An
elaborate, two-story set helped the audience envision
what life on the ark must have been like for the diverse
characters in Noah's family. Here the brothers and their
wives sing of the differences between the two sexes and
the difficulties in understanding each other at times. |
The Burleson Community Theater
players recently got their feet wet with their first play of
2007 and their second production ever.
The first production was 2006’s “Smokey
Joe’s Cafe.”
“The Ark” is a whimsical musical look at the events leading up
to the launching of Noah’s ark and how Noah and his family handled themselves
during their year-long “cruise.”
The musical featured music written by Michael McLean, a well-known
Christian composer, and Kevin Kelly.
The cast of eight kept the
audience on its toes with constant interaction throughout the
play. Noah, played by Walter Smith, greeted the audience with
glee as he boarded the “ark,” an elaborate two-story
set that presented a section of the ark in cutaway fashion. “You
came!” Smith exclaimed. “I’m so glad you’re
here.”
That is when the audience learned
that it was cast as the animals on the ark.
Susan Smith was cast as Noah’s devoted and patient wife,
Eliza, burdened with the duty of cleaning up after the animals
and being referee to the ongoing contention between her sons,
their wives and and husband.
Japheth was played by Don Pesnel.
He doubled as the set designer for the production also.
Burleson High School 2005 graduate and Baylor University senior
Tiffany Skiles played Sariah, Japheth’s wife.
Ham, the wayward son of Noah,
was played by Michael Sones. His real-life wife, Erin Pesnell
Sones, played Egyptus, his wife.
Christian Hilliard, an eighth-grader
at Kerr Middle School in Burleson, was cast as Shem. He was
performing in his first “real production.” The
wife of Shem was portrayed by Burleson resident Gillian Harlow,
a veteran performer of productions in many states and Canada.
Noah, the 600-year-old prophet,
can see what the future holds but seems unable to remember
what happened five minutes past. His long-suffering wife has
to bear all as her husband and children lock horns at times
during the voyage of the ark. The oldest son, Japheth, honors
his father by being the dutiful son, even to the point of reading
scrolls on the toilet.
Sariah lives in her beauty-queen
past while remaining a very likable lady. Ham, known down through
history as the rebellious son, is portrayed as dark, deep thinking,
but passionate.
Egyptus, wife of Ham, is free-spirited,
a sort of beautiful hippy. The baby of the family, Shem, has
married his mother in the form of Martha. He hasn’t a
clue what to do with two mothers! Martha just wants to be married
and tries hard at living up to Eliza in Shem’s eyes,
often with comical results.
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