Tracy Brunner

Life gets funnier with age for these ‘Girls’

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By John Lyle Belden

“Life is like Jello,” says Carlene, the “black widow of Eden Falls.” We’re not sure if that’s true, but we did find ourselves shaking a lot – from laughter – at “The Hallelujah Girls,” the Jones Hope Wooten comedy on stage at Epilogue Players, directed by Therese Burns.

Lea Ellingwood plays manicurist Carlene, thrice widowed and giving up on love, while Barbara Lemay is her sister, Crystal, who hasn’t been the same since that tornado, yet is ever joyous with her celebration – complete with baking and invented “carols” – of every calendar holiday. They join Mavis (Elizabeth Popplewell), who doesn’t mind time away from her frustratingly drab husband, and Nita (Tracy Brunner) who escapes with trashy romance novels like her ne’er-do-well son likes to escape his parole officer, to meet up with Sugar Lee (Valerie Nowosielski) at a long-abandoned church. In the wake of a mutual friend passing away without realizing her dreams, Sugar has decided this building will become her new day-spa, and she needs her fellow 50-plus ladies to pitch in.

At first reluctant at this mutual midlife project, the others agree, and Spa-Dee-Dah! becomes the Georgia town’s newest hotspot, complete with sauna. Not everyone is thrilled with this, as social vultu- I mean butterfly Bunny Sutherland (Elizabeth Ruddell) wanted to raze the old church and build a museum to hersel- I mean the town. Her first attempt at sabotage fails; sending Sugar’s ex-fiance Bobby Dwayne (Brad Burns) to take the renovation contract gives the women the most reliable worker in the area. Sugar and Bobby smolder below the surface, but she refuses to forgive him for what happened the day of their high school graduation, tolerating him until the work is done.

Meanwhile, single postal worker Porter (Grant Bowen), having survived a near-death experience, decides to court Carlene. Noticing the women working at the former church, he dubs them “the Hallelujah Girls.”

The play takes place over a year of Fridays, when the Girls routinely gather, highlighted by Crystal’s latest over-the-top costume. There are the ups and downs of starting a small business, Bunny’s endless plotting, and, my, Bobby Dwayne does look good in them shorts, right, Sugar Lee?

Still, through all the laughs and fun, one bad swing of the hammer brings certain disaster. Given the setting, maybe they’ll get a miracle.

Epilogue Players was established as a place for those 50 and older to shine, so this show is a perfect fit, with lively performances by these young-at-heart actors. The wisecracks about aging sound genuine, but with more good humor than despair, striking the funny bone just right. Also, the costume outfits Burns comes up with for Crystal are a treat in themselves. Everyone is sweet-tea refreshing, except for Bunny, whom Ruddell makes just as deliciously evil.

Amanda Greene is assistant director and stage manager. And a hat-tip to props master Diane McGuire for finding the “Why limit Happy to one Hour?” sign that could serve as a theme for the whole project.

With an upbeat theme that it is never too late in life to work on your dreams (including romance), hilarity liberally scattered throughout, and a lesson on the true value of a good peach brandy, this is a fun escape from the local Georgia-like heat, with remaining performances Thursday through Sunday, June 22-25, at 1849 N. Alabama St. (corner of 19th and Alabama), downtown Indianapolis. Tickets and info at epilogueplayers.com.

BCP presents truly off-kilter comedy

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By Wendy Carson

It’s said that you can never go home again. After seeing the comedy “37 Postcards,” on stage now at Buck Creek Players, you might think twice about even trying.

Avery Sutton has spent the last eight years traveling throughout Europe. Now he’s decided to return home with his new fiancé. He tries to warn her that his family is a bit odd, however, just how crazy things have gotten in his absence will throw them both for a loop.

The house itself is tilted; his dead Grandmother is very much alive; nobody’s fed his dog for 5 years; and his father has become golf-obsessed. Add to this his Aunt’s new “Cottage Industry” and Mother’s spotty memory, not to mention those mysterious 37 postcards, and you have the makings for one hilarious tale.

Under the direction of Jan Jamison, who also designed the wonderful tilted stage set, this production revels in the whimsy throughout Michael McKeever’s script and gives us a thoroughly enjoyable show.

I’m sure none of you are familiar with the story, but it may become a favorite once you have watched it all play out. We sort of described it as “Arsenic and Old Lace” without all of the murdering.

Dave Hoffman perfectly portrays Avery, a man who is struggling to figure out what is going on around him and desperately trying to keep sane while doing so. As we discover why he had left home eight years before, he discovers that his relatives had been escaping each in their own way as well.

Mary McNelis does a wonderful job portraying Avery’s confused mother, Evelyn; though her selective memory mimics a sort of early dementia, her portrayal never mocks the condition. Wendy Brown is hysterical as the foul-mouthed and still very much alive Nana. Tracy Brunner begins as the picture of sanity in this confusion as Aunt Ester, then quickly shows her own wild side. Mike Harold gives a heartfelt performance as Avery’s father, Stanford, who avoids his own uncomfortable secret.

Between being mistaken by the maid by Evelyn, constantly insulted by Nana , and forced to golf all night by Stanford (not to mention what Aunt Ester says to her), Letitia Clemons gets to show her range of exasperation as Avery’s finance, Gillian.

Last, but not least, is the exceptional debut of a fresh talent in Lucy Telpin’s layered take on Skippy. One note, she can be a bit of a Diva so don’t expect a meet-and-greet with her after the show.

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Buck Creek Playhouse, 11150 Southeastern Ave., near the Acton Road exit off I-74 southeast of Indy. Call 317-862-2270 or visit www.buckcreekplayers.com.

I would also like to point out that this show has been rated PG-13. There are a few harsh words and innuendo (plus one term most parents will not be eager to define to younger children). So, you might want to consider leaving the little ones at home, but bring the teens and the rest of the family out for a great look at what family really is and how crazy it can make you.