Director Beth Borowski was in rehearsals for Messiah on the Frigidaire during March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the Tawas Bay Players Playhouse.
Borowski patiently waited for over a year until the process of selecting a cast and crew restarted in August 2021 with auditions. While some of the 2020 cast and crew returned, there were some new faces added. Rehearsals began the first week of September and the play made its debut this past weekend at the Tawas Bay Players Playhouse.
The plot is focused on the lifelong relationship between Lou Ann Hightower, played by Tina Wells and Betsy Gridley, played by Suzan Nemeth. The audience learns about the women’s past and present relationship with each other and their husbands, from their conversations over the course of two act play.
The play takes place In Elroy, S.C. on the porch of the trailer owned by Lou Ann and her husband Dwayne. The two women drink ice tea and talk about their lives as other characters enter and exit the stage. The set includes the Fridgidaire that has been sitting on the porch since Lou Ann won it in a raffle. The refrigerator was too big to fit through the trailer door so Dwayne built an awning for it to keep it out of the elements.
The audience is taken on a three-week ride as we learn how the small town, and evangelicals from across the country, react to Lou Ann discovering the vision of the Messiah on her Fridgidaire. Billed as a comedy/drama, the show does not disappoint.
Casting was on point, with each performer embodying the character that they played. Wells is very believable as Lou Ann, who is questioning her life choices and asking if there isn’t more to life. Through her conversations with Betsy we get to know her inner most thoughts.
In her short, tight skirts and high heels, Suzan Nemeth gave a flawless performance as she portrayed the sassy Betsey Gridley. She also seamlessly transitioned to Regina Gomez, who provides the gathered crowds with messages from God such as “you get a 5 percent discount at local merchants for saying ‘I Love Jesus’, not available with other discounts,” all said with a Mexican accent. We learn that Betsey is the more adventurous of the two friends through her history and her actions throughout the play.
Alan Dalton impeccably plays Dwayne Hightower, Lou Ann’s husband, “who is always thinking.” Dwayne and Lou Ann have been together since high school and he laments her lost opportunities and wonders if she wouldn’t have done better without him.
Characters who move in and out of the play include Michael Jacot who plays Reverend Hodges; Ray Skiver playing Larry Williamson, a local business owner who wears a very bad toupee; Nick Serda as a blind boy who wants to be healed by the Messiah, Teresa Whitford who plays his abusive mother and John Morris, as the stranger.
The production crew includes Michelle Crossley, director; Jody Provost, assistant director; Sheilah Monroe, stage manager; and assistant stage managers Forrest Whitford, Bill Archer and Sam Monroe.
The audience at the Sunday matinee clearly enjoyed the performance, gifting the cast with a standing ovation after boisterously laughing throughout the show.
Tickets are available for the Nov. 5 and 6 evening shows and the Nov. 7 matinée at the Playhouse, located at 401 Newman Street in Tawas. The box office opens one hour prior to the show. Reservations can be made online at www.tawasayplayers.com.
The show includes “mild adult language and situations” and is recommended for age 14 and older.
Mask wearing, social distancing and serving individually wrapped snacks, were all COVID-19 protocols that were in place for audience members during the shows.
Upcoming shows, rounding out the remainder of the season, include Christmas Songs & Stories, a free concert on Dec. 14 at 7 p.m., Catch Me If You Can, a murder/mystery Feb. 18-20 & 24-27; Professor, How Could You!, a comedy, May 7-8 & 12-15; and I Love Lucy, a comedy; July 23-25 & 28-31.
