Live!
What: "Remember Paris," performed by the Encore Theatrical Arts Project When: 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday Where: Ernst Community Cultural Center, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale

Thursday, June 14, 2007

First staged by the Encore Theatrical Arts Project in 2000, "Remember Paris" has something for young and old alike, producers of the dance musical say.

When some children discover, in an attic chest, letters that their grandparents wrote to each other during World War II, their minds are transported across the years and an ocean away to the tumultuous scene of 1940s Paris, where their grandparents' romance began amid violence and disorder.

The secrets the children learn about their family's origins teach lessons of loyalty and love.

The show features an original script by Scott Dees of Haymarket and music from Broadway shows, including "42nd Street," "Me and My Girl" and "Swingtime Canteen," as well as other popular songs from the World War II era.

Encore Theatrical Arts Project was founded in 1996 by performer, director and choreographer Raynor van der Merwe, who is the company's artistic director, and managing director Mario Petrides. Their aim was to provide performing opportunities for talented people ages 9 to 18 and to serve Northern Virginia and Washington area theater audiences. The company produces two original shows each season.

-- C. WOODROW IRVIN

The Ernst Cultural Community Center is at 8333 Little River Tpk., on Northern Virginia Community College's Annandale campus. Tickets are $18; seniors and students, $15. For tickets, call 703-222-5511 or go tohttp://www.encore-tap.org/tickets.htm.