ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 1, 1995 TAG: 9512010005
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: OLIVIA SHORTER SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
The Radford University theater department is abuzz with preparations for "The Queen Bee," this year's children's play.
For the past 25 years, the school has sponsored an annual performance for area children and "the yearly program has almost become an institution at Radford University," said Roberto Pomo, chairman of the theater department.
"The Queen Bee" will be performed in Porterfield Theatre on Saturday, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The musical is about three brothers who travel through the world and encounter animals along the way, says director Milton Granger. Two of the brothers treat the animals cruelly, while one is nice to them.
Granger, who also wrote the script and musical score, said the mean brothers get their just desserts when they run into a mother, the Countess Dogmata, and her three daughters, whom the brothers want to marry.
"One of the brothers is a bookish, scientist type, one is snobbish, and the one they call 'Blockhead' is nice to animals," Ganger said.
Dogmata sends the brothers through three tests to see if they deserve the chance to marry her daughters.
Only one brother will succeed.
The Countess Dogmata is played by Kristi Pomo, a part-time faculty member at Radford. She describes her character as "one of the most wicked" in the play. "The countess knows what she wants in life and if people don't do what she says, then she turns them to stone."
Kristi Pomo believes that everyone will love the play. "All of the jokes are so cute and so subtle that even adults will enjoy it. The music is charming. Milton came right in and knew exactly what he wanted. The staging is just a big fairyland with real pretty pictures and a bunch of ducks and bees and it's just great. The younger ones are going to have fun just watching it."
Kira Jelincic, a senior at Radford High School, plays a singing ant. "Our characters are real busy, industrious, and we move around really fast," she says with a laugh..
Jelincic wears overalls for her part because the ants are workers. The other characters are also dressed according to their attitudes. The ducks are laid back and wear tennis outfits; the bees are energetic, so they dress as cheerleaders and carry pom-poms.
The set of the production focuses on a giant castle, which instead of a turret, has a large beehive propped on top.
Based on a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, the classically laid out script, with three boys, three girls, and three groups of animals, also has a moral: "You have to do good and be a good person all the time," Kristi Pomo explained.
Local schools will be taking field trips to see private performances this week.
The public performance will be held Saturday.
Admission is $2 for the general public, $1 for children and $1.75 for Radford faculty and staff.
LENGTH: Medium: 60 linesby CNB