THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 16, 1995 TAG: 9511160649
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theater Review
SOURCE: Montague Gammon III
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Mishaps that might have stayed the post office from its appointed rounds beset the production of ``Bring in the Morning,'' yet the students who make up the Norfolk Public Schools Performing Arts Repertory company prevailed over near disasters to put on an impressive show.
When the lead dancer broke his foot a few days before opening night, his part was re-structured to accommodate his cast and crutches.
When family matters called the choreographer out of town midway through rehearsals, an alumna of the group who was dancing in the chorus took her place while maintaining her own dancing duties.
Late at night, after the opening night curtain fell, that second choreographer's car slid off a rain-slick road into a losing game of bumper pool with several tree trunks. The car was demolished, the choreographer unhurt.
The leading lady had not been so lucky when she had wrecked her own car late in rehearsals. She performed with pieces of a shattered jaw wired together.
Wildly fluctuating weather confused the computerized climate control at Lake Taylor High, so on one chilly night the heavily clad audience shivered in an unheated auditorium while the performers remained costumed for the summer.
If ``that which does not kill us can only make us strong,'' as the cliche claims, then this cast must be as sturdy as Sampson by now.
The play itself is about persevering against all odds. It is based on a series of poems written by New York ghetto teens, commenting on the violence and poverty in the urban jungles where they struggle toward adulthood. The title tune that ends the show, and the song, ``Never Stop Believing'' at the end of Act I, offered messages of hope.
The music, ranging from rock-influenced pop to reggae, rap and gospel was written by Gary William Friedman. The stage adaptation and the additional lyrics are credited to Herb Schapiro.
This cast established distinct, individual identities for their various characters, making it easy to care about what happens to them.
Derek Williams played a young man who has left behind the drug trade and is searching for a way to provide for his girlfriend. Tamara Poulson played his pregnant girlfriend.
While there was no way to hide Williams' broken foot, nothing in Poulson's performance hinted that she was recovering from a broken jaw. In addition to praise for their talents, these two get points for being troupers of real courage.
More than the individual performances, which are always strong in Performing Arts Rep shows, the group numbers made this play a pleasure to watch. The robust, muscular flair that choreographer Danielle Rice added to the initial work of Ana Maria Martinez made the dancing the outstanding element of this production.
Besides the choreographer, whose striking dancing befit her professional status, some outstanding performers were Diana Uransky, Altorrin McIntyre, Sandy Smith, David Hayes, Lisa Hillian and Deon Ridley.
Among a couple of dozen talented young students, Ridley remains truly exceptional. Even Rice, with her four years of collegiate training, doesn't overshadow the sharply executed blend of power and grace evident in all his dancing. His singing is good enough to merit his two solos, but he really doesn't need to voice a word to leave a memorable impression.
Musical director for ``Bring in the Morning'' was Gary Spell. The set was by Mark Curtis. Connie Hindmarsh produced and directed.
The Norfolk Performing Arts Repertory is a project of Norfolk Public Schools Gifted Extended Day Program and continues to be an example of public education at its best. ILLUSTRATION: AT A GLANCE
What: ``Bring in the Morning'' by Gary William Friedman and Herb
Schapiro.
Who: Norfolk Public Schools Performing Arts Repertory.
When: Public performances were limited to Nov. 3 and 4.
Where: Lake Taylor High School Auditorium.
Information: 441-5656.
by CNB