Eunice Players' Theatre Closes Season With A Christmas Comedy

The actors at Eunice Players' Theatre are preparing to end their successful 41st season with a Christmas comedy, "The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of A Christmas Carol", by David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Jnr. Director Liz Bryan notes that the comedy is just as long on laughs as its title.

This delightfully light and goofy comedy has the fictitious townswomen's guild mounting their version of the Christmas classic, in the style of community theatre gone awry. The actors enthusiastically portray a dizzy array of characters from the Dickensian favorite and engineer some novel audience participation. Their share of mishaps, miscues and misunderstandings create an evening of entertainment and a new look at Scrooge and Tiny Tim that one will not soon forget.

Christy Faulkner of Eunice opens the show as Mrs. Reece, the guild's chairwoman, and leads the audience through the show as a variety of other characters including Tiny Tim and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Audiences will remember Christy's work in other EPT comedies including “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940”, “Bathroom Humor” and “Jake's Women”. She also portrayed the reverend mother in “Agnes of God” at EPT.

Also returning to the EPT stage is Delinda Dowell Lafleur of Eunice. Delinda was previously seen in “Steel Magnolias” and “The Queen of Bingo”. In addition to her hilarious character acting for the latter show, Delinda also won an Irving Award for Best Costumes. In the current play, Delinda starts off as Felicity, then pirouettes her way through other characters including some male ones, and Half of the Ghost of Christmas Present.

Former EPT actor is Stacy Moncla of Eunice. She was the other half of the comedy duo for “The Queen of Bingo”, for which she won the Best Actress Irving Award. Other comedic work at EPT includes “Drinking Habits” and “The Girls of the Garden Club”, and she showed her dramatic capabilities in “David’s Mother”. Stacy is cast as Mercedes, who in turn plays memorable Bob Cratchit, plus a few other characters, all while wearing a neck brace as a result of her character’s car accident.

Joining the cast from Opelousas is Cindy Veillon-Mattei. Cindy has an impressive list of credits from Opelousas Little Theater, including “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, “Noises Off”, “Steel Magnolias”, and “Bats in the Belfry”. Cindy plays the guild's perpetually grumbling Thelma, thereby having the ideal quality for the principal role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Stepping in as Gordon, the stage manager for the play within the play is Gabe Ortego of Eunice. Although Gordon's duties are supposed to be offstage, he ends up on the stage as Mrs. Cratchit, Jacob Marley, and several ghost versions. An accomplished actor in the Opelousas and Eunice theatres, with “Providence”, “A Tuna Christmas”, and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” to his credit, Gabe has also directed “Steel Magnolias”, “Monky Business”, and this season’s “The Subject Was Roses”.

The show is suitable for all ages, and children will particularly appreciate the slapstick humor, which makes it a holiday treat the entire family can enjoy, as well as an introduction to the holiday classic. The show opens Saturday, November 27, and is followed by other performances Sunday, November 28 at 2:00 p.m., then Tuesday, November 30 through Saturday, December 4. All evening performances begin at 7:00 p.m. Dinner theatre is the Tuesday, November 30 at 6:00 p.m. at Nick's on Second St., with the performance immediately following. Ticket information is upcoming. FMI call 337-546-0163 or 337-457-2156, or look for EPT on Facebook and at www.euniceplayers.blogspot.com.