North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre’s C.A.S.T Camp production of The Big One-Oh! is a great family musical that entertains all ages.
Based on the book by Dean Pitchford, The Big One-Oh tells the story of a young boy named Charley who is about to turn double digits. Sweet and introverted, he has trouble making friends and only has a few imaginary monster friends as companions. But, he wants to do something special for his big day, so he decides to throw a “House of Horrors” themed birthday party with real friends, cake, and more. Predictably, things don’t all work out as planned.
The show was performed on Zoom this weekend and the students did a wonderful job of maneuvering their cameras, microphones, and devices. The individual solos sounded as clear as you could get over the Zoom platform. However, when it came to the big ensemble numbers, the cast weren’t exactly in unison, which made the numbers sound somewhat sloppy. This is to be expected, as each actor was performing from their own home.
Costumes, makeup and hair were all very fitting for the characters.
Keith Peterson, who played Charley, gave an outstanding performance. All of his acting and vocals were on point, and he made the character endearing. El Bloom (Charley’s Mom) stage presence felt very special, and she provided a refreshing authenticity to her character.
While the play was barely 30-minutes long, the hard work of the performers and people behind the scenes resulted in a truly remarkable and entertaining production.
North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre’s next production is the virtual production of Patsy Clarke and Nancy Rich’s Bingo. For more information or tickets visit: http://www.nract.org/shows#/bingo-a-virtual-play/.
