FYT's 'Eve' is good, scary fun

October 2007: Excerpted from a review that appeared in The Flint Journal on October 14, 2005

Spook-tacular fun is afoot...as Flint Youth Theatre has revived its Halloween special "All Hallows Eve." This is a visually mesmerizing black light rendition of Robert Burns' poem "Tam O'Shanter" as adapted by FYT's William P. Ward.

Black light illuminates only what is either white or painted with a special coating. This allows people dressed in dark clothing to be virtually invisible so they can then manipulate objects on the stage making them appear to float in space...

[ALL HALLOWS EVE tells] the story of Tam, a wayward fiddler who stays too long in town on Halloween and then must face ghoulies, witches, skeletons, and goblins as he walks toward home in the scaaaary dark!...

Tam's wife worries and waits for him to come home, periodically appearing in a high window and screaming for him. This little woman with the huge voice...will surely provoke some giggles.

Poor Tam continues to struggle toward home as a series of witches, three darling dancing skeletons and a host of others that appear and disappear via black light assail him on the way.

After encountering a horde of haunts in an old church, Tam finds himself face to face with the fierce King Fire. In self-defense, he agrees to a fiddling duel with the King, which of course Tam wins. But then, feeling a bit smug and finding himself almost home, Tam lets his guard slip and ... well, you'll see.

Sound and light dominate the production. A driving beat keeps everything moving and Tam "fiddling." As for light, although there are only three visible characters, there are a least 18 "invisible" youngsters on stage making the magic happen. They do an amazing job.

"All Hallows Eve," which opens tonight and runs through Oct. 27, is a perfect event for the whole family. It's fun, more surprising than scary, and always intriguing.

By Kathleen Kirby
Contributing Writer, The Flint Journal