Vernon brings us 'Ruthless!' people

Wilmington audiences have seen Vernon's work on stage for several years, but she's taken on the role of director only once before, in 2007 for Shakespeare on the Green's "As You Like It." Her second directorial effort is a musical, and one Vernon knows well.

"It's a mean, nasty, bitter, hilarious little show," Vernon said, smiling, as we settled down at a table to talk about "Ruthless! The Musical," which is the next production from the busy Cape Fear Theatre Arts group. It opens Wednesday, June 29, in Thalian Hall 's studio theater.

Vernon, who performed in the show for Opera House Theatre Co. in 1999, said the show is a send-up, mostly, of the 1956 movie thriller "The Bad Seed" starring Patty McCormack as the perfectly coiffed and polished pre-adolescent psychopath. But it also taps into such famed films as "All About Eve" with its backstage intrigue and double-dealing, and into what some consider the great American musical, "Gypsy" with its overbearing stage mother.

"It's about a little girl and all she wants is to be a star," Vernon said. "She's an immensely talented child from an untalented family. And she wants the lead in her school play. That's all."

But the audition results in the perfect little girl only becoming the understudy to her rival in the school production of "Pippi Longstocking."

"That the darling little girl kills another little girl is probably the least crazy thing that happens in this show," Vernon said, describing describe the transformations and magical thinking that result in comic twists and turns.

The show's eight characters are played by a six-person cast, with two members doubling up on roles.

Lily Zukerman, 12, fresh off her turn as Caliban in Shakespeare on the Green's youth company production of "The Tempest," takes the lead as the adorable killer, Tina Denmark.

"Lily has a great work ethic," Vernon said. "The show is pretty evenly weighted between the three main characters, including Davis Byrd as Tina's mom, Judy, who transforms in the second act into ‘Ginger,' and Charlie Robertson as Tina's agent, Sylvia."

The cast also features Alisa Harris as Judy's gleefully brutal mother and theater critic, Leta Encore, whose big number, "I Hate Musicals" is, ironically, one of the musical's highlights; Emily Bobrink doubles as Tina's teacher, Miss Thorne, and a reporter named Miss Block; and Madison Weiberg provides some punch lines as Tina's rival, Louise, and Ginger's assistant, Eve.

Marvelous Light – Charlie Hall – Lyrics – Out of darkness, out of ...

May 25, 2011 Marvelous Light – Charlie Hall – Lyrics – Out of darkness, out of shame.

Posted in Devotionals , Hymns / Songs / Lyrics at 9:37 pm by Sarah Bosse

One of the themes that have been going through my mind of late has been the theme of light. Especially, God’s light and its place in the Christian life. Following a word study I did on every occurrence of the word “light” in the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit reminded me of this song that I had not heard or sung since probably 2006. I remember singing that song at a singles group I was attending, but the meaning of the song just didn’t really impact me. Perhaps I didn’t feel that my sin was real enough, or that God’s grace was needed enough. But certainly now, his love is awakened me from my sleep and it beckons me to come and die so that he may take my life and use it for his glory. The darkness and the shame are very real, but Christ’s victory over death, over sin and darkness and shame, is even more real. And it informs my new life in Christ. I know that I am not the same person I was before Christ became my recognized Savior in 2005. And God has brought, and is bringing, the freedom that I long for. But when one has stood in a dark room for a long time, one’s eyes will hurt when first exposed to the light of the noon day. The lyrics of this song are now alive to me, when once they made little sense and I didn’t have the interest to try to understand. God’s light is like that sometimes. We don’t always invite it and seek out God, but he is faithful to bring his light nonetheless, so that we may be sanctified and walk around, as during the day, rather than groping around in the dark and fearful of hidden things.

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