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	Vol.7, No 39, November 4, 1999
	Sparks to fly onstage By Don Weberg Daily Forty-Niner For the first time, the Carpenter Performing Arts Center will allow pyrotechnic special effects to take place on stage. The pyrotechnics are scheduled to take place in the center's next performance, "Phantom," said Rik Helgason, the show's pyrotechnic expert. Helgason has performed these types of special effects for the production all over California, said Paul Garman, executive director and producer of "Phantom." "He's great -- he's performed at the Crystal Cathedral [in Garden Grove], Glendale, San Diego and San Francisco," Garman said. "He's been doing 'Phantom' for a long time, so he's very familiar with it." The performance entails various explosions produced by flash powder and black powder, Helgason said. A simulated fire is another special effect, which is made possible by simple denatured alcohol. "I am the first one to bring a performance of this magnitude to the center," he said. Outbursts of noises and sparkers will be activated electronically, Helgason said. Extra precautions are being taken to ensure the safety of the actors and the audience. "The [Carpenter Center] is being very careful," Helgason said. State fire marshal approval was granted along with CSULB permission to use pyrotechnic effects, said Daniel Thomas, spokesman for Musical Theater West, the company producing the play. "It's all on the up and up," Thomas said. Representatives from Musical Theater West are confident the Long Beach community will like the play. Tony Award winners Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston wrote this version of "Phantom." "Most people I talk to like it better than the Andrew Lloyd Webber version," Thomas said. The play is being directed by Gary Gordon, who also directed the company's productions of "The Music Man," "Damn Yankees" and various other performances throughout California. The phantom is being played by Perry Stephens, whose most recent stage credits include "Annie Get Your Guns." Stephens has appeared on television shows such as "Wings," "Frasier," "The Bold and the Beautiful," "Loving" and many others.		Sparks to fly onstage   Union founder: workers still struggle   Ex-Clinton aide visits campus   Krispy Kreme to sweeten Long Beach taste buds   KLON drive 2nd most successful Remedial editorial protest   LETTER TO THE EDITOR ...Get your game on!   The Charlatans U.K. stage classic comeback   Renowned poet recites work Water polo takes on Air Force   FROM THE BEACH Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.