With the death this month of actress-playwright Jessie Jones, the decades-long collaboration of Jones-Hope-Wooten has come to a close, though their many popular Southern female centered comedies will no doubt continue to be performed.
One of them -- The Chicken-Fried-Fabulous Spa-Dee-Dah Sisterhood -- concludes its two weekend run by the Millbrook Community Players this weekend. And from the audience laughter and applause, and Millbrook's commitment to producing their plays, they've clearly hit the funny-bone of the River Region.
Sure, they're formulaic; sure, the jokes are familiar one-liners; sure, the endings are predictable -- but, "So, what?!" -- they're entertaining and an excellent antidote to the serious issues surrounding us every day.
Director Cheryll Phillips has conscripted a fine ensemble of neophyte and veteran actors for her production, some of them reprising roles from other shows in the Jones-Hope Wooten repertoire. And they deliver.
This time, vindictive Glorietta DeWitt [Amanda Ledbetter] contrives to commandeer a cookie recipe and the attendant business though whatever means she chooses. And the combined efforts of Carlene [Vicki Moses], Nita [Angie Head], Mavis [Karla McGhee], and Sugar Lee [Blair Berry], together with Bobby Dwayne [Bill Rauch] and surprise twist by Hardy [Steve Phillips] put an end to Glorietta's scheming. A lot goes wrong along the way, and a lot of silliness occurs, but the resolution is satisfying, so audiences can lap it up gleefully.