Buckle  Your  Seatbelts!  FTC's  Flight  Soars!

PHOTO CREDIT: Flight production photos were taken by David Leone.

Filling in the blanks can be fun!

Tim Artz, director of Firebox Theatre Company's production of Arthur Giron's Flight (now paying at the Cotton Company Event Gallery in Wake Forest) -- in his preshow address to the audience -- let us know, upfront, "If you're looking for a biopic, this ain't it." Rather, this show is a dramatized piece of historical fiction, which starts with important facts about Wilbur and Orville Wright (and their eventual "first-in-flight" adventure at Kitty Hawk, NC) and weaves speculative-yet-plausible, often humorous, and/or touching preliminaries-to-the-event into the fabric of the tale.

The Acting:

Part of the magic of this (indeed, quite magic) production is in the ability of David Holt (as Wilbur) and Eli Brand (as Orville) to morph back-and-forth between their adult selves (as they make their attempts at flight) and their younger selves (as they navigate through their formative experiences that led to the resolve to make their dream a reality).

Playwright Arthur Giron establishes the boys' sibling rivalry and the extent to which their animosity grows; Brand and Holt, however, manage to preserve an undercurrent of their mutual respect and brotherly love. It is worth noting, in addition, that, as the "younger selves" in the flashbacks age, the actors imbue such details as their postures, tones-of-voice, and facial expressions with appropriate aging.

As Susan Wright (their mother), Cora Hemphill deftly portrays the skill and determination needed to rein in this ambitious, often mischievous pair while, at the same time, encouraging development of their inquiring minds.

Tom Barbieri, as Milton Wright (the domineering-yet-absentee husband-and-father), captures the character's "frontier preacher" attitude (seasoned with a hefty dose of male chauvinism) but also knows when to let these attitudes subside and give way to a somewhat tender and supportive nature.

Brendan Micciche is delightfully quirky as Otto Lilienthal, the German pioneer of aviation whose experiments with gliders bolstered the Wright brothers' resolve to make "heaver-than-air" flight a reality. His German accent worked for me. And I was quite impressed with the facial expressions and what I can only refer to as "the wildness in his eyes." (The last time that I was as impressed with a similar character, I was watching the movie Back to the Future, and it was with Christopher Lloyd's portrayal of Doc Brown. That said, I want to stress that there wasn't even the the slightest hint that Micciche's characterization was at all derivative.)

An ensemble of Trevor Waliko, Emma Waliko, Emily Langan, Corban Smith, and Josh Hemphill rounds out the cast. They very efficiently and effectively handled the scene changes. In addition, these actors served as conduits for bringing props on stage (and I must commend director Tim Artz for such an imaginative choice). Watch for an especially brilliant choice: the way in which Artz chose to have a series of letters arrive (and that's all I'm going to tell you). I suspect that stage manager Alyssa Petrone deserves a great deal of credit for the seamless execution of this plethora of tasks.

Artz also deserves commendation for the brisk pacing of the show as well as other details, such as the flying of kites, the riding of sleds, and the racing of bicycles right there onstage.

Josh Hemphill doubles as music director and musician, playing guitar and banjo (recently purchased -- read his bio!). The choice to use live music at tastefully chosen moments is definitely laudable, and Hemphill delivers, in spades!

PHOTO CREDIT: Flight production photos were taken by David Leone.

The Tech:

Costume/props designer Brenda Holden has clothed and supplied these characters with period- and character-specific costumes and props. I liked such touches as the "old-style" clothespins, but I was especially impressed with the wind velocity device that makes a cameo appearance.

Cora and Josh Hemphill also collaborated to produce the set design, which fits so nicely into the Cotton Company's space; (kudos also to master builder John Riddle). Watch for what I will refer to as "the preacher platform" and the significance it suggests to any lines that are spoken from it. And move to the edge of your seat as you wait to see how Hemphill-and-Hemphill manage to make "The Wright Flyer" actually appear onstage! (Again, that's all that I am going to say.)

The program does not credit anyone for sound or lighting; both were well-designed and flawlessly-executed. Again, I suspect that Petrone deserves the credit.

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

I am not sure if this can be remedied; but early on, Orville has a somewhat lengthy speech that is delivered upstage, with his back to most of the audience.

Also: there were a few times that Lilienthal could have been a notch or two louder.

And a "kudo" for the company and/or the venue -- Department of Picky-Picky for their previous (and first) show had included this:

"Firebox Theatre Company makes excellent use of the Cotton Company's space and stages the plays with audience on three sides. I wonder, however, if a platform and/or stools to accommodate the second and third rows would enhance the viewing experience."

That issue has been addressed -- they now have platforms for the second and third rows.

In case I have not been clear: SEE THIS SHOW!

PHOTO CREDIT: Flight production photos were taken by David Leone.

Arthur Giron's FLIGHT (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 30-April 2), directed by Tim Artz and starring Eli Brand as Orville Wright, Cora Hemphill as Susan Wright, David Holt as Wilbur Wright, Tom Barbieri as Milton Wright, and Brendan Micciche as Otto Lilienthal (Firebox Theatre Company at the Cotton Company Event Gallery in Wake Forest). VIDEOS: https://www.facebook.com/fireboxtheatrecompany/videos/. 2023 SEASON: https://www.fireboxtheatre.com/performances. THE PRESENTER: https://www.fireboxtheatre.com/, https://www.facebook.com/fireboxtheatrecompany/, and https://www.instagram.com/fireboxtheatrecompany/. THE VENUE: https://www.thecottoncompany.net/, https://www.facebook.com/fireboxtheatrecompany/thecottoncompanyofwakeforest, and https://www.instagram.com/thecottoncompany. FLIGHT (1997 comedy): https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/464/flight-gironolm and https://www.arthurgiron.com/plays. THE SCRIPT (excerpts): https://books.google.com/books. ARTHUR GIRON (playwright and educator, 1937-2022): https://www.arthurgiron.com/, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/arthur-giron-500427, and http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/7226. NOTE: The show's 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 30th, performance will be Industry Night, with a $10 off code: INDUSTRY30. TICKETS: $25, plus taxes and fees, except a $10 off Industry Night performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 30th (code: INDUSTRY30). Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: fireboxtheatre@gmail.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: Firebox Theatre Company and the Cotton Company Event Gallery.

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