News Release
TERRE HAUTE —
Twelve area performers are appearing in the comedy play “The Red Velvet Cake War,” which continues Friday through Sunday in the Old Town Players Theatre and Arts Center at Vincennes. The OTP Theatre is at Broadway at Fifth streets.
In this Southern-fried comedy written by Jesse Jones, the three Verdeen cousins — Gaynelle, Peaches and Jimmie Wyvette — could not have picked a worse time to hold their family reunion. Their outrageous antics have delighted local gossips in the small town of Sweetgum and the eyes of Texas are upon them, as their self-righteous Aunt LaMerle is quick to point out.
Having “accidentally” crashed her minivan through the bedroom wall of her ex-husband’s girlfriend’s doublewide trailer, Gaynelle is one frazzled nerve away from a spectacular meltdown. Peaches, a saucy firebrand and the number one mortuarial cosmetologist in the tri-county area, is struggling to decide what to do about her long-absent trucker husband. And Jimmie Wyvette, the rough-around-the-edges store manager of Whatley’s Western Wear, is resorting to extreme measures to outmaneuver a neighbor for the affections of Sweetgum’s newest widower.
But the cousins can’t back out of the reunion. It’s on and Gaynelle’s hosting it. Peaches and Jimmie Wyvette have decided its success is the perfect way to prove Gaynelle’s sanity to a skeptical court-appointed psychologist. Unfortunately, they face an uphill battle as a parade of wildly eccentric Verdeens gathers on the hottest day of July, smack-dab in the middle of Texas tornado season.
Things spin out of control when a neighbor’s pet devours everything edible, a one-eyed suitor shows up to declare his love, and a jaw-dropping high-stakes wager is made on who bakes the best red velvet cake.
The show is rated PG-13 and may not be suitable for younger audiences.
Performances begin at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets will be available at the door beginning one hour before show time and cost $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Group rates are available with advance registration.
For more information call 812-882-1639 or visit www.oldtownplayers.org.
