THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 17, 1995 TAG: 9503170044
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E9 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theater Review
SOURCE: BY TONYA WOODS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
THE UNIVERSE is in peril and a band of zany rock heros are out to save it. As if that's not enough work for a bunch of musicians, they must also protect a daydreaming teenager from the clutches of an evil ruler and a sassy diva with an entourage of funky, hip-shaking banshees.
It's all in ``Starmites,'' a Hurrah Players production that features dozens of local students ages 7 to 23. Opening tonight at the Pavilion Convention Center in Virginia Beach at 7 p.m., this musical escapade will be a lot of fun for MTV fans.
And at $6 for a student admission, it's a creative option to hanging out at the coffee shop.
From rock 'n' roll to rhythm and blues, ``Starmites'' has no dull moments. The Diva sings of how it's so hard to be a diva, echoing Tina Turner's rendition of ``Proud Mary.'' And when the Starmites introduce themselves through song, they may remind the audience of that group of lovable orphans who sang about ``a hard knock life'' in the musical ``Annie.''
``Ever since we did the show in 1990, everybody keeps asking, `When are you going to do ``Starmites'' again?','' said Hugh Copeland, the show's director.
``Starmites'' is a sort of spin-off of the ``Wizard of Oz.'' The cast is overflowing with more than 50 Hurrah Players.
Eleanor, the teen who fantasizes about being a super hero, is played by Sarah Garvey-Potvin, a 17-year-old senior at Maury High School. When she awakens to find herself among the stars, she seems delighted to help the 16 Starmites save the universe from Shaq Graa, played by Michael LeMelle, 23, a youth counselor at the Boys and Girls Club in Norfolk. His bass voice also helped him land the part of Jafar in the Hurrah production of ``Aladdin.''
The costumes are outrageous. The banshees are clad in big blond, black and fire-red wigs and flaunt around the stage in black lace, sequins and even a few black feathers.
Those taking turns playing Diva's nerdy daughter, Bizarbra, include 12-year-old Rashidra Scott, a seventh-grader at Kempsville Middle School in Virginia Beach. Clad in her hot pink leggings, a tiger-skinned jacket and square-rimmed thick glasses, Bizarbra is a psychedelic cross between Steve Urkel and Pebbles Flintsone.
The mistress villain of inner-space, known as the Diva, is played by Old Dominion University sophomore Aisha McCollum. And she will demand the audience's attention the minute she steps on stage.
``The Diva is kind of like a cross between Patti LaBelle and Whitney Houston,'' said McCollum, 20, who majors in theater. ``The Diva definitely has an attitude.''
But those righteous Starmites are not to be forgotten. Whizzing through the universe with their leader, the Space Punk, played by 21-year-old ODU sophomore Trey Ore, they are anything but munchkins. Though they mistakenly call their leader ``great exhausted one'' instead of ``great exalted one,'' they still manage to save inner space.
With a cast of high-spirited heroes and sultry villains ``Starmites'' is a lively alternative to the usual weekend movie-and-a-Coke-and-popcorn date. ILLUSTRATION: RICHARD L. DUNSTON
Staff
The ``Starmites'' cast includes, Mike Edwards, 13, rapping, and in
background, Kendra Anderson, 13, right, and Armenia Whitaker, 14.
THEATER REVIEW
What: ``Starmites,'' a musical by the Hurrah Players
Where: The Pavilion Convention Center in Virginia Beach
When: Today and March 24 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday, March 25
and 26 at 3 p.m.
Tickets: For information, call 623-7418 or 627-5437. Student
tickets, $6, must be purchased at the box office in Ghent at 935
Woodrow Ave. Adult prices are $9 and $11.
by CNB