THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 19, 1996 TAG: 9604170130
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
The talents of three Chesapeake residents are on display at the Portsmouth Little Theater.
The farce ``See How They Run,'' a rollicking comedy by Philip King, will be directed by James ``Jim'' Luker and will include the efforts of assistant director Bill Abrams and character actor Ronn Norris. All three are Chesapeake residents.
Luker, a veteran of stages in this area and the South, said the play is a riot and should have broad appeal.
``This is a wonderful comedy farce,'' Luker said. ``It has nine very talented and funny people in the cast and they come from all over: Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and even Newport News.
``The production is set in the '40s and features the mad doings in an English vicarage. Every character is English, save the two main characters, who are Americans. The play is full of mistaken identities, slamming doors, fast pacing, broad accents, an old maid who tastes alcohol for first time in her life, a cockney maid who's slightly berserk, four men in clergymen's suits, an escaped prisoner and a spy.''
Luker believes the play had not been produced in this area before. He said the Portsmouth Little Theatre board picked it, asked him if he was familiar with it and if he wanted to head the production.
``They asked me to direct, and I said `Sure, why not?,' '' Luker said. ``But this is my first directorial effort since I did `The Glass Menagerie' in summer stock in the '50s.''
When the Portsmouth Little Theater board pegged Luker to be the production's director, they didn't choose a stranger to the stage.
He's lived in Chesapeake for two and a half years and has already appeared in nine productions in the area. Some of his roles include stints in Shakespeare at the Beach productions, a lead in the Portsmouth Little Theatre production of the Judd Hirsch/Cleavon Little Broadway play ``I'm Not Rappaport'' and playing the role of Big Daddy in a recent Generic Theater production of a spoof of Tennessee Williams called ``The Glass Mendacity.''
Before settling in Chesapeake with his wife to be near his son and grandchildren, Luker said he lived in Birmingham, Ala., for 25 years, where he worked in retail as a store planner and designer.
In between his professional duties, he said he acted in scores of productions, as either actor or set designer, or both.
``I worked with the Birmingham Southern College drama department,'' he said. ``I've been in productions like `The Grapes of Wrath,' `Delicate Balance' and Athol Fugard's `Road to Mecca.' I've always been interested in the theater.''
Luker said his debut on stage just sort of happened.
``I heard about auditions for Sam Shepard's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, `Buried Child,' '' he said. ``I went out for them to see what I could do, and I ended up with the lead. I couldn't believe it. Every night I spent two and a half hours on stage and never left. I spent that time on stage watching television, talking, drinking whiskey and smoking cigarettes. I still don't know how I did it.''
But he does know how he will act as director. He said he'll just follow the lead of his South Hampton Roads mentor, Jerry Pope, a member of the Virginia Wesleyan faculty.
``He can take a nothing script and make it come alive,'' Luker said. ``I'm inspired by his work. He's an actor, director and writer. He's an inspiration to work with. Jerry goes in all directions to make things work. He explores the possibilities of a play, I like that attitude. Nothing is out of the question for him. Everything is possible within context of story.''
Helping pull everything together for this evening's opening night performance will be the expertise of Bill Abrams, Luker said.
Abrams is a district sales manager for Preston Trucking Co. He's been acting locally for 10 years and recently appeared in such productions as ``The Nerd'' and ``I'm Not Rappaport.'' Luker said Abrams also does voice-overs for television commercials and is active with the Great Bridge Baptist Church Choral, where he narrates Christmas and Easter productions.
``This is Bill's first venture as assistant director,'' Luker said. ``But his effort will help make this a successful production.''
With Abram's help, Luker said taking a script like King's ``See How They Run'' and making it come alive is like ``taking a skeleton and packing flesh around the bones.''
``Giving birth to a play like this is a labor of love,'' he said. ``But as a director it's interesting to be able to tell someone else what to do. I have them (the actors) discover the depth of their character. I try to help them express their characters both orally and physically.''
Luker said a few in the cast have never acted before. The woman who plays the cockney maid is from England and can supply a funny and believable accent. And the actor who plays the Russian spy, Ronn Norris from Chesapeake, is good for his role, he said.
``He will be an actor on Friday night,'' Luker said. ``He's a retired boiler maker and he has that burly, blue collar appearance. I wanted that roughness for his character. He's a very nice person, though, but I think I'm driving him crazy.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
A trio of Chesapeake residents are involved in ``See How They Run.''
They are, from left: Ronn Norris, Jim Luker and Bill Abrams.
AT A GLANCE
What: Philip King's comedy farce, ``See How They Run.''
When: Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday and April 26-27. Evening
performances are at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m.
Where: Woodrow Wilson High School Theater, 1401 Elmhurst Lane.
Cost: Tickets are $7 for adults, $6 for senior citizens and
students. Group rates for 10 and more are available upon request.
Call: Phone 488-7866 for ticket reservations.
by CNB