Trite and boring.
Those were the adjectives I used to describe a choreographer’s work in a community theater production of the musical “Annie” as a critic for The Wilmington Morning Star back in the late 1980s.
OK, I just dated myself.
So maybe it was just a couple of years ago?
At any rate, I had the privilege of sharing my opinions on how local theater actors, directors, musicians, set designers and choreographers succeeded or failed at their craft on a given night.
A privilege, yes. But also a risk of getting that 2:30 a.m. phone call at home from the theater producer who had just read my not-so-kind review of the show that had opened earlier that night.
His language would not be fit for the stage.
Fair enough. But my approach had always been to tell the truth as I saw it. Anything less — any fawning praise — that would give potential ticket-buyers the incentive to patronize a show that I would not recommend would have been disingenuous, I always believed.
The theater crowd had other ideas. That’s what earned me the nickname “Parker of the Poison Pen.”
Don’t get me wrong. I offered positive reinforcement when I felt it was deserved. “Wonderful magic,” I wrote of local theater wonderkin Steve Cooper’s original musical, “Son of Union Park,” in 1982.
Oops. Just dated myself even worse.
My rambling leads to the central point that I truly love and respect the talent I have seen on the Thalian Hall, Cape Fear Regional Theatre, Wilmington Community Arts Center and other regional stages over the years. Mainly because I myself would never have the guts to step in front of the stage lights before a live audience that would be judging me.
My participation in the arts has generally been as a viewer, not a performer. I accept the role; I know my limits.
What’s inspiring to me are the brave souls who have the courage to pursue their love of theater, music, dance, visual art, craftwork and other media as a source of self-expression and community connection. Yes, the basic win is that they are living a dream and pursuing a passion. But they are also putting themselves out there.
It’s all for something that’s very important.
“It helps you express yourself and be cognizant of other people’s expressions,” says Lawrence Carlisle III, artistic director of the Gilbert Theater. “It builds empathy, which I think is something we could use a little more of in this world.”
Gilbert Theater and 19 other arts organizations will partner with CityView on Oct. 12 as Cape Fear Valley Health presents Food, Wine & Art, a celebration of the artistic spirit at Cape Fear Botanical Garden. Read their stories, in their own words, beginning on Page 10 of this issue and learn about the array of choices you have in Fayetteville to get involved, challenge yourself, and show your talent in the public arena.
By the way, this “Poison Pen” wasn’t always so blunt and critical in my reviews of local theater. In 1981, I wrote this: “David Bass thrives in the spotlight.” That’s from a review of “Trust Me With Your Heart Again,” a musical revue directed by Wilmington’s own Campbell Baird.
That was an apt summary of my future husband’s performance, and the man I have been living the life with for more than 40 years deserved the praise.
He’s still thriving in the spotlight, mostly offstage these days; I’m still the cranky judge issuing my unsolicited opinion.
We’ve all got a role to play.
Also in this issue:
“Well, at least the jerk has nice eyes,” Randolyn Emerson thought when she got a look at her future husband, Paul. The two met when he interrupted her audition for a seat in the violin section of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. Theirs is a love story of two artists brought together by music. Jason Canady tells us more on Page 24.
Photographer Cindy Burnham and I spent an inspiring morning getting to know New Jersey transplants Tracy and Mike DiMarco in their backyard garden south of Vander. It’s ripe with eggplant, tomatoes, peppers and more, with fig trees that trace their roots to Italy in the early 1900s. Read their story on Page 40.
