Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 15, 1993 TAG: 9301140184
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis-Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
`PETER PAN' IS FLYING IN TO VA. TECH
Maude Adams, Marilyn Miller, Eva LeGallienne, Jean Arthur, Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan, Cathy Rigby and Robin Williams have one thing in common:They all flew off to Never Never Land.
Maude Adams played the title role in the first American production of "Peter Pan," the enchanting play that grew out of an episode in Sir James Barrie's novel, "The Little White Bird."
That was in 1904.
In Steven Spielberg's 1991 film version, "Hook," Robin Williams starred as the Pan man.
The longest-running American production of "Peter Pan" was a 1950 revival which featured Jean Arthur as Peter and Boris Karloff as Captain Hook. The run lasted for 321 performances.
For the past 89 years, hundreds of actors and actresses have entertained audiences with the enduring charm of Peter, the boy who won't grow up.
National Touring Musicals of New York will bring the classic to Virginia Tech's Burruss Hall Thursday for one performance at 7:30 p.m. The show is part of the Virginia Tech Union's Broadway Series.
This version (the one in which Mary Martin first starred as Peter in New York during the 1954-55 season) features lyrics and music by Carolyn Leigh, Mark Charlap, Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Jeffrey Moss is the director.
Popular musical numbers include "Tender Shepherd," "I've Got to Crow," "Never Land," "I'm Flying" and, of course, "I Won't Grow Up."
Tickets for Thursday's performance are on sale at the box office in Squires Student Center. Admission is $16 for adults, $8 for children under 12, $13 for Tech faculty and staff and $5 for Tech students.
For ticket information, call the box office at 231-5615. It's open weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
\ STRINGING US ALONG: No Strings Attached has given Southwest Virginia a lot of ink in newspapers around the country.
The Washington Post calls the group "one of the most adventurous string ensembles around today."
The band features four musicians from Blacksburg and Roanoke who play a variety of styles, including acoustic jazz, old-time Appalachian music, contemporary swing and Irish folk tunes.
The musicians - Pete Hastings, Wes Chappell, Randy Marchany and Bob Thomas - have received a great deal of critical attention for their original compositions. Bluegrass Unlimited calls the band's music "highly arranged and structured, elegant, stately stuff. . . ."
No Strings Attached will visit Blacksburg Saturday to do a benefit performance for the Interfaith Food Pantry. The concert is at 8 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1301 Gladewood Drive.
Admission is a non-perishable food item.
Questions? Call 552-3249.
\ LOOKING FOR FUN? Have you been to Frizbee's at the Blacksburg Holiday Inn lately?
The nightclub has made a lot of changes, says manager Joe Hodge. He and his staff are hoping you'll like them.
Friday and Saturday nights feature live bands, dance contests, even miniskirt competitions. The cover charge is $3.
Monday and Thursday are "Country Nights" with disc jockey Mike Knight and dance lessons by Tonya. Monday's cover is $2. Thursday's is $3.
On Tuesday, it's karaoke and chances to win movies, airline tickets and cash prizes. $2 gets you into the club.
Wednesday is "Comedy Night." Hodge says a variety of comedians, including professionals you've seen on Showtime and Home Box Office, are in the lineup. The cover charge is $5.
This weekend's featured band is Jam Packed. On Thursday, country rockers White Horse will perform.
Blacksburg Holiday Inn is at 3503 Holiday Lane just off U.S. 460. Call 951-1330 for more information.
\ QUIET TIME: It's easy to lose yourself in Jan Bos' art.
The Blacksburg artist's works are on display in the first floor atrium of Virginia Tech's Wallace Hall Gallery. The solo exhibit is appropriately titled "Trees and Landscapes."
The display features charcoal drawings, pastels and miniature tapestries by Bos. It's enhanced with the addition of real trees and a nature soundtrack, creating an environment reminiscent of the wooded surroundings of Paris Mountain that inspire Bos' art.
The gallery is open weekdays from noon to 1 p.m. Perfect timing for those who want a quiet escape for lunch.
Appointments are available, too, and may be made by calling Virginia Tech, 231-6163, or Bos, 951-0524.
The exhibit runs through Feb. 12.
\ A FINE LINE: Roberly Bell, sculptress, sees a fine line between inside and outside, ugly and sensual.
Her work portrays a natural order gone astray. She speaks of decay, delirium and disorder.
Bell, a Virginia Tech art professor, will be the guest speaker at a meeting of the Blacksburg Regional Art Association on Sunday. It will begin at 3 p.m. in the Blacksburg Police Station.
The artist will use slides to illustrate her talk, entitled "At the Bottom of the River: After Jamaica Kincaid."
The free program is open to the public.
\ DID YOU HEAR A CRY FOR HELP? It was from somewhere deep inside the Earth.
Abuse of the environment is the theme of a new theatrical workshop production, "Fueled by Fantasy," at Virginia Tech. Graduate student Beate Czogalla is coordinating the production which opens Monday and runs through Wednesday in the Squires Studio Theatre. Curtain time each night is at 8.
Czogalla says the production "is a celebration of the Earth as the only one we have."
The first two segments, "Trees and Whales," explore the mismanagement of the planet's resources. The last segment, "Spaceships," considers the possibility that even space exploration might not solve the problems of mismanagement. The message is that we might be unwelcome in other worlds because of our destructiveness.
Czogalla says she hopes "Fueled by Fantasy" will help change the way we treat other species and our natural environment.
Admission to the production is free. Seating will begin at 7:30 each evening. You should arrive early because there are a limited number of seats available in the theater.