Wednesday, December 27, 2000
|
Wednesday, December 27, 2000 |
| Fayette
County enjoyed an exciting year of entertainment By MICHAEL
BOYLAN Two thousand was a good year, entertainment wise. Fayette County saw some great entertainment during the year, and it seemed there was always something interesting and fun to do. Here is a re-cap of things that caught this reporter's eye last year. In the realm of theater, kudos go to Offshoot Production's presentation of "Scotland Road," Fayette Community Theatre's production of "Guys and Dolls," and House Red Theatre Company's "The Farmer-Butz Wedding." "Scotland Road" was a strange play that showcased the talents of Brian Turner and Bettina Seay, two professionals who made an impact in all of Offshoot's performances last year. "Guys and Dolls" soared above the expectations of community theater with great production values and performances. "Farmer-Butz" showcased up-and-coming talent, both performers and writers. The script, by Stuart Fail, was fresh and aggressively funny, and the performances from Fail and Brad Boseman are all too rare in local productions. Also doing well last year in the realm of theater were Fayette Coweta Family Theatre, launching successful shows and workshops for children, and Creatures of Habit, a sketch comedy troupe that provided a new outlet for high school age comedic actors and writers. In 2001, be on the lookout for more productions from every one of these groups. Offshoot Productions will present "Million Dollar Murder Mystery" and "Twelfth Night" at the beginning of 2001, FCT is presenting "Dearly Departed" in the spring, House Red will continue its Shakespeare show, "A Midwinter's Madness," in January and Fayette Coweta Family Theatre will present "The Wizard of Oz" in January as well. Members of Creatures of habit are reforming under the name "The Underclassmen" and are hoping to present a show at the end of February. Musically, Fayette County had some great shows and performances as well. Vida Blue performed for packed houses for quite a while at the now defunct Cruse Coffe Company, Crisis of Assimilation won the battle of the Bands and got air play on some local radio stations, Jitterbuggers offered concerts featuring more than 30 different area bands and the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater had a successful concert series, including an amazing concert from Art Garfunkel. Offshoot Productions hosted a number of Stars on the Southern Crescent coffeehouses and debuted a band, Emerald Rose, that has been gaining attention all over the state. The Allen Goodman Band also won acclaim at a number of its performances, including a stop at the Fayette County Kiwanis Fair. Though Jitterbuggers has closed, many of the bands will continue to perform in the area. The Log Cabin in Fayetteville hosts at least one show a month, featuring several of these bands, including Crisis of Assimilation. The amphitheater will announce its 2001 concert series in the spring and there will be more coffeehouses at the Old Fayette County High School in the coming months. This is just a brief overview of all of the happenings in the past year, but Fayette County residents should be proud of their concerts, productions, festivals and fairs. Two thousand one should be even better. |
