Teen-agers ‘Fantastic’ in Maskers performance

BELFAST – Just as the world is closing in on him, the nerdy editor of the Paul Bunyan High School newspaper punches himself in the jaw and turns into – CAPTAIN FAAAAN-TAAAAS-TIC.

Mild-mannered Waldo Puppybreath disappears along with the bow tie, clunky black glasses and voice stuck in the higher octaves. In the erstwhile editor’s place stands a superhero, clad in red-and-blue satin replete with billowing crimson cape, a giant “CF” emblazoned across his perfect pecs.

Written by Tim Kelly, “Captain Fantastic” is the Belfast Maskers’ youth production this season. The play features 21 teen actors ranging in age from 12 to 17 who attend six different schools from Searsport to Camden.

The show starts off slowly, but once Puppybreath’s transformation occurs, the story kicks into high gear. The action moves at a fast and furious pace as the comic book heroes face off against the rat-faced villains in their sewerized den – The Rat Hole Club.

A native of Saugus, Mass., Kelly was one of the most prolific playwrights in modern times. Nearly 400 of his plays are still in print. Kelly, who died last December at the age of 67, wrote numerous comedies and dramas similar to “Captain Fantastic” for young actors.

This play never takes itself too seriously, spoofing the cartoon and comic book heroes from Superman to Underdog to the X-Men that have collectively nurtured several generations. Director Meg Nickerson proves she is skilled and adept at getting fine performances out of her young actors and pulling together an ensemble in which it is almost impossible to tell the novices from the experienced thespians.

Max Graham, 15, brings a quirky energy to the lead role. The Mount View High School student’s Puppybreath turns that intensity inward, yet lets it explode across the audience when he is transformed into Captain Fantastic.

The play flies or fails on the performance of the actor cast in this role. Graham sets a pace just shy of frantic and sets a high standard the rest of the cast is able to attain most of the time. This young man is a fine and funny actor with a deft comic touch and impeccable timing.

Julia McCarrier, 12, has appeared in eight plays during her short career. That experience shows onstage in her portrayal of Penelope Mayberry, the stand-up girl who stands by Puppybreath’s side. The Troy Howard Middle School student is sincere without being saccharine.

Bradford is the preppy snob who turns into the immoral Inkblot, leader of a motley assortment of evildoers including the depraved Swamp Man and Panther Lady. Justin Howard, a sophomore at Belfast Area High School, manages to bring a bit of depth to this shallow slimeball – the kind of guy adults rarely see through, but who is transparent to his peers.

Adam Welch, a sophomore at BAHS, plays the nasty Ratso Finkle. Dressed like a gangster from a James Cagney movie, his voice is a blend of Marlon Brando in “The Godfather” and James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause.” As his ditzy sidekick, Veronica Van Dazzle, the lanky Lily Rogals is a perfect foil.

Welch makes the most of the character’s malapropisms and Rogals, a junior at BAHS, is a fireball onstage impossible to ignore. They are a dynamic duo of delightful devilry.

Much of the show’s success goes to Nickerson’s technical crew – Shelley King, Lynette Sproch, Nina Halbert and Bruce Boege. Nickerson herself, however, deserves applause and accolades for pulling together such a fine cast of young actors and holding them to near-professional standards.

Plays written for teen-agers that aren’t preachy, didactic or dated are rare. Rarer still is a cast made up enirely of young people performing outside a school auditorium. Rarest of all is a high-quality production that entertains teens and parents alike. Nickerson, along with her cast and crew, has accomplished all that in “Captain Fantastic.”

The Belfast Maskers is one of the few theater troupes in the state that offers young performers the opportunity to get experience outside of school. Other theater groups mount children’s shows, but all too often they are cast with mostly adult actors. This production proves that given the same opportunity and production values, teens can perform as well as adults, and sometimes, as in the case of “Captain Fantastic,” even surpass them.

“Captain Fantastic” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Maskers Waterfront Theatre. For ticket information, call 338-9668.