THE RED VELVET CAKE WAR by Jones, Hope and Wooten, Sam Bass Community Theatre, Round Rock, September 27 - October 19, 2013

presents

The Red Velvet Cake War

by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten

directed by Lynn S. Beaver

September 27, 2013 - October 19, 2013

Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays 8 p.m., Sundays 2: p.m.

Sam Bass Community Theatre, 600 N. Lee St., Round Rock (in Memorial Park)-- CLICK FOR MAP

Tickets $18; $15 seniors, students, educators, military; $15 all Thursday performances 

Reservations: www.sambasstheatre.org

The Red Velvet Cake War opens the Sam Bass Community Theatre 2013-2014 season on September 27th at Sam Bass Community Theatre. In this riotously funny Southern-fried comedy, the three Verdeen cousins—Gaynelle, Peaches and Jimmie Wyvette—could not have picked a worse time to throw their family reunion.

Their outrageous antics have delighted local gossips in the small town of Sweetgum (just down the road from Fayro) and the eyes of Texas are upon them, as their self-righteous Aunt LaMerle is quick to point out. Having “accidentally” crashed her minivan through the bedroom wall of her husband’s girlfriend’s doublewide, Gaynelle is one frazzled nerve away from a spectacular meltdown. Peaches, a saucy firebrand and the number one mortuarial cosmetologist in the tri-county area, is struggling to decide if it’s time to have her long-absent trucker husband declared dead. And Jimmie Wyvette, the rough-around-the-edges store manager of Whatley’s Western Wear, is resorting to extreme measures to outmaneuver a priss-pot neighbor for the affections of Sweetgum’s newest widower.

Raynelle Shelley, Linda Myers and Rhonda Roe as the Verdeen Cousins (photo: Sam Bass Theatre)

But the cousins can’t back out of the reunion now. It’s on and Gaynelle’s hosting it; Peaches and Jimmie Wyvette have decided its success is the perfect way to prove Gaynelle’s sanity to a skeptical court-appointed psychologist. Unfortunately, they face an uphill battle as a parade of wildly eccentric Verdeens gathers on the hottest day of July, smack-dab in the middle of Texas tornado season. Things spin hilariously out of control when a neighbor’s pet devours everything edible, a one-eyed suitor shows up to declare his love and a jaw-dropping high-stakes wager is made on who bakes the best red velvet cake.

As this fast-paced romp barrels toward its uproarious climax, you’ll wish your own family reunions were this much fun!

Cast includes: Anita Tecce, Linda Myers, BJ Machalicek, Frank Benge, Rhonda Roe, Raynelle Shelley, Veronica Prior, Gene Storie, Jeff Sughrue, Lori Iacoletti, Janie Williams and John Iacoletti.

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Annie, The Musical, Georgetown Palace Theatre, November 20 - December 30

This holiday season’s production of Annie at the Georgetown Palace is an enormous undertaking. Most principal roles are triple-cast, with actors assigned to Mango, Kiwi or Plum casts. Ensemble roles are double cast, with actors assigned to Strawberry or Blueberry casts. Palace management is proud that 106 actors appear on their stage during the course of 28 presentations, many of those shows outside the Friday-Saturday-Sunday schedule usual at 810 S. Austin Avenue in Georgetown.

Running a musical comedy that way is quite a feat of theatrical logistics. Such extensive involvement builds and reinforces the community of artists and arts supporters that enables the Palace to run its vigorous and well attended season.

Anyone writing a review for you has to advise you from the first, however, that the show that unrolled before him that evening might differ from the one that you’ll see there some other evening. Codes for my Saturday night experience on November 21 were Mango and Strawberry, suggesting an interesting dessert.

Over a six-week run three Annies share those red curly wigs and two bald-pated Oliver Warbucks will be setting the Depression-era United States to rights. Two FDRs will in turn occupy that wheelchair and the three villains are embodied by six actors. Your endearing opening chorus of orphan girls could well be different from the one that introduced us to Annie's bleak orphanage.

Read more and view images at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .