For the past couple of weeks Kristen Peace has been playing Danielle Benton's mother.

"Impossible," Peace shrugs.

"Not in real life honey. It just couldn't be. We're both Hamilton girls. We both went to Theatre Aquarius Summer School. Not at the same time but close enough."

Benton giggles and shakes a mane of dark hair. "Thank goodness we're friends," she shrugs. "That makes everything all right."

Just ask anyone in Charlottetown. They all know Kristen Peace. "The beautiful blond from Ontario," they tend to call her. Then they mention what a big voice she has and how terrific she looks onstage.

Peace has been a regular at The Charlottetown Festival for the past few years. Her pal, Danielle Benton, has just finished her second season.

"P.E.I. is such a beautiful place," Peace says. "There's the beach and the lobster suppers. And my partner's entire family is here. So, it's also about cottage living and family suppers. I love it a lot."

"It's also about growing professionally," Benton adds. "I started as a dancer, but I think I'm a lot more. I want to explore my total being. I want to create complete characters on the stage."

For the past few weeks of the Charlottetown season, Benton took over the important role of Diana Barry in Anne of Green Gables. She was terrific. Possibly the best Diana I've seen.

"So much of what happens to us is dumb luck," Peace interjects. "Talent is one thing, but opportunities have to be there."

"That's right," Benton says. "The first time I had to go on as Diana I had about an hour's notice, not enough time to get scared. Kristen came up to me and said, 'Get the Diana dress dear, you're going on.'

" I just went out there and did it," Benton grins. "And I think I surprised a lot of people who just thought of me as a hoofer."

"So true," Peace says, nodding her head emphatically. "I'm pigeonholed as a big belter, a singer who can rock. Well honey, I started out with Shakespeare for God's sake. I was a working actor before I could ever sing And I'd love to do a straight drama sometime. That was my entire purpose. I mean hamburger's fine, but sometimes you need steak."

Now the season in P.E.I. is over, Benton is off to dance in the opera Eugene Onegin in Vancouver. After that she'll play in a Vancouver production of Beauty and the Beast.

Peace will be back at Stage West, Mississauga, singing her lungs out in The British Invasion. Before that, though, she has a marriage to plan.

"I scrapped the idea of a big wedding," she shrugs. "Too complicated and expensive. We're running away instead. We're getting married at Disney World Oct. 21. Now how cool is that? Just the families, me and the love of my life.

"It's perfect. That's where my honey proposed marriage. He wore Mickey ears and all. We were out there on a dock, twinkle lights blinking and he was on his knees. We acted like kids, giggling and all."

Both Kristen and Danielle love performing onstage. It's an important part of who they are.

"You perform because you have to," Peace says. No matter how many times you say your feet hurt and you're tired of being told you're too short or too tall, you just keep on going. You have to, that's all."

"That's right," Danielle grins. "If you are a performer you can't stop. It's not an easy life and there's lots of rejection. But you do it anyway. When you get on that stage, wherever it may be, you come alive. Me? I've been doing this since I was six."

Gary Smith has written on theatre and dance for The Hamilton Spectator for more than 25 years. He has watched Danielle and Kristen perform since they were children.

GISELLE

Sometimes in the blink of an eye there's genius.

A case in point was Ballet Nacional de Cuba's thrilling production of the Romantic Era classic Giselle. This dramatically rich, technically pure production was danced with such passion, such power, such brilliant understanding of what ballet ought to be about it outstripped any Giselle I've seen anywhere.

The young stars Viengsay Valdes and Felix Rodriguez (Anete Delgado and Ernesto Alvarez at Sunday's matinee) created a loveknot of drama that gave the ballet its beating heart.

Ernesto Diaz as Hilarion and Yanela Pinera as Myrtha Queen of the Wilis added dramatic heft. It was the perfect synchronous movement of the female corps in the final act that solidified Alicia Alonso's reputation for attention to detail and luminous staging.

If you missed this production you missed the highlight of the dance season. Every dancer from The National Ballet of Canada ought to have been at Hamilton Place to see how the real thing is done.