Review: THE HALLELUJAH GIRLS at Derby Dinner Playhouse

Tina Jo Wallace, Michelle Bradley, and Elizabeth Woos in The Hallelujah Girls. Photo Courtesy of Derby Dinner Playhouse.

The Hallelujah Girls

By Taylor Clemons

Entire contents copyright © 2016 Taylor Clemons. All rights reserved.

Take a seat and hold on, because The Hallelujah Girls have opened up shop on the Derby Dinner Playhouse stage. Laughs start very early on, with many one liners with in the first couple minutes!

The story takes place in the small town of Eden Falls, Georgia where we first meet friends Nita (Michelle Bradley), Crystal (Debbie King-Roque), Carlene (Elizabeth Loos), and Mavis (Rita Thomas). They've all been told to meet at an abandoned church after a funeral by their friend Sugar Lee (Tina Jo Wallace). Confused as to why they have been summoned, Sugar Lee informs them that she is reinventing her life, and her first step was turning the rundown church into the day spa she had always dreamed of owning. Her friends are skeptical at first, but ultimately decide to take a giant leap of faith and stand behind Sugar Lee in her quest for happiness. While putting the spa together a slew of miscommunications leads to Bobby (Brian Bowman) being hired as their handyman, the audience soon learns that Sugar Lee and Bobby have somewhat of a rocky past. Meanwhile, Carlene (who has been widowed thrice) is back in the dating game searching for love. Sugar Lee sets her up with post office worker, Porter (Paul Kerr). As the spa is getting on it's feet, local socialite, Bunny (Janet Essenpreis) is on the warpath to steal the property back from Sugar Lee.

While the plot and writing are reminiscent of a cheesy Hallmark movie, this show was downright fun! One liners and zingers came one right after another in rapid fire fashion by all of these sharped tongued southern women. The show is like a soda. It's sweet, fun, and satisfying, but it's not particularly nutritional. There's nothing wrong with that! Every now and then we need this kind of entertainment to take our minds off of the harsh reality that is the world in which we live.

Wonderful performances all around. Rita Thomas had everyone holding their sides whenever she opened her mouth to deliver the sassy and sharp comments that come with the role of Mavis. I also must give a big shout out to Debbie King-Roque as Crystal. She had fewer lines than most of the others, but she would come onstage deliver her few lines and walk out with the scene and the audience in the palm of her hand. Janet Essenpreis was just perfect as The Manipulative villain of our story. Elizabeth Loos as Carlene had an appropriate hardened, and apprehensive feeling. Very true to how one would react when love is always being taken away too soon. Michelle Brady brought some sweet naive charm to the role of Nita. Brian Bowman as Bobby was fun witty. He had great chemistry with Tina Jo Wallace's Sugar Lee. Their banter was always sharp and very funny. Admittedly, Tina Jo Wallace was given the "straight man" role that everyone else plays off of, however this doesn't stop her from turning in a wonderful sometimes heart breaking performance.

Direction by Bekki Jo Schneider was always moving at the perfect pace for a comedy of this nature. Ron Riall's set was very simple and minimal, but it really worked for not only the show, but the intimate space that is Derby Dinner Playhouse.

In conclusion, this show was just plain fun! Perfect for families, couples, and most obviously girls night out. So drop your things and forget your troubles with The Hallelujah Girls!

The Hallelujah Girls August 17 - October 2, 2016

Derby Dinner Playhouse

525 Marriott Drive

Clarksville, IN 47129

Tickets (812) 288-8281

derbydinner.com

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