Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 5, 1991 TAG: 9104050509
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Joe Kennedy
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
"Coming out of Their Shells," the rock-and-roll turtle show-with-story-line is "imaginative, well-produced, technically sophisticated and surprisingly entertaining," wrote Paul Raeburn of the Associated Press, who saw its New York opening in September.
"It could serve as a model for what a kid's first rock concert ought to be."
The focus is on the turtle characters, not the actors who portray them. In fact, the actors aren't even named in publicity information, and they stay in character at all times, even when doing press interviews.
The production is associated with some big names.
Producer Steve Leber has been involved in the careers of Diana Ross, the Rolling Stones, Bill Cosby and Aerosmith.
Lighting director Jules Fisher has won three Tony Awards on Broadway while working on some of the biggest shows in recent history.
Set designer Eugene Lee has won Tony Awards for his work on Leonard Bernstein's "Candide" and Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeny Todd," is production designer for "Saturday Night Live" on NBC and has designed concert tours for Paul Simon.
In Washington, the turtles "rapped, they rocked, they rolled, they danced and they taught lessons on fighting for what you believe in," said Washington Post reviewer Todd Allan Yasui. "It was a bodacious time for all and at only $9.50 to $14.50 a ticket, a real bargain."
The same ticket prices apply at the Salem Civic Center. For information call 375-3004.
by CNB