C9 - Wednesday, April 20, 1983 - North Shore News

GEE entertainment

HAIR

Brushing out yesterday's tangles

THE AGE OF AQUARIUS has dawned,

the

bright sun of its promise has dimmed, and the
musical Hair has faded into history as has the
Vietnam War it reacts against.

But for all that, members
of Vancouver Musical
Theatre think their
production of Hair, which

opens Thursday April 21 at

North Van Centennial
Theatre, is relevant for
today’s audience.

Members of the cast have
studied the war, talked to
people who went through it,

and have tried to relate their
feelings to their per-
formance.

As they watch films and
hear people speak about
Vietnam, they learn. Lelani
Marrell, who plays the
female lead, Sheila, says “It
opens your eyes.” “It really

makes you think about how
many times you say ‘yeah,
that should be changed’ but

NEWS photo Start Devis

REHEARSING for Hair, which opens tomorrow, are Mark Hopkens (berger), Leilani

Marrell (Shefla)

and John

Payne (Claude). The

Vancouver Musical

Theatre

production ram tomorrow to Saturday this weck and Thursday to Saturday neat

week.

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don't do anything about it.”

“To do a show like this
you've got to open right up”
she says, and admits that
both the show and the part
are a great challenge.

Lelani graduated from
Argyle in 1979. She took
most of her musical training
through school, studying
choir, drama, music theatre,
and dance.

She won the
acting award two years in a
row. This basic training got
her into the fourth row
chorus for Wancouver
Musical Theatre's first
producuon, Fidler on the
Roof.

She's been in all VMT's
productions since, including
Rocky Horror Show, where
she played Janet, the sweet
young thing who has the odd
raunchy moment, and most
recently, Snoopy, in which
she played Peppermint Patty.
Sheila is her first senous
part.

Lelani could have gone on
to university to pursue her
theatrical career but she
chose instead to do tt
through expenence. “You
learn the hard way” she says
of her VMT background. “I
don't think I missed
anything.”

Lelani 1s a local girl, trying
to make it in the local en-
tertainment field, and she
admits she has to keep her
goals small.

‘When I was in
highschool, my goal was to
play Presentajon House -
then i was the Centennial

Theatre, then the Arts Club
was the ulmate.”
Now she's interested in

growing in her career
“People keep saying to me
‘So when are you going to
LAC”

But Lelani says there ts a
lot of opportunity mn this city
for someone Ike her,
especially as she keeps her
goals relative to
penence

She wants lo
professional,

her ex:

become a
although she's
aware that maby of the actors
can't get work “T work part
me as a hostess because |
have to” But she has no
about the

se:
“(% ¢ ut

,

regrets pursuing

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dramatic .

career she has chosen “I just

can't see myself doing
anything else.”

Also in Hair are North
Shore performers Nancy
Cottingham who plays
Jeanie, and Mark Hopkins

who plays Berger.

The show opens Thursday
April 21 and plays Thursday
and Friday at 8:30 and
Saturday at 7:00 and 10:00
p-m. The show continues
Thursday to Saturday the
folowing week with the
addivion of a Pay What you
Can Matinee Apnil 30.

Deadline extended

The deadline date for
ceptance of Lower
Mainland entries for the

Robson Square Art Show
Images & Objects has been
extended. Entry forms can

still be picked up at the
office of the North Van-
couver Community Arts

Council, 333 Chesterfield
Avenue, North Vancouver
and brought to Queen Mary
School, 230 West Keith on
the dates of the Jurying,
Fnday, April 22, 7-9 pm and
Saturday, April 23, 9-10:30
am. information 988-6844.

Call Classified 986-6222

“Seattle Recording Artists’’

The HEATS

Next Week Apr. 25-30