CBC presents ‘The Night of Iguana’ starting Feb. 11

Peter Adams was part of Columbia Basin College theater productions years ago.

But then he took a long break — one that included a stint in the Navy.

Now Adams, 38, is poised to return to the Pasco stage as the star of the college’s The Night of the Iguana.

The play runs Feb. 11-13 in the theater on campus. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.

Adams takes on the role of the troubled former minister T. Lawrence Shannon, who brings a tour group of women to a small hotel in Mexico run by the newly widowed Maxine.

Drama unfolds.

“(The show features) a great ensemble of actors. All the actors are really trying to bring their characters to life and make them as believable as possible,” Adams said.

The Night of the Iguana, by Tennessee Williams, debuted on Broadway in 1961, earning acclaim — including a Tony Award for Margaret Leighton for her turn as the traveling artist Hannah.

Along with Adams, the CBC production stars Whitney Holland as Hannah, Robert Chisholm as her grandfather and Christy Valle as Maxine. The cast is rounded out by Lauryn Meacham, Chris Garcia, Ric Orta, James Callaghan, Jill Faulk, Anjuli Herr, Michael Jackson, McKenzie Kennedy, Paul Nelson and Cooper Wutzke.

Ginny Quinley is directing, with set design by Ronn Campbell.

Adams, who lives in Kennewick, joined the Navy a few years after high school. He served for 14 years, including a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan. He worked as a corpsman, or medic.

Adams moved back to the Tri-Cities last May and set out to study surgical technology at CBC.

But then he rediscovered his love for acting.

“To come back and get the lead part in this play really solidified my thoughts that maybe this is something I need to do (with my life),” he said.

Adams said he loves the process of working on a character, of adding depth. Of bringing the character to life.

“To get the audience to connect with the character” is a special thing, he said.

And he’s excited to show audiences what he and his CBC castmates can do.

Audience members should “be able to leave and say, ‘I really connect with Shannon or Maxine or even the bus driver.’ To say, ‘Wow, that was a really powerful and moving show,’ ” he said. “To laugh, cry, hate love — all those feelings. I think the show brings out a lot of those feelings.”

The Night of the Iguana is rated PG for mature situations and language. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. They’re available at Adventures Underground in Richland, JD’s Time Center in Kennewick and the CBC bookstore.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 1:42 PM with the headline "CBC presents ‘The Night of Iguana’ starting Feb. 11."