By DANNY GILLELAND
ENI staff writer
Director Todd Wilson, the cast and crew of ‘Divorce, Southern Style’ are hard at work preparing for their March 12 opening night. The play, a comedy by Jennifer Jarret, is set in the Charlotte, North Carolina home of Eleanor Bander.
The role of Eleanor is brought to life by Paula Romans, a face familiar to the audiences of the Perry Players productions.
Director Wilson said of Eleanor,” She is facing a mid-life crisis, doesn’t have a regular income; she is having trouble paying her bills.” She decides the only solution to her problems is to marry a rich man. The man she decides to marry is her ex-husband Walter. She and Walter, played by Perry Players newcomer Chris Clement, have been divorced for fifteen years. Walter lives in New York. His wife has recently died, struck by lightning on the golf course.
The play opens on a Friday afternoon as Eleanor and her best friend Emma Blue are discussing Eleanor’s situation.
Emma Blue is shocked by Eleanor’s plan to woo Walter, and tries to talk her out of it.
Carol Tinsley has the role of Emma Blue. She and Paula work well together.
Todd said about the relationship between Eleanor and Emma Blue, “It struck me almost as an episode of ‘I Love Lucy.’ Emma Blue questions her friend’s logic, but still stands by her.”
Eleanor phones Walter and tells him of their daughter Elizabeth’s upcoming wedding. She hints that Elizabeth is pregnant and needs her dad. Walter agrees to come to Charlotte as soon as possible. Walter comes to town, but much to Eleanor’s surprise, brings his new girlfriend Gretchen. Gretchen was Eleanor’s high school rival. The play continues with lots of hilariously complex twists and intrigue.
The rest of this well-balanced cast include David Kelly as Dr. Abernathy, Eleanor’s married optometrist who has quite the roving eye, Christina Pykles as Elizabeth, Michael Deibert as Vince and Shawn Rowey as Gretchen. Vince is Elizabeth’s fiancé. Chris, Shawn and Christina are performing with the Perry Players for the first time. Chris and his family have recently moved to Houston County from Alabama. He is a veteran of community theater. Shawn has been a volunteer with the group, helping with tickets and concessions. She decided it was time to move onstage.
Christina has never been in a stage production before. She saw the audition announcement for the play on the Perry Players website and decided to try out. “I got the part,” she said before Monday night’s rehearsal. Christina was in drama class in high school, but was always involved with band and chorus. Her music has brought her onstage quite often; she is comfortable facing an audience. “I haven’t had any trouble with my lines, I just have to be louder,” she said. She said a lot of the other cast members have been a bit nervous about the approaching opening night, but she has been pretty calm. “I’m just having fun,” she said.
The play runs from Friday March 12 through March 21. There will be two Sunday matinees at 2:30p.m. Evening performances are at 8p.m. For reservations or more information, go to www.perryplayers.org.
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