Preview of Catfish MoonRLT Presents the Triangle Premiere of Catfish Moon by Laddy Sartin Raleigh Little Theatre will present the Triangle premiere of Catfish Moon by University of Southern Mississippi alumnus Laddy Sartin April 8-24 on its Cantey V. Sutton Main Stage. When this Southern-fried comedy had its professional debut in 1996 at the Charlotte Repertory Theatre, The Charlotte Observer described it as “full of the most bodacious joviality…. [T]he ending is pure delight, comic writing as sweet as it comes.” “I really love the characters in Catfish Moon -- three small-town Southern men,” confesses RLT guest director Rod Rich, who co-founded Raleigh, NC-based Actors Comedy Lab in 1998 with his wife, Nancy, and Jack and Bunny Safron co-founded. “I grew up in Candler, NC, a little country spot just outside of Asheville,” Rich says, “and I knew people like this -- they went to my church, they went hunting and fishing with my brother, and they’d play poker with my father. Catfish Moon seems familiar to me. I wanted to direct it partly to honor some of those good ol’ boys I knew growing up, and partly to have the opportunity to work with the creative professionals at RLT again.” Rich says, “I [also] rather like the theme of the play as well: second chances.” When the curtain rises, says Rich, “Three childhood buddies, Curley (David Wilk), Gordon (Tony Hefner), and Frog (Ryan Stevens), are now in their 40s; and the years have been rough on their friendship. Curley has gotten tied down with his business, and Gordon and the hot-tempered Frog have an ongoing feud about virtually everything, most recently over Frog’s ex-wife Betty (Staci Saborsky), who’s been seen around town with Gordon. In the midst of a crisis of his own, Curley determines to resolve the disputes and recapture their old friendship by taking the boys fishing under the magical catfish moon.” In addition to director Rod Rich, who shares sound-design duties with Rowell Gormon and Tony Hefner, the show’s creative team includes RLT set and lighting designer Rick Young and costume designer Sue Brace. In staging Catfish Moon, Rich says, “The most important thing is to make sure the cast works together as a team to bring life to the relationships between the characters. I’ve been fortunate to find a cast that handle this challenge -- as well as the creative technical crew to create the amazing dockside environment that makes up the setting for the play.” Rich says, “The set consists of an old pier leading down to a raked dock which hangs over the RLT orchestra pit. Behind the set is a projection screen used to help evoke the outside environment by establishing time of day, weather, and general ambiance.” In describing the show’s lighting, Rich notes, “Any stage play that takes place outdoors has to make the audience forget they’re sitting in a comfortable theater, and believe that they’re watching a play outside under the stars. The lighting challenges for Catfish Moon are fairly intricate: the play takes place in early afternoon, during sunset, and in the middle of the night, each of which has its own look and effects associated with it.” Rich points out that the easiest creative challenge to meet was the show’s costume requirements. He describes the cast’s wardrobe as “standard-issue small-town wear, complete with caps with logos and work shirts with the names of characters sewn onto patches,” Rich points out. Raleigh Little Theatre presents Catfish Moon Friday-Saturday, April 8-9, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, April 10, at 3 p.m.; Wednesday-Saturday, April 13-16 and 20-23, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, April 17 and 24, at 3 p.m. on RLT’s Cantey V. Sutton Main Stage, 301 Pogue St., Raleigh, North Carolina. $14 Wednesday, $18 Thursday/Sunday, and $20 Friday-Saturday, except $12 Sunday for students and seniors. 919/821-3111 or click here. Note 1: All shows are wheelchair accessible, and assistive listening devices are available for all shows. Note 2: The April 10th performance will be audio described. Raleigh Little Theatre: http://www.raleighlittletheatre.org/catfish.htm. WHAT: Robert's Reviews is a FREE weekly e-mail theatrical newsletter, featuring previews and reviews by Robert W. McDowell and reviews by Alan R. Hall, Todd Morman, and Scott Ross. (For brief bios of our contributors, see http://www.cvnc.org/about/critics-bios.html.) 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