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Opening with great zest on Sept. 24!

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

The theatrical and musical magic that Lee Coleé always creates onstage is coming again to the Wimberley Playhouse beginning September 24. The rowdy western musical, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers will fill the Wimberley Playhouse stage with energy, belly laughs and great schmaltzy music.

Lee directs the production with the very able assistance of musical director Linda Sriro and choreographer Pam Shultz. The play brims with song, dance and comedy that is certain to tickle your funny bone.

Adam, a backwoodsman in the Oregon Territory, goes to town to find a bride, and quickly settles on waitress Millie. They marry immediately, but when Millie returns with him to his cabin, the honeymoon is over. She finds that he has six rough-and-tumble brothers living with him, all of them ill-behaved and slovenly. Millie decides to teach social mores, manners and dancing to the brothers to help them find brides for themselves. They all head off to a barn-raising to test out the brothers’ new skills, and meet six girls who are attracted to them, too. But the girls already have suitors, local loggers, who aren’t willing to relinquish them. Will the six brothers be able to achieve their marital goals?

The play was written by Lawrence Kasha and David Landay, with music by Gene de Paul, Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn. The Players production is being produced by Tiffany Patch.

Millie is played by Angela Irving of Austin. Adam is John Dearrington of Wimberley. The brothers, all from the Wimberley area, are Chris Martin, Eddie Foster, Jason Foreman, Christian Bruns, Reed Neal and Colin Iliff. “These men,” says Lee Colee, “had no dance ability or voice training, but they have come together to create an ensemble that is truly top entertainment.” The Brides, who come as far away as Austin, Lockhart and Dripping to be part of the show, are Juli Dearrington (see PlayMakers insert), Miranda Pleschure, Lydia Kettle, Kelley Henry, Amanda Kelley; Emily Green and Kayla King share the role of the final bride.

Suitors include Ron Steel, Tom Hodge, Sean Nelson, Leo Butler, and Matthew Schmidt, with Greg Chilcote and Jacob Thomas sharing the role of the sixth suitor. Lee Colee says, “The suitors will bring a lot of laughs. There are a couple of old ‘hams’ over 65 and a few ‘middles,’ rounded out by a couple of young men.”

Included in the cast are three children (Cassie Martin, Genevieve Hodge and Sierra Fox). Town Folk are played by Dan Williams, Cindy Forsyth, Paul Fournier, Lisa Pitcher, Marvin Carson, Cathy Pleshure, Linda Sriro, Rusti Wade, Kendra Patch, Hunter Sosby, Isabelle Hodge, and Alexandra Dishman.

“For the fight scenes,” says Lee, we had professional fighters come in to teach our cast authentic wrestling and fighting techniques. The two ladies who coached us in realistic looking but safe staging are ex-Austin police offers. I find it quite funny that it took a couple of women to turn our guys into ‘badasses.’” The electrifying dance numbers and grueling action sequences were created by choreographer Pam Shultz.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers will run September 24 – October 17. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8:00 pm and Sunday shows are at 2:30. Tickets are $18 except opening night ($25, with a reception at 7:00), and may be purchased online at www.wimberleyplayers.org or by calling (512) 847-0575.

The Rest of our 30th Anniversary Season