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Li'l Abner by Encore Youth Theatre  It’s gonna take an awful lot to get reluctant groom Li’l
Abner to ever let his sweetheart Daisy Mae catch him in the Sadie Hawkins Day
race, and an “awful lot” doesn’t happen too often in the little one-horse town
of Dogpatch, USA. But that’s all about to change, seeings how the United States
Congress has had to search for a new place to test their nuclear bombs for fear
their Nevada site could contaminate the far more glorious (and lucrative) city
of Las Vegas, and they’ve determined that Dogpatch is the most unnecessary
place in the whole country. It mightn’t not be so bad, but the bombing is set
for this Wednesday, and Sadie Hawkins ain’t till Friday. If the Sadie Hawkins
Day ritual doesn’t happen as planned, Daisy Mae will be forced into weddin’ town bully
Earthquake McGoon. The only way out of this pickle is if Abner and the citizens
of Dogpatch can find something of value that Dogpatch has to offer the world. As
they say in Vegas, the odds are stacked against them.
This fun, blatantly hokey, and politically satirical musical pits the hicks from the sticks against the evil, greedy, conniving city slickers in Washington, D.C., and Encore Youth Theatre has put together a mighty fine cast to deliver the hokeyness and satire in all their glory. They are led by a couple of exceptional singers – Gregory Starkey as the big, strong, just a tad arrogant, not too romantic, and dumb-as-an-ox Abner who has been raised on Mammy Yokum’s Yokumberry Tonic since he was a babe, and the amusing Jessica Johnson as plum gorgeous Daisy Mae who puts up with a lot of guff from Abner and who, at the ripe old age of seventeen, is lamenting being past her prime and runnin’ out of time to marry. Elsewhere, Matt Tucker plays the big goon who can’t wait to get his grubby hands on Daisy if he can swing it without being too much of a bad guy. Rachel Wasko and Jason Craig are full of spit and vinegar as the wizened, shufflin’ Mammy and Pappy Yokum (Abner’s kinfolk). Murphy Martin is Dogpatch’s full-of-hot-air Senator Phogbound, Andy Pierce is really bad guy General Bullmoose, Carina Cure is the general’s lovely personal assistant who is given the job of stealing Abner away from Daisy Mae, and Leo Newsom is the glowingly green Evil Eye Fleagle who aids the bad guys in their clandestine plot. And last but most certainly not least we’ve got Steven Bradford who is a hoot and a half as the charismatic Marryin’ Sam, leading the Dogpatchers in seemingly all the biggest scenes including The Country’s in the Very Best of Hands (poking fun at the Washington elite) and especially Jubilation T. Cornpone – the catchy song that’s still reverberating about in my head, dedicated to the thoroughly incompetent Confederate general who founded Dogpatch. All got up in costumer Renetta Lehman’s hillbilly digs and wigs, and kickin’ up their heels to Kelly Felthous’s lively choreography, the ensemble infuses these numbers with an enthusiasm that makes Dogpatch the place to be. Performs through May 9, 2004.
~ Cast ~
Abner: Gregory Starkey Daisy Mae: Jessica Johnson Marryin' Sam: Steven Bradford Mammy Yokum: Rachel Wasko Pappy Yokum: Jason Craig Earthquake McGoon: Matt Tucker Senator Phogbound: Murphy Martin General Bullmoose: Andy Pierce Appassionata: Carina Cure Dr. Finsdale: Chelsea Streano The Cronies: Brandin Evinger Leo Newsom Theo Nicholson Andy Pierce The Wives: Ashley Avan Morgan Donovan Erika Johnson Marisa Novak Adriana Spencer Available Jones: Theo Nicholson Evil Eye Fleagle: Leo Newsom Scarlett: Rachel Sheahan The Maids: Carolina Palmer Kristin Strange Sarah Winterberg Ms. Creighton: Cassidy McCarthy Dogpatch Citizens: Haley Blair Teddy Blessing Alix Conde Carina Cure Bridget Estelle Valerie Long Cassidy McCarthy Carolina Palmer Ciara Reeve Mikey Sterling Kristin Strange Chelsea Streano Megan Tocci Ashley Waters Sarah Winterberg Policmen: Brandon Evinger Theo Nicholson Muscle Men: Terry Blessing Todd Cure Steven Johnston Andy Pierce Tony Streano Director: Randall Hickman Musical Director: Jeff Parker Choreographer: Kelly Felthous Stage Manager: Diane Felthous Lighting Design: Mitchell Simkovsky Sound Design: Carl Pinamonti, Jr. |