Atkins passed away suddenly on Saturday, May 24, 2008.  He performed in many roles both on and off stage at The Players Theatre including roles in: Little Shop Of Horrors, Fame, Driving Miss Daisy and a host of other shows.  He also starred in productions at The Manatee Players such as Tom Sawyer and The Shadow Box.  Additionally, he was a member of the Asolo Theatre Company performing in I'm not Rappaport and To Kill A Mockingbird.

Atkins was a veteran of the Vietnam War and a community leader.  He mentored kids at The Boys and Girls Club, served as an umpire for Little League Baseball, announced Football Games for the Police Athletic League, and was the head coach of the PAL Junior Varsity Buccaneers.  Atkins was also known locally as a Disc Jockey and spent years working with large advertising companies and corporate executives on programming promotions and product placement in motion pictures and radio stations in Europe.

It’s a good week for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s perennially popular novel “The Hobbit,” with dueling stage productions that tell the story in vastly different ways.

The Sarasota Youth Opera presents two weekend performances of Dean Burry’s musical version written for young voices, while the Venice Little Theatre begins a 10-day run of a play version tonight.

“I think it’s great that people can see both versions,” said Ronald Myroup, director of Patricia Gray’s play in Venice. “I’m sure kids are going to love them. I’ve been a lifelong fan of ‘The Hobbit,’ and the kids love it, too.”

Martha Collins, the Youth Opera stage director, said her young cast members are equally enthusiastic.

“They love this story,” she said. “All you have to tell them is you’re a goblin, and they’re so into it. It’s really staging itself very quickly.”

Both versions share the story of the journey taken by the young hobbit Bilbo Baggins to help the dwarves regain their land and a golden treasure taken by the dragon Smaug.

“They go to the Lonely Mountain; they encounter the spider and the wargs” and other enemies, Collins said. “The opera has kept almost every encounter that occurs in the book.”

Musical director Lance Inouye said Burry’s score covers a range of styles, from straight opera to chants for the children.

“It’s a really unique experience for us as well as the kids because there are things that I’ve never encountered,” Inouye said. “I have to conduct them doing different sound effects, like dripping sounds and hissing sound effects.”

Both Collins and Myroup said their versions are uplifting and positive experiences for young audiences.

“We know the heroes are going to be OK,” Myroup said. “Gandalf uses his power to pull Bilbo into the search for the treasure, and he becomes a strong person in the process.”

Myroup’s large cast features Tony DeNiro as Bilbo, Patrick Mounce as Gandalf and Hayley Balliet as Thorin, the dwarf leader.

In the Youth Opera version, Brooke Saba and Maria Sulimir-ski alternate in the role of Bilbo, while Sarasota Opera studio artist Jeremy Milner plays both Gandalf and Smaug.

Audiences also will encounter Gollum, the Middle-earth creature who was a favorite in the “Lord of the Rings” films.

“He’s a creepy little goblin and he’s also insane,” Inouye said. In the opera, he is played “as though he is a puppet, but the chorus sings all the parts of his insanity, so they’re all involved in playing Gollum. There’s quite a lot of power on the stage at that moment.”

Burry, who lives in Toronto, was commissioned by the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus to create a piece for young voices. He decided on “The Hobbit,” one of his favorite childhood stories, because it is “a great straightforward rollicking adventure story. It touches on race relations, differences between leading a simplistic life and complicated life, and opening your eyes.”

It also helps that there is music built into the story, which made it easier to adapt, he said.

His version had its premiere in 2004, but the Sarasota production will feature the premiere of a new orchestration for a chamber ensemble.

“This is a new kind of version,” he said. “When we did it in Toronto, it was a long one-act opera. We’re doing this one in two acts. And the Sarasota Opera commissioned new orchestrations for about 12 players. It’s going to be nice to have that larger musical support.”

If hundreds of dwarves, a gazillion elves, a Hobbit burglar, stern elfin queen, a wizard, fairies and trolls and a fuzzy creature somehow manage to work together in the Middle Earth to slay the evil dragon named Smaug, there may be hope for the world after all.

That is the short and sweet version of J.R.R. Tolkien's story, "The Hobbit," which opened Thursday night, May 8 at the Venice Little Theatre.

Playing the role of Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit, was Tony DeNiro, in his sixth appearance at the VLT. Patrick Mounce portrayed Gandolf, the Wizard, who orchestrated the dragon slaying adventure and, by his absence and then reappearance with a burst of sparklers, brought harmony to the mythical place, and even to Thorin, leader of the Dwarves (Hayley Balliet), and Queen Inwa Anwarunya Greenleaf of Mirkwood (Kaitlyn Terpstra).

Portraying the elves were Hunter Cross, Timmy Polk, Hannah Betterton, Taylor Whitehead, Kenzie Balliet and Logan Yates. Shane Oss was Goullum. Roxanne Military and Jasmine Deal played the roles of Princess Elanesse and Princess Neinna. Jake Fricke was the Great Goblin, sirius and Ryan Scot was Poor Mule, Grocery Hobbit and Lord Puck.

Monica Kennedy, Joseph Pantera and Denelle Balliet were the nasty old trolls and the elves and the Goblin Menace were played by Pariesa Young, Ally Tufenkjian, Sydney Deal, Brant Biskup and Zachary Tudor, with Kimmy Curhan as the Fairy of the Mist and Ella Kennedy as Shadow.

The fairies of Milkwood were portrayed by Summer Hollerbach and Reese Balliet, who was an amazingly hungry little creature with a smirk and devilish grin to match her character's appetite.

Directed by Ron Myroup in a setting designed to perfection by Donna Buckalter, with costumes by Nicholas Hartman, sound by Jaclyn Ledoux and Lighting by Alise Hart, this merry band presented one of the all-time great Theatre for Young People productions. Every one of these characters delivered on cue and in character to the delight of the opening night audience. But it was Shane Oss who stole the show in the first act as he rafted out onto the stage and slithered, slipped, rolled and hissed his way around the stage searching for his lost ring. Growing up at VLT, he had to have made his theater family proud of him for this performance.

In the second act, there was another scene stealer, one that must be seen and experienced.

Kudos to all for a great show, which even included a dramatic curtain speech by the director. There is dance, movement, menacing characters, some mayhem and most all, magic in this production.

"The Hobbit" will play through Mat 18 at the VLT, 140 W. Tampa Ave., on the island n downtown Venice. General adission tickets are $12 per person. To order, visit www.venicestage.com or call the box office at 941-488-1115.

By Kim Cool

Select your performance	Time	Seats	Buy	Preview
Thursday 05/08/08	7:00PM	47	Buy	Preview
Friday 05/09/08	7:00PM	14	Buy	Preview
Saturday 05/10/08	2:00PM	66	Buy	Preview
Saturday 05/10/08	7:00PM	26	Buy	Preview
Sunday 05/11/08	2:00PM	68	Buy	Preview
Thursday 05/15/08	7:00PM	81	Buy	Preview
Friday 05/16/08	7:00PM	83	Buy	Preview
Saturday 05/17/08	2:00PM	77	Buy	Preview
Saturday 05/17/08	7:00PM	80	Buy	Preview
Sunday 05/18/08	2:00PM	69	Buy	Preview

PS. This is how the brain works. I had another dream early this morning. Not as a wacky as the last one but it really shows you how us human work. Hayley and I were in a big elegant mansion. And there were brain-eating zombies outside and we were really scared to go outside. That's it. Ya just got to wonder about that?

Hayley I know how to fix this. I'm not scared and you shouldn't be either, you're a heck of an actress. All of you are doing well -- but we can do better and we're going to.

Your Director Dude