THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 1, 1995 TAG: 9509290205
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theatre Preview
SOURCE: Montague Gammon III
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines
As the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach nears its 50th anniversary, it holds fast to a policy of mixing classics with new works, comedies with dramas, plays assured of popularity with plays that risk being less appealing.
The idea, says theater President Tom Felton, is to offer a ``wide range of theatrical experiences.''
On the one hand is the season opening ``Our Town,'' standard fare for high school drama clubs for decades. On the other hand is John Guare's challenging ``Six Degrees of Separation,'' making its Hampton Roads premiere just five years after it ran in New York.
Falling between the extremes of the perennial scholastic favorite and the adult drama will be two British comedies and a thriller.
Whether one calls ``Our Town'' a classic or a war horse, its blend of heartwarming nostalgia and light drama can be relied upon to draw well and to provide a secure foundation of subscription ticket sales. It will run through Oct. 14.
The theater will follow ``Our Town'' with the British comedy ``Stepping Out,'' opening Nov. 17 and running weekends through Dec. 9. This is not a musical comedy but ``a comedy with music,'' said director Shirley Hurd.
The plot follows seven women and one man in a beginners' tap dance class as they prepare for a recital. One woman is the teacher. The others are her students, drawn from very different social and economic backgrounds and bringing to their studies a range of talents.
This is a variation of an old and honored writer's ploy. Isolate a group of people who would not normally associate with one another and follow their interactions. Here playwright Richard Harris - not the same person as the Broadway actor - uses the characters' desire to learn tap to draw them together, to give the play a component of music and dance and as the foundation for some physical comedy.
The attempts of the inept and the semi-talented to learn tap dance hold the potential for some very funny bits, and Hurd has shown herself to be an adept director. The key to real success for ``Stepping Out'' will be finding a cast that can act well, and also dance well enough that they do not appear to be the ``bumbling amateurs'' they portray.
After the light touch of terpsichorean comedy, ``Six Degrees of Separation'' opens. Felton, who will direct the drama, refers to the ``stark contrast'' it makes with the first two shows, and also terms it a wonderful ``idea'' show.
In Guare's play, a young black con man insinuates himself into the lives of a wealthy white couple. His deceit - that he is the son of Sidney Poitier and a friend of the couple's son - give the author a jumping off point for examinations of the nature of truth and fiction.
Guare showed himself to be a master of the outlandish and the weird with his most famous work, ``The House of Blue Leaves.'' His daring nature and his craftmanship suggest that ``Separation'' should be of real interest when it runs between Jan. 26 and Feb. 17.
From the uncommon, the Little Theatre shifts to the formulaic appeal of a thriller, ``Night Watch.'' Written by Lucille Fletcher, the play sounds a bit like her more famous ``Sorry, Wrong Number.''
A woman claims to have witnessed a murder, but no body is found. Her report of a second murder is treated with more than skepticism by the authorities. One may assume that there will be a series of revelations that keeps the audience in suspense until the very end of the play.
``Night Watch'' is set to run March 29 through April 21.
The theater will close its 1995-96 season with what could be a high point of local productions. Gerry Rowe will direct Alan Ayckbourn's farce ``How the Other Half Loves,'' running May 24 through June 16.
Ayckbourn is an acknowledged master of farce, adding literacy and intelligence to the madcap staples of that high spirited comic form. Some of his scripts are nothing short of hilarious, and this tale of clandestine affairs and suspected liaisons should be one of those.
Rowe is as experienced, knowledgable and witty a director as anyone is apt to find, and the theater is fortunate to have his services. The chance to work with Rowe should attract the very best local talent. With a strong cast, a well directed ``How the Other Half Loves'' should provide a successful and popular cap to the Little Theatre's season. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Liz Meenan plays Emily, Mark Curtis is Mr. Webb and William Jamieson
plays George in ``Our Town,'' which runs through Oct. 14.
Shirley Hurd
Will direct ``Stepping Out''
Gerry Rowe
Director of Ayckbourn farce
by CNB