SEACT shines spotlight on small-town gossip with ‘Cheatin’’

A gossipy waitress, the former homecoming queen now married to the former high school quarterback, a sassy beautician, the local good-guy mail carrier, a bachelor mechanic who can’t commit to his girlfriend, and a local bar owner who knows everything about everybody.

Welcome to small-town America. Or, in this case Lowake, Texas.

The characters in Del Shores’ “Cheatin’” fit the stereotypes of almost every other small town across this country, and the Southeast Alabama Community Theatre is bringing them to a Dothan stage for its fall production. The adult-themed comedy will run from Oct. 14 to Oct. 18.

And the title does fit the subject matter — people straying in their misguided search for love.

“Love conquers all, really. True love is what it’s all about,” said David Gilligan, who plays Clarence Hopkins, the “finest mechanic in the middle-of-nowhere Texas.”

There’s a lot of gossip around Lowake, and much of it is being spread by local love-starved waitress Maybelline Cartwright.

It seems Ovella Parsons-Wilks, a former high school cheerleader and homecoming queen, is cheating on her husband, ex-quarterback Teddy Joe Wilks, with Clarence Hopkins. Clarence has forever dated beautician Sara Lee Turnover, who owns the Oui Coiffer salon and has hated Ovella since high school. Mail man Bo Bob Jasper is just the nicest guy in Texas but a little dimwitted. And Sid Cranford, who owns Bluebell’s Bar & Grill, is a real storyteller and a psychic to boot.

Danny Richards plays Sid Cranford and his real-life wife, Mary Helen Richards, plays Ovella. The couple — who have worked together on other SEACT productions — said they enjoy doing theater. Danny has directed six SEACT plays in his 12 years with SEACT.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” Mary Helen Richards said. “It’s both our passions.”

Kendell Shows plays Maybelline Cartwright, the town’s gossipy waitress. Shows, a real estate agent in real life, said audience members will see someone they recognize in the play.

“Dothan has grown so much just in the four years I’ve lived here, but it’s still a small town,” Shows said. “You’ll see people you know on stage. You’ll see people you know in the characters on stage.”

Rounding out the cast are Chris Manasco as the town mail man, Tomya Moore as the town beautician, and Phil Paramore as the town ex-jock turned insurance salesman.

Director Margo Wright, the current president of SEACT, has directed two other productions. This is her first production after a heart attack and triple-bypass surgery, which gives the play special meaning for her. “Cheatin’” is a small production compared to the spring production of “Wizard of Oz,” but that’s OK for Wright.

“You can’t do big musicals every time,” Wright said.

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If you go ...
What: “Cheatin’” by Del Shores.
Who: Southeast Alabama Community Theatre.
When: Tuesday, Oct. 14, through Saturday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m. each night.
Where: Cultural Arts Center at 909 S. St. Andrews St. in downtown Dothan.
Cost: Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on-line at http://www.seact.com or at the Cultural Arts Center box office beginning Oct. 6.
Advisory: While a comedy, this production deals with adult themes and contains some adult language.