THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 23, 1995 TAG: 9507220088
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 170 lines
MICHAEL BRYANT is up the river. Maggie Chambers is down in the dumps.
He is appearing in ``Big River,'' the happy musical story about Huckleberry Finn, now playing at The Founders Inn Dinner Theater in Virginia Beach.
Maggie is co-starring in ``All I Could See,'' a story of a dysfunctional family, circa 1939, premiering Wednesday at the Generic Theatre in Norfolk.
Michael is a 14-year-old Franklin High School ninth-grader; Maggie, 11, is a Nansemond-Suffolk Academy sixth-grader.
The one thing they have in common is talent - enough to impress Hampton Roads producers and directors, who are quite fussy about the caliber of their casts.
Gary Spell, who is producing ``Big River,'' and Joe Sasso, director of ``All I Can See,'' saw something special in Michael and Maggie.
Other children from South Hampton Roads have done well on area stages, particularly those working with The Hurrah Players of Norfolk, one of the best-known children's theater groups on the East Coast.
Some local youngsters have fared well as singers, dancers and models, achieving both statewide and national recognition.
Michael and Maggie, like the others, sometimes live in a different world than their peers - a world that demands a great deal of their time but one they would not trade for any other.
The long hours and the hard work lead to what they love better than anything - that magical time onstage when they become someone else, when they convince an audience they are not Michael or Maggie. Michael Bryant
The young Franklin actor is a ``Big River'' triple threat.
``My main part is Joe Harper, a whiny, baby type,'' Michael said. But he also plays a moving man and a member of Tom Sawyer's gang.
As a member of the chorus, he can be seen and heard in almost every song, ``but,'' he said, ``my favorite number is one of the few I don't sing - `Worlds Apart.' ''
The world of theater at The Founders Inn is extremely competitive.
``More than 100 signed up. We picked 22,'' Spell said. ``I liked Michael because he has a nice Southern accent, he's cute and has a natural charm.''
It's a combination that works well in ``Big River,'' the musical adaptation of Mark Twain's ``Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.''
Grammy Award-winning country songwriter/singer Roger Miller captured seven Tony awards in 1985 for his music and lyrics, including the biggie - best musical.
``Big River'' was Miller's first attempt at a Broadway musical. It centers on Huck Finn's adventures on, and along, the Mississippi. His friend, Tom Sawyer, is also a prominent part of the family tale.
``I wanted to do this play,'' Spell said. ``I wanted to do a larger-cast musical for the summer season. And, the names of Twain and Miller should draw an audience.''
If the name of Michael Bryant does not wind up on a Broadway marquee, it could wind up on a door of a classy Broadway eatery.
``I want to go to culinary school and work in a New York City restaurant,'' Michael said. ``I also want to do a play on Broadway. I'll fall back on the cooking if the acting doesn't work out.''
At home, it has worked well.
Michael, tall, husky and friendly, portrayed the Artful Dodger in the Franklin Little Theatre version of ``Oliver'' in 1993.
He was a klutz on two Clubhouse Kids programs on WAVY-TV, and appeared in a television commercial for Rose's.
``I began singing at church when I was 5 - plays when I was 7,'' said Michael, who was in the Gifted and Talented classes in grades K through 7 and who will attend the Governor's Magnet School for the Arts this fall.
That was the result of another audition victory.
``About 220 people audition,'' Michael said, ``and 16 are accepted in the theater department.''
Theater is fun for the youngsters, a wearying job for their supportive parents.
Michael's dad, Jerry, president of the Bank of Franklin, used his banker's mind to figure out a few things.
``Rehearsals began May 30 - almost every night from 6 to 11. The play runs through Oct. 14,'' he said. ``That's 82 trips, about 100 miles per day, about 164 hours in the car, about 1,900 miles.''
Mom and dad take turns acting as their son's chauffeur.
Driving is the exciting part. Finding something to do while the children rehearse is the challenge.
``I read, most of the time Christian paperbacks and mysteries,'' Beverly Bryant said. ``Sometimes I play tennis, shop, or take his brother, Patrick, (6) to the movies.''
As far as Michael is concerned, the rehearsals and performances keep him totally involved.
``I have no hobby,'' he said. ``I'm involved in the production - that's it.'' Maggie Chambers
While Michael is laid back, Maggie is in constant motion.
They do have one thing in common. They were just what the playwrights ordered.
``Maggie looked the type when she first walked in. When she auditioned, I knew she was perfect for the role,'' director Joe Sasso said. ``Her charm and innocence, her acting ability, her actions, reactions and responses were right on target. For an 11-year-old - I sit there - when she asks a question, I just stare at her.''
That is quite a compliment considering the source.
Sasso, the artistic director and producer for the Actor's Theatre in Virginia Beach, has acted and directed for 25 years, won several awards for his work, and has a BA in Speech Communications and Theater Arts, and a MFA in Directing.
Maggie has had a great deal of stage experience - mostly in musical reviews - but this is her heaviest role yet.
``All I Could See'' covers two crucial days in the life of a young Southern girl and her family. It is a middle-class, Southern family, circa 1939. Sweetness and humor mix with moments of mental abuse. The story is told by 10-year-old Tracy. Maggie portrays Tracy, who is from a dysfunctional family. She's trying to live the life of a child, but she's inhibited because of her mother's behavior toward her. It seems that mom favors her older sister.
In real life, Maggie is the youngest of three girls of Dr. Art Chambers, chief medical director of Obici Hospital's Emergency Department, and Virginia Chambers, who operates the Fine Arts Center in Suffolk.
Maggie's co-stars are familiar Hampton Roads theater names - Frankie Little Hardin and Joel Haberli.
The youngster is a quick study who has no trouble learning her lines, plus those of most of the other performers.
Maggie's performance calls for her to be constantly on the go. The script refers to her character as ``full of life,'' ``a whirlwind,'' ``a tornado.''
They are also good descriptions of the actress.
Once onstage, she digs into the part; offstage she dances around, often sings, talks to everyone in sight.
Her mom or dad stay out of sight while she rehearses.
One night, Dr. Chambers sat quietly in the lobby, reading some medical material.
A few feet away, someone is yelling at Tracy, the youngster Maggie is portraying, accusing her of being too loud, too messy, too everything. The result - despondency, and worse.
In the Nancy M. Nilsson play there are several adult situations. Maggie handles them pro-fess-ionally.
Then, a break. The tense situations are put aside for a few moments. Once again Maggie is Maggie - bright, happy, energetic.
Some of that energy went into another project that coincided with the play.
While she was working at Generic at night, Maggie spent some daytime hours filming a CBN production, ``The Locket'' and - for good measure - attending Kaleidoscope, a camp for children sharpening their math skills.
The play is part of the Generic's annual Dog Days Festival, a showcase for original productions. ILLUSTRATION: Color cover photo
ON THE COVER
From left to right, Brian Hampton, Michael Bryant and Matthew
Caplan star in a scene from ``Big River'' at Founders Inn. Staff
photo by Richard L. Dunston.
Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
Maggie Chambers, right, plays Tracy, a 10-year-old from a
dysfunctional family in ``All I Could See'' at the Generic Theatre.
Maggie Chambers practices a scene during rehearsal for ``All I Could
See.''
Staff photo by RICHARD DUNSTON
Matthew Caplan, left, stars as Tom Sawyer and Michael Bryant plays
Joe Harper in ``Big River'' at Founders Inn Dinner Theater.
Staff photo by BILL TIERNAN
Beverly Bryant relaxes with her son Michael on the steps of the
Founders Inn.
by CNB