Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 11, 1995 TAG: 9507110050
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHLEEN WILSON
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
But he's written a book - ``How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere'' - for those of you who do - those of you who hug the wall at a party like you used to at a junior high dance because you're sure you can't be an inspired conversationalist with people you don't know.
King says simple, yet unusual questions prompt interesting party conversation that will connect even the most diverse people.
There seemed no better place to test King's theory than with those attending the Saturday and Sunday performances of Mill Mountain Theatre's sensational ``The King and I.''
Here's a question King used as an example on a recent talk show promoting his book:
If you could be invisible, what's the very first thing you would do?
I started with some of the tinier cast members of ``The King and I,'' who play the King of Siam's children.
``I'd go to O.J. Simpson's house,'' Famid R. Sinh, 10, told me. He figures he couldn't get in there unless he was invisible.
Once he was inside, Famid would look for evidence.
``Maybe the police just didn't look hard enough. Maybe I could find something.''
Patten Preston, 10, jumped in with, ``I would sneak anything out of the kitchen I wanted. I could eat as much chocolate as I wanted.''
Patten also thought if you were invisible it would be fun to just put on a pair of shoes and a hat and walk down the street just to see the look on people's faces.
Twelve-year-old Kathryn Temple's eyes sparkled. ``I would sneak into an amusement park,'' she said. ``If I were invisible, I wouldn't have to stand in line.'' She could ride the rollercoaster over and over again without ever having to get off.
Tanya Sinh said she would ``worry'' people. Tanya figures if she were invisible, she would disappear - just for a little while, she assured me - to see how much she was missed.
Vivian Tran Dinh, 11, said she would use her invisible powers to help good people.
``I would become invisible and listen in on what bad people were planning to do to good people, then I'd turn uninvisible and go tell the good people so nothing bad would happen to them.''
It was no surprise to read the last line of Vivian's profile in the Playbill: ``In the future she hopes to be a greater person than who she is now.''
Just as I started to leave the green room to do invisible-speak with adults in the lobby, Sylvana Sinh, 18 - one of two theater volunteers who take care of the children when they are not on stage - wanted in on the action.
``Can I please answer that question?'' she asked.
Sure!
``If I were invisible, I would sit in on college admission committees and listen to what they had to say about me.''
Adults had a far more difficult time doing the Larry King thing. But, as with the children, once one person got it going, just about everyone had something to offer, each trying to top the last.
``I would dance around naked,'' said Hope Carroll, 25. Hope described herself as a really modest person. ``I wouldn't even dance naked alone in my own house,'' she said. ``But if I were invisible, I would. I could even dance around naked in front of people and it would be so much fun because they wouldn't know I was doing it.''
Mark Calvino, 27, would invade every opera house he could. ``I could see what the big international opera stars really go through,'' he said. ``All of the apprehensions and doubts they go through before a performance.''
Mark plays Tuptim's lover, Lun Tha, and is the strongest voice in ``The King and I.'' When Mark first sings, you can hear the program pages fluttering as the audience looks to find out who this amazing talent is.
A group of seniors couldn't think of a thing they would do if invisible - until 26-year-old Samantha Pillar walked over and interjected herself into the conversation.
``I can't believe no one can think of an answer to that question,'' she said. ``I can't stop thinking of things I would do.''
First on the list was hopping a plane to Thailand. Samantha, a recent graduate student, admits she doesn't have much money. ``But I wouldn't need money if I were invisible. I could get on any plane and go anywhere and it wouldn't cost me anything.''
Samantha would also go to multiplex movie theaters and see all of the movies. And go to all of the big, beautiful houses she's seen and always wondered what they looked like inside.
``Then I would try on bikinis,'' she said. ``Because if you are invisible, the parts that bulge out wouldn't show. Everyone would look good in a bikini if they were invisible.''
Samantha had finally inspired Mattie Thornton, 71.
``I would go up to heaven just to see make sure it was there,'' she said. ``Then if it was, I'd go down to hell just to see what it was like and check out who was there.''
But that was really the second thing Mattie would do. She was hoping for a stand-by ticket to the show.
``If I don't get one,'' she said, ``I could become invisible and just walk right in.''
While chatting with the King's kids, I got them all to autograph my program. Each seemed to be practicing his best ``someday I'm going to be a star!'' signature.
So what do they want to be when they grow up? Marine biologist, transportation director and baseball shortstop were among the answers.
Not a future actor in the bunch.
by CNB