Waterworks Players proudly presents the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk to celebrate the holiday season. Beloved by children and adults alike, pantomimes are as much a part of Christmas throughout the British Isles as singing carols, trimming the tree, and exchanging presents.  

As a popular form of theater, “Pantomimes are melodramatic presentations of familiar nursery rhymes or children’s tales that combine song, dance, and slapstick comedy,” states Mary Jo Stockton, who grew up in Scotland and plays one of character leads.  “At home they are called pantomimes, but it’s not the same as a mime,” says Stockton.  “You get the story with a twist.  Every family goes to at least one pantomime at Christmas."

Three years ago, Waterworks presented its first pantomime, Puss In Boots. “The production was so successful that we did Aladdin two years ago and Cinderella last year, and we packed the house for each production” according to Waterworks Players’ director Dudley Sauve.  Kids knew right away how to get involved in the play as if they had grown up with it. Likewise, adults had a wonderful time laughing at the double-meaning of the punch lines. 

“Part of the magic of pantomime,” says Sauve, “is the audience participation.” Everyone is encouraged to “Boo” the villain and sing along with cast members. This can lead to friendly audience competition as half of the audience tries to sing their chorus louder than the other. In some productions the story villain will squirt the audience with water guns, while other cast members might throw candy to children.
In Waterworks’ production of Jack and the Beanstalk, Fairy Flora (Trisha Wise) introduces us to a kingdom that is sadly being ravaged by Giant Plunder (Josh Jarrett), a very evil ogre.  His nasty missus, Mrs. Plunder (Mary Jo Stockton), creates havoc for the bemused King Bernard (Marlowe Vilchez) and kidnaps his beautiful daughter, Princess Rose (Christy Moore).  Royalty are not the only victims, Dame Trott (Jordan Whiley) and her sons Jack (Brandon Nuckols) and Billy (Walter McCoy) are too poor to pay five gold pieces to Mrs. Plunder.  Forced to sell their family cow Daisy (Trisha Wise and Ed Kinman) to prevent their home from being destroyed, Jack and Billy manage to exchange her for a mere handful of magic beans. A giant beanstalk grows overnight which allows the Jack to raid the Ogre’s castle in the sky. Heroism and silliness abound!

The cast also includes soldiers and villagers, played by Leigh Lunsford, Gloria Ferguson, Alyssa Merkle, and Cathy Matson.

Make reservations now for the whole family to attend Waterworks Players' production of Jack and the Beanstalk. Performances are Friday (December 4th) at 7 pm, Saturday (December 5th) at 2 pm and 5 pm, and Sunday (December 6th) at 5 pm. Tickets are $5 for everyone, children, adults, royalty, and commoners. You can obtain tickets by calling the box office at 434-392-3452 or visiting the Waterworks web site: http://waterworksplayers.org.

Waterworks Players is pleased to announce that this year’s summer production will be Steel Magnolias.  Set in rural Louisiana, playwright Robert Harling draws from his own personal experience concerning the death of his sister in order to explore how Southern women utilize humor to assist them in coping with difficult, personal situations.

All of the action is centered in the beauty parlor of Truvy Jones, who will be played by Rosemary Pollard.  The play focuses on the bond nurtured by a group of six women who regularly meet there, including Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie (Kelly Martin), Clairee Belcher (Martha Womack), Annelle Dupuy-Desoto (Taylor Southall), M’Lynn Eatenton (Linda Sauve), and Louisa ‘Ouiser’ Boudreaux (Debby Elliot).

Each woman is facing her own battle, ranging from Shelby’s problems with diabetes, to Truvy’s relationships with the men in her life as well as Annelle’s identity crisis that jumps from a partying woman to a religious fundamentalist.

The drama begins on the morning of Shelby’s wedding to Jackson and covers events over the next three years, including Shelby’s decision to have a child despite having diabetes and the complications that result from that decision.

Kelly Martin, a newcomer to Waterworks, says she remembers loving the movie version of Steel Magnolias and the character she will portray. “Shelby,” according to Martin, “is in her twenties, close to her mother, and not that different from me.”

Martha Womack, who has been involved at Waterworks since 1989, is also excited about her role as Clairee.  “I remember seeing Steel Magnolias a few years ago on Broadway and have wanted to do this show ever since.” “Being on the stage,” according to Womack, “never gets old.”

Dudley Sauve, Waterworks’ artistic director, notes that this show has its challenges.  “Dealing with a large number of props and constant dialogue and motion means I have to make sure each character who is speaking is focused and doing the chores she is required to do in the scene.”  According to Sauve, “It’s kind of like a choreographed dance, every line has movement.” 

Make reservations now to attend Waterworks Players’ production of Steel Magnolias.  Performances are at 8:00 P.M. on July 24, 25, 31 and August 1.  Tickets are $10.  You can obtain tickets by calling the box office at 434-392-3452 or visiting the web site: http://waterworksplayers.org.

Click on any one of the images to visit a full gallery of images from the show!

n enchanted Scottish village that appears once every one hundred years will emerge from the misty glen on Waterworks Players’ stage when Brigadoon opens on May 22nd.  Look on a map and you will not find it, but look in your heart and there it will be.

Brigadoon is Lerner and Loewe’s mystical tale of love that transcends time.  Two weary American hunters lose their way in the Scottish highlands to discover a small and blissful village called Brigadoon that is not found on any map.  As the community prepares for a much-anticipated wedding, the restless Tommy from New York falls in love with the fair lassie Fiona, only to learn the secret of Brigadoon.  If any villager leaves it will vanish forever, although a stranger can stay if and only if he loves someone in the town enough to lose everything from the real world. 

Boasting a number of tender and evocative songs like “Almost Like Being in Love,” “The Heather on the Hill,” and “Come to Me, Bend to Me,” by the same collaborative team that wrote My Fair Lady, Camelot, and Gigi, Brigadoon was hailed as a classic after its 1947 Broadway opening.  Waterworks’ production will be directed by Dudley Sauve and choreographed by Jeffrey Sue Hudson.

Tommy will be played by Jordan Whiley, whose recent credits include Buttons in the pantomime Cinderella, Dave Bukatinsky in The Full Monty, and Matthew in Cotton Patch Gospel.  Fiona will be performed by Brenda Barringer, who has recently performed as Sister James in Doubt and King Cuthbert in Cinderella.  In addition, Brenda has served as served as musical director for many musicals at Waterworks including Cotton Patch Gospel and Miss Saigon.

The cast of twenty also includes Bryan Axson (Harry Beaton), Andrea Bridge, Kristin Davis (Jane), Trospy Jarrett (Jeff), Ed Kinman (Archie Beaton), Colin Lee (Angus McGuffie), Daphne Mason, Cathy Matson, Melissa Matson, Christy Moore (Meg Brockie), Brandon Nuckols (Mr. Lundie), Carrie Ramsey, Matt Spalding (Angus MacLaren), Aaron Willoughby (Charlie Dalrymple), Jennifer Willoughby (Jean MacLaren), and Collin Wilson (Stuart Dalrymple).  

Make reservations now to attend Waterworks Players’ production of Brigadoon.  Performances are at 8:00 pm on May 22, 23, 29 and 30.  Tickets are $15.  You can obtain tickets by calling the box office at 434-392-3452 or visiting the web site: http://waterworksplayers.org .