Murfreesboro Little Theatre has a tendency to stage plays that tug on heartstrings and make the mind think, much unlike any other stage theater around, which work primarily on entertaining the audience. So much for “The Laramie Project,” which played to sold out performances Aug. 22 – 24 and 29 – 31 Every bit as provocative as I thought it would be, this soul-stirring play wreaked havoc on my heart, as it did the rest of the audience, and MLT should have provided the hankies and Kleenex as patrons were handed their ticket.

It takes a village to put together a production such as this, and the ensemble put on a masterpiece. Director George W. Manus Jr. put every ounce of his talents and abilities into this show, and the cast, Raemona Little-Taylor, Sallie Hall, Sherry Sunday, Shane Lowery, Sean Dixon, Lauren Ashlee Street, Jessica Lynne Carter-Sparks, Josh Ginsburg, Bryan M. Booth and Wayman Price put their ab-“soul”-lute all into this venture. Each actor had no less than six, and as many as ten portrayals on stage at different times and intervals, and had to not only remember lines, but remember who they were portraying throughout the two-act, almost two-hour play. Costuming, individual properties and the set must have been a nightmare for the cast and costume designer Carolina George, but it all worked beautifully. Isaac Taylor’s acoustic guitar playing was at times haunting, other times inviting. The lighting was great, and the mood was there for the needed effect on the audience. My hat is off to Wayman Price, as he portrayed Rev. Fred Phelps, the fiery-eyed, red-faced bastion of God, who thought (thinks) all gays are doomed to the pits of hell, and then 15 minutes later portrayed the loving, sensitive, forgiving Dennis Shepard, who kept one of his son’s murderers from being sentenced to death. The 180-degree turn of the acting Price had to show was nothing short of outstanding and magnificent. MLT had on opening night?and during the other five performances I am sure?the benign spirit of Matthew Shepard himself in the audience and on the stage. His horrific and senseless death 10 years ago was not in vain due to performances such as this one. He was very proud of your work . . . and so was I.

Looking Ahead

There are two wonderful plays coming up the second week of September which you will not want to miss: Thursday, Sept. 11, begins the stage production of “Fiddler on the Roof” at Murfreesboro Center for the Arts for a three-week run, 7 p.m. nightly and 2 p.m. matinees on Sunday. Directed by none other than Andrew Ford, this will be a highly entertaining and fun show.

The next night, Friday, Sept. 12, begins “Over the River and Through the Woods,” as the new season at MLT kicks off for a two-week performance, 7 p.m. nightly and also 2 p.m. matinees. This comedy is being directed by William Keathley, and it is one you will not want to miss.

Also coming up, Friday, Sept. 25, Lamplighter’s Theatre in Smyrna begins its season with an old favorite, “The Music Man.” Read more in the Sept. 18 issue.

A very large audience at Seigel High School read the theater review of “Fame!” a few months ago, and there have been suggestions that I include high school theater in future articles in this column. To do this, the column would have to expand, and to expand, sponsors would be needed. My first priority is to the community theater and college theater in Murfreesboro, Smyrna and Woodbury, but we have a tremendous amount of teenagers on our community stage and high school stage whose talents should be noted. I would love to write about our high school thespians in this column. Hopefully we will see some businesses come forth and help with this venture in the coming weeks.

See ya at the theater!

UPCOMING AUDITIONS

Roles available for men, women and children of all ages. Auditions consist of cold readings from the script. For more information, call (615) 414-2781.