Anyone looking for some belly-laughing holiday fun this season is invited to set a date at Sea Glass Stage at Coligny as the live theatre company presents Christmas Belles December 4-14.
Join your neighbors in seeing this laugh-a-minute play, set in the Fellowship Hall of Tabernacle of the Lamb in the small town of Fayro, Texas, where the Futrelle sisters are a bit overwhelmed with life as Christmas Eve approaches.
Playing some of the kooky cast of characters in the Sea Glass Stage at Coligny production of Christmas Belles are, from left, Tracey Graves as Twink, Alex Clark as Gina Jo, Dan Franke as John Curtis, Lynne Hummell as Geneva, Christa Fortney as Rebecca Lynn, Heather Adams as Patsy, Ashley Gonzalez as Frankie, and Marianne Blaine as Honey Raye.
Honey Raye is struggling with hot flashes and her first directing job for the annual church Christmas pageant at Tabernacle of the Lamb. Frankie is way past due with her second set of twins and her patience is running low. Twink is on work detail at the local jail where she is incarcerated for accidentally torching nine mobile homes when she set fire to her ex-boyfriend’s NASCAR collectibles.
Meanwhile, the cheating boyfriend is missing; Miss Geneva, the town florist, is mighty miffed that she was not asked to direct the pageant after a 27-year run; Santa Claus is enduring the gut-wrenching pangs of a kidney stone on the move; and half the cast of the pageant are suddenly overcome with food poisoning from the school’s pancake supper the night before.
Toss in a deputy sheriff who is asked to fill in for Elvis, a young pastor who is giddy about a parishioner – who seems averse to his attention, the town’s sassy rich gal, and a decades-long family secret that is about to be revealed.
Goofing off between scenes and costumes are Dan Franke and Lynne Hummell.
The only calm resident is Raynerd Chisum, who loves his red wagon as much as he loves Christmas, and just wants to help.
The comedy is directed by Jessica Walck, who earlier this year directed the company’s production of The 39 Steps. She also appeared in the casts of Dinner With Friends last year and Next to Normal earlier this year at Sea Glass Stage.
“Christmas Belles is such a fun, heartfelt ride – the perfect night out for the holidays,” Walck said. “The characters are hilarious, the actors are exceptional, and there’s so much thought and care in every detail. It’s witty, warm, and a little wild – think Golden Girls meets Designing Women, pure Jones Hope Wooten magic.”
Surprise! It’s two newcomers to the Sea Glass Stage: reindeer Christa Fortney and angel Heather Adams.
Walck refers to the celebrated writers of the play, the comedic team of Jesse Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, credited in bylines as Jones Hope Wooten. The trio is widely known in American theatrical circles as award-winning creators of laugh-out-loud comedies, having written 27 shows together. Their plays have entertained millions of theatregoers worldwide.
For this production, Sea Glass welcomed four local actors new to the company: Marianne Blaine takes on the role of Honey Raye Futrelle, Tracey Graves will play Twink Futrelle, Christa Fortney plays Rhonda Lynn Lampley, and Heather Adams portrays Patsy Price.
Honey Raye Futrelle, played by Marianne Blaine, has frazzled herself to death trying to pull off her version of the church Christmas program.
Additional cast members are Alex Clark as G.J. Dubberly, Dan Franke as John Curtis Bunter, Chris Hoffer as Dub Dubberly, Ashley Gonzalez as Frankie Futrelle Dubberly, Shea Hiscock as Justin Waverly, Mark Erickson as Raynerd Chisum, and Lynne Hummell as Geneva Musgrave. Ellie Friedman is stage manager for the production.
The show will run December 4-14, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are available at sgstage.org.
Sea Glass Stage Company is a nonprofit community theatre located in the former Coligny Theater at Coligny Plaza, 1 North Forest Beach Drive, Unit I-5, between The Frozen Moo and Life Is Good. Follow the company on Facebook and Instagram @seaglasscoligny.
Ashley Gonzalez “nose” her lines as Frankie, and Alex Clark is such a “deer” as Gina Jo.
