Greenwood Little Theatre's newest production, "First Baptist of Ivy Gap," opened Thursday night, and judging by the crowd's reaction, they have yet another hit on their hands.
This is the first GLT show I have attended since moving to Greenwood a few months ago. I have always been a fan of theater in general, so I was excited when I found out about GLT, and even more excited when I heard nothing but good things about their productions.
"First Baptist of Ivy Gap," directed by Don Hummel, definitely lived up to my expectations.
The play, which is set at a Baptist church in Ivy Gap, Tenn., stars Charlotte Burns as Mae Ellen, Julie Dunn as Olene, Rochie Lawes as Luby, Cole Mortimer as Sammy, Linda Stokes as Edith and Elaine Tharpe as Vera.
The first act takes place during World War II, and the six ladies gather at the church every Tuesday and Thursday to roll bandages for the Red Cross.
The audience is introduced to Luby, whose son Norman is off fighting in the war; Olene and Mae Ellen, whose dreams are too big for the small town of Ivy Gap; Edith, the pastor's wise-cracking wife; Sammy, a young newcomer to the community; and Vera, a wealthy member of the church.
Right now, you're probably thinking that watching six ladies sit around a church talking does not sound very entertaining, but trust me, it is.
The characters, especially the pastor's wife Edith, poke fun at everything from each other to their conservative Baptist culture, with hilarious results.
Maybe "God did not laugh," as Vera says in an early scene when she walks in on Mae Ellen and Olene performing a song and dance number in the church, but I sure did, and from the sound of it, so did everyone else in the audience.
The second act, which is much more dramatic than the first, takes place 25 years later in the midst of the Vietnam conflict.
The ladies are reunited on the eve of First Baptist's 100th anniversary. We learn that Luby has stopped attending church since her son died in WWII; and Sammy, who has moved away, is now married with a son off fighting in Vietnam.
Mae Ellen, who never left Ivy Gap, is still half-heartedly playing the church's organ; but she gets to live vicariously through Olene, who followed her dreams out West and returns home with tales of becoming - well, I won't give it away.
In this act, secrets are revealed and conflicts that have spanned decades are resolved, but don't worry, in the midst of all the drama and heartbreak, the ladies don't lose their sense of humor by any means.
In a play with only six characters against one backdrop, the production must make up for in quality what it lacks in quantity, and the cast of "First Baptist of Ivy Gap" definitely succeeds at this.
I'm sure it didn't hurt to have an excellent script, written by Ron Osborne, but the acting really was wonderful.
As I read through my program during the intermission, I was surprised to discover that, though most of the ladies are seasoned GLT performers, Charlotte Burns and Julie Dunn are appearing on the GLT stage for the first time. I would never have guessed it. They were both outstanding as the rebellious Mae Ellen and the free-spirited Olene, not to say that the other actresses were any less outstanding of course.
"First Baptist of Ivy Gap" is running through the weekend, with performances tonight and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. and an afternoon show on Sunday at 2 p.m. Don't miss it.
For more information call 453-9837 or visit the theatre's Web site at www.greenwoodlittletheatre.com.
