FRIDAY 5 (+1): A TIME TO KILL's James David West

Opening at Murfreesboro's Center for the Arts tonight is the stage adaptation (by Rupert Holmes) of John Grisham's A Time To Kill. Helmed by veteran director George W. Manus Jr., the suspenseful courtroom tale runs for just two weekends.

Actor James David West, who takes on the role of the Southern lawyer at the center of the play, took time from his hectic tech week schedule to answer our Friday 5 (+1) questions to give us an idea why booking reservations to see the show should be something to do right this minute - or at least after reading this interview. Get to it!

What was your first taste of "live, onstage" theater? My first taste of "live, onstage" theatre would be The Prince and The Pauper in elementary school. It was at TPAC and my class sat up in the balcony. At that time, I had yet to be bitten by the "acting bug." In high school I was cast in the play Our Town as a very minor supporting role and ended up getting bumped up to two other roles for a few of the performances. That was the start, but it wasn't until I turned 30 that I decided to audition for Lend Me A Tenor at the Murfreesboro Little Theatre that I was bitten by said bug. I have been steadily acting ever since.

What is your favorite pre-show ritual? I like to take a walk and run my lines while staying in motion. I'll look over my script and say my lines as quickly as I can to make sure they are still fresh in my memory, and then I seclude myself roughly 30 minutes before curtain call to center my thoughts. Sometimes music helps, but I find silence to be more relaxing. I fill my head with my character's backstory and repeat a fake memory of what they were doing right before I walk out onto the stage. I also think it is very important to go up to each actor before the show and tell them to break a leg. Their performances are just as important as mine, and keeping the "positivity train" going helps keep us all in a good mental state.

What is your favorite "the show must go on" moment? Among other skills, acting requires the learning and speaking of words that were written by someone else. Regardless of how confident we are in knowing those words we sometimes we forget them. It is helpful when you're on stage with actors who are able to seamlessly carry on as if nothing has happened, but there are times when a fellow actor (or even yourself) forgets a very crucial part of the script that MUST be in the show. I've had to learn other actors' lines and monologues to know how to pick them up to help save specific scenes. But hey, it happens to all of us from time to time.

Who is your theatrical crush? I don't really have a theatrical crush, but Emily Dennis is one of the most talented actors I have had the pleasure of meeting and am now able to call a good friend. She caused me to bawl my eyes out well over 30 times throughout the show with her performance as Diana in Next To Normal. Her acting and singing abilities are just superb, and she is also an excellent music director. I would perform alongside her any day.

What is your dream role? Well, to be honest I've always wanted to play a lawyer. Something about how passionate they can be about trying to win their cases; how expansive their vocabulary can be when a concise explanation would have been more easily understood; or even how misleading they can become while executing their strategic arguments...The depth of the character that an actor could come up with is very intriguing to me. So, when I heard about A Time To Kill auditions, I immediately began prepping for the audition. I then landed the role of Jake Brigance, and I couldn't be happier. I am very excited about the story we get to tell.

Why should people come see A Time To Kill? Right now our country seems extremely divided. Racism has been brought to the forefront of people's minds more so than it has been in the last 10 years or more, even though lots of (white) Americans viewed it as a dying way of thinking. Thanks to certain political parties (*cough*cough* Trump) and news coverage over certain parts of the country, we all know that there are still very highly-racist Americans living among us. This simply cannot continue. The story of A Time To Kill is that of a father seeking justice in his own hands and being put on trial for his life due to his unlawful actions. Whether Carl Lee is a black or white man shouldn't matter to the cause of justice, and Jake Brigance sets out to prove that a black man can and should receive a fair trial just like any other person. A human being is still a human being, and this play not only shows us how far we've come as a community/country but also how much further we still have to go.

About the show: Murfreesboro's Center for the Arts presents the regional premiere of A Time to Kill, based on the bestselling novel by John Grisham and the 1996 film starring Matthew McConaughey and Samuel L. Jackson, opening Friday night, March 24 and running through April 2.

Focusing on race relations in the South, the show's plot follows an African American father who takes vengeance on the men who committed an atrocious crime against his nine-year-old daughter. Race, crime, family and small town America are scrutinized in a trial that questions whether a person ever has the right to take justice into their own hands.

Grisham's book was adapted for the stage by Rupert Holmes.

"From Screen to Stage" is the theme of the Center's 2017 season, and executive director Patience Long is thrilled to be one of the first companies to bring this powerful drama to the stage, following its Broadway run. "A Time to Kill has enthralled readers for 25 years. I am so proud to be presenting this powerful play to our audiences. The subject matter is very timely and to be chosen to produce the regional premiere of it is an honor."

"A Time to Kill has always been one of my favorite books, so I'm honored to direct this show," says director George W. Manus Jr. "This cast has loved diving into such an intense play and working on the performances that this piece demands. I'm eager for our audiences to experience it."

In the lead role of Jake Brigance is James David West, who is joined by Jimmy Sanford as Carl Lee Hailey. Jenni Lee Merritt appears as Ellen Roark who assists Jake with his defense. Prosecutor Rufus R. Buckley is portrayed by Zac Collins, and Bill Stewart returns to the Center's stage as Lucien Wilbanks, Brigance's mentor.

Tickets can be purchased on the Center's website at www.boroarts.org; calling (615) 904- 2787; or stopping by the Center's box office at 110 W. College St. in downtown Murfreesboro. Prices are $15 for adults; $13 for seniors, students and military, $11.00 for children. Group tickets are available. Performances are at 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings and 2:00 pm on Sunday afternoons.

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