If last week's rehearsal is any indication of what's to come, then the Orangeburg Part-Time Players' production of "Murder in the Magnolias" is going to be a hoot.

In "Murder in the Magnolias," Col. Ranch Chickenwing has died, leaving the secret of his buried treasure for his demented relatives to discover. But can the cast of misfits who have gathered at the colonel's estate discover the secret behind his treasure and solve a pair of murders, all under the onslaught of murderous honeysuckle vines, voodoo curses and a hurricane?

The hilarious antics of the characters in "Murder in the Magnolias," billed "a parody of every Southern play imaginable," are not being performed by mere amateurs. These actors have proven their skills time and again in past OPTP productions.



Bo McBratnie, who plays Sheriff Billy Jerk, says comedic plays are extremely important, especially in today's economic climate.

"It brings people happiness, makes people laugh and keeps their minds off what may be going on in their own lives," he said.

"Murder in the Magnolias," he said, is "about a family from the Mississippi Delta who thinks they still have money and who's crazy as a bedbug." And McBratnie's character, he said, is probably not nearly as bright as he thinks he is.

"He is a little bit of Doc Holliday, a little of Buford T. Justice from 'Smokey and the Bandit,' and a whole lot of Boss Hogg," McBratnie said. "It's stereotypical deep Southern ... it's just your typical Jethro Bodine characters. Someone in this show might remind them (audience members) of their cousin or their neighbor."

David Hutto Jr. has perhaps the most unique role in the production. His character is Thornbird Chickenwing III, who has three distinct personalities.

"This is a great, great character," Hutto said. "I've had so much fun playing him because I can play three different parts."

Chickenwing's personalities include Thornbird the poet, Thornbird's sister and 206-year-old Rufus T. Chickenwing.

"I'm so strange, everyone else in the house thinks I'm strange," Hutto said of his character. "Compared to me, they're normal."

Hutto said "Murder in the Magnolias" is particularly meaningful because it comes on the heels of the Players' production of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire." "Murder" pokes fun at several of Williams' plays, including "Streetcar," as well as Margaret Mitchell's epic "Gone with the Wind."

"It's a wonderful, well-written parody of Southern shows," Hutto said.

Portraying Princess Lotta Kargo, a fading dramatic Hollywood actress, is Cindy Spradley.

"She's really on the brink of being a little mad," Spradley said of her character. "A lot of her past shows have just been big financial disasters." So Spradley heads to Belle Acres for a little R&R. But there, after falsely telling everyone she's the dead colonel's wife, she falls under suspicion of murder.

"This one is just very over-the-top and making fun of everything Southern," she said of the play. "We as actors enjoy it because it's something that allows a little hidden side of us to come out."

Mitzie DeAloia portrays the colonel's sister Amanda Chickenwing in the show, a role she also played when the Players first presented "Murder in the Magnolias" in 1994. Amanda, she said, is "a true Southern belle, a little daffy."

"I hear voices in my head occasionally, and music, and I do love my botanical garden," DeAloia said. "No one can dig in it but me."

Flakier still is the voodoo woman, played by Kimberly Still.

"She's from the swamp, and she just coincidentally shows up when there's a murder," Still said.

This show "is designed to make you laugh. It's adding a little breath of comedy, especially after 'Streetcar,' which we definitely need," she said. "You can't go too over-the-top with this. It's just fun."

Rounding out the cast is Earl Quay as Col. Chickenwing, Julie Brookshire as Lorraine Carruthers, Benji French as Bubba Kamrowski, Kim Whitesides as Blanche Du Blank, Tony DeAloia as Lawyer Possum, Kipp Martin as Pete Bogg and Dianne Lawson as Jezabel.

"I have really enjoyed working with this cast," Director Tony Drawdy said. "The irony of doing this show right after we did 'A Streetcar Named Desire' is unbelievable. Many of the jokes and puns come directly from the spoofing of 'Streetcar.'"

"I promise those in attendance that you will laugh until your sides hurt," he said. "The only two completely sane characters in this play are Lorraine Carruthers and Pete Bogg. The other 10, in some form or fashion, are slightly cracked."

Richard Smoak is serving as technical manager for the show. "It is amazing how he can help make everything fall into place," Drawdy said.

"Murder in the Magnolias," based on the script by Tim Kelly, will be staged at the BlueBird Theatre in downtown Orangeburg at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Aug. 14-15 and 21-22, and 3 p.m. Sundays, Aug. 16 and 23. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children 16 years of age and younger and seniors 55 and older.

"I'd be almost willing to guarantee if they don't laugh, they'd get their money back," McBratnie said. "It's a blast."

For tickets, call the BlueBird at 803-536-5454.

T&D Features Editor Wendy Jeffcoat Crider can be reached by e-mail at wjeffcoat@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5546. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

You must be logged in to comment.