Bay Tree Council sets stage for season’s final show, ‘Leading Ladies’
The Bay Tree Council for the Performing Arts in Red Bay is holding auditions for its fourth and final production of the season: “Leading Ladies,” by Ken Ludwig and directed by Mary Moore.
Auditions began May 1 at 2 p.m. at the Weatherford Centre in Red Bay and continue May 2 at 7 p.m. They will consist of cold readings from the book.
According to the BTCPA, in this hilarious comedy by the author of “Lend Me A Tenor” and “Moon Over Buffalo,” two English Shakespearean actors, Jack and Leo, find themselves so down on their luck that they are performing “Scenes from Shakespeare” on the Moose Lodge circuit in the Amish country of Pennsylvania.
When they hear that an old lady in York, Penn., is about to die and leave her fortune to her two long-lost English nephews, they resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash.
The trouble is, when they get to York, they find out the relatives aren’t nephews but nieces.
Romantic entanglements abound, especially when Leo falls head-over-petticoat in love with the old lady’s vivacious niece, Meg, who’s engaged to the local minister. Meg knows there’s a wide world out there, but it’s not until she meets “Maxine and Stephanie” that she finally gets a taste of it.
The cast will consist of three adult women and five adult men; some parts can be cast with older teens.
The play will be performed June 23-26. Tickets will go on sale June 13 at the Weatherford Centre, $8 each. Contact Beth Hammock for more information on tickets and group sales, 256-668-0045.
The BTCPA recently wrapped its third production of the season, a comedy titled “Farce of Nature,” staged April 21-24, at the Weatherford Centre in Red Bay.
The show was directed by Scotty Kennedy, who described the production as a “Southern-fried farce with nonstop hilarity.”
The cast included Anna Carol Porter, Brente Jeffreys, Avery Klose, Emily Edmonson, Torrey Lewey, Dominic Rogers, Jeanmarie Moore, Theron Struzik and Zephra Rogers, who also served as stage manager.
Edmonson said the show was her first time back on stage in four years. “I’m so thankful for everyone who came out to see the show. We had a fantastic cast and crew, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”
Merideth and Michael Fancher were among attendees of an afternoon matinee of the show.
“We thoroughly enjoyed it.” Carol Murphree also attended the play. “It was a great performance. We sure enjoyed two hours of laughter.”
Kennedy said the run of the play was a huge success and a great experience.
“The laughs were huge, and the cast got better each night. They performed like professionals,” Kennedy said. “We’d like to thank the audiences for their laughter throughout the performances and for their kind words afterwards. I am so proud of the cast. They did a spectacular job.”
