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| Media Article for Pinocchio |
| As published by The Tuscaloosa News on March 18, 2003 written by Mark Hughes Cobb |
Young actor takes on role of Gepetto in TCT?s 'Pinocchio?
By Mark Hughes Cobb
Staff Writer
March 18, 2003
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John Paul Snead, as Pinocchio, and Wheeler Kincaid, as Gepetto, rehearse a scene from Tuscaloosa Children?s Theatre?s upcoming performance of ?Pinocchio."
Photo | Carmen Sisson
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TUSCALOOSA | To play kindly puppetmaker Gepetto in ?Pinocchio," Tuscaloosa Children?s Theatre needed a really old guy. So they got 18-year-old Wheeler Kincaid, who if you went by theatrical experience, would probably be closing in on midlife about now.
Since he was six, he?s been performing and working sets with TCT and Theatre Tuscaloosa, in shows such as ?Stuart Little," ?Charlotte?s Web" and ?Tom Sawyer" for the former, and ?Into the Woods," ?My Fair Lady," ?The King and I" and ?State Fair" for the latter.
But as with most thespians, stardom begins at home.
?I guess I?ve always had the bug," said Kincaid, a Hillcrest High School senior. ?I was the kid taping bedsheets to the mantle and/sdoing shows for my family."
As a youngster, he performed mostly with TCT; as a teenager, Kincaid still performed, but also built props and stage sets with Charlie Dennis at Theatre Tuscaloosa. He became so invaluable to the group that last year he won a T. Earle Johnson Award for his volunteering.
When he came back to TCT for last year?s ?A Christmas Carol," at coordinator Brent Jones? urging, it was as both performer and designer.
?Basically, Brent said, ?If you?re coming back anyway (to play the Ghost of Christmas Present), you might as well do the set,?" Kincaid recalled.
For ?Pinocchio," he?s pulling double duty again, designing and building the drops for director Kristin Frangoulis.
?The script is narrated, so it?s a very storybook-style set, kind of like ?Into the Woods?: Pieces are drawn or sketched, then painted over," Kincaid said.
Among his creations are the houses of Gepetto?s town, a fountain, the Land of Toys (Pleasure Island in some versions) and the whale, a 14-foot painted drop with a view from tail to head, showing the ribs and gaping mouth.
Much of the story will be familiar ? lonely Gepetto builds a wooden boy to keep him company; wishes and the Blue Fairy make the boy come alive -- although this is not the Disney version.
?It?s based on the original story by Carlo Collodi," said Jones, who helps choose scripts and handle behind-the-scenes work.
?It was made into an ABC TV special in the early ?60s that won an Emmy," Jones said.
Much of the story is told through music, which, like the script, shows the original Italian/Mediterranean influence. Frangoulis brought in a dialect coach to help the children with the accents.
In addition to Kincaid, the show will also feature many TCT veterans, including John Paul Snead as the wooden-headed boy.
?He?s one of those 12-year-old actors who?s a veteran of 15 shows," Jones said.
For Kincaid, playing Gepetto is a stretch of a few decades.
?Obviously he?s the first really old guy I?ve gotten to play," he said.
?Gepetto?s never married, and he?s totally oblivious to the fact that his housekeeper Angelina is in love with him.
?And he honestly loves that puppet," isolated as he is from reality.
Musical director Benny Russell and choreographer Rebecca Tingle, also longtime TCT personnel, return for ?Pinocchio."
The musical, based on the book by Collodi, features adaptation and lyrics by Jim Eiler, with music by Eiler and Jeanne Bargy.
BOX THIS:
IF YOU GO
Tuscaloosa Children?s Theatre will perform ?Pinocchio" at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in the Bama Theatre.
Tickets are $9 for adults, $6 for students and $15 for patrons. Call 758-8486 or 345-0577. Tickets may be purchased by at the door.
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