these things, ran through my mind when the announcement was made that the do not know the story, it follows the last week of the life of Jesus. Those familiar with that story know that the last week was full of crowds — lots of crowds. So, the cast is big. It is also amazingly fresh. If you have spent any amount of time at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre, you know that there is a core group of folks that perform in most plays. That was not the case with this show. There were so many fresh faces and voices. They were excited. They were exuberant. They were talented. While the story is bittersweet, there was so much joy on the stage. The energy was Signing up for GASTRIC BYPASS demands commitment, a new mind-set, and a new relationship with yourself. Expect to set aside 90 days to qualify and to prepare for surgery. If you are 100 lbs. or more overweight and want more information about bariatric surgical options (including gastric bypass, lap band and other procedures) please attend our upcoming educational forums Wednesday, November 14th • 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 19th • 6:30 p.m. Cape Fear Valley Education Center Wednesday, October 17th • 6:30 p.m. . For an appointment with Doctors Classen or Davidson or to reserve a seat at our FREE educational seminar, please call 910.323.2626 1841 Quiet Cove • Fayetteville, NC 28304 www.villagesurgical.com 16 UCW OCTOBER 3-9, 2012 over the top, as was the talent. And, I'm not just talking about the lead actors, I'm talk- ing about the background players. So if the background players are versatile and tal- ented, you have to know that the leads were out of this world. Of particular note , were Kendrix Singletary, Emelie Faith Thompson, Ruthie ing Judas, Mary Magdalene and Jesus, respectively. From his first notes to his last, Singletary just blew me away. No stranger to the CFRT show, having appeared in last season's Miss Saigon, Kendrix also performed with the national touring company of Jesus Christ Superstar. As the "narrator" of the play, Singletary, did an outstanding job of introducing the central themes and topics. Playing Judas is not an easy job, but he made it look easy. As Magdalene, Thompson brought a sweetness to the role. Her voice resonated, and Stephens, Samantha Fabiani and Gil Brady. Singletary, Thompson and Brady were the glue that held the show together, play- I knew he could be funny. But in Superstar, he showed us new depths. Of course, the last scene is the stuff great theatre is made of, and Brady had the audience in the palm of his outstretched hands. Tom Quaintance, the CFRT's artistic director, was at the helm for this show, and he did an awesome job. He updated the show, and actually had Jesus running for presi- dent as a third party candidate, adding in lots of news shorts and tweets. Also of note was the choreography, which was done by Fayetteville's own Grady pointed. From the opening notes of music to the final, tragic last lines of "Father forgive them" and "It is finished," I was enthralled. It goes without saying that the cast, was way better than my brothers and sisters and I. A few notes on that cast. Jesus Christ Superstar is a big show to stage. For those who show would open the 51st season at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre. I thought about the patrons at the CFRT, many of whom are in my father's age group, and wondered how the show would affect them, while acknowledging that it would bring a lot of new faces to the theatre. I was right on both points. On Sunday, I took three of my besties with me to see the show. We were not disap- her love for the Messiah was a palpable thing, as was her grief. Brady's last stop on the CFRT stage was in the over-the-top comedy Boeing, Boeing. mission, I also noted a group of about six or seven of the theatre's older patrons leaving — noting they had had "enough of that." If you are thinking of going to see the show, know that it is a rock musical on the life of Jesus. It's not the old-time gospel hour. And, as much as the music and dancing might enthrall you, it tells the story very well. With that in mind, you have one more week to check it out. Do it. Bowman. During intermission, I heard many people remark on the vibrancy of the show. One comment in particular stuck in my head, "I've seen them dance on the CFRT stage before, but this is the first time I've actually seen them DANCE." Kudos to Bowman. And, as much as people loved the show, there were those who didn't. During inter- Up & Coming Weekly, COMMENTS? editor@upandcomingweekly.com. JANICE BURTON, Associate Publisher, WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM