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Melissa Silengo

Minnie Pearl musical debuts at Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre; limited run continues through September 13

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Melissa Silengo as Cousin Minnie Pearl (photo by Michael Scott Evans/courtesy Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre)

For their Thursday, September 6 matinee, Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre unveiled the World Premiere musical, Minnie Pearl: All the News from Grinder’s Switch”, penned by Belmont University Professor of Music Business, Dr. Don Cusic. Directed by Chaffin’s own Joy Perryman, the musical examines how Sarah Cannon came to create her beloved character, Cousin Minnie Pearl, a staple on both  Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry and the long running CBS television series Hee Haw. From her first “HOWDEE” on WSM radio’s Opry broadcast in 1940, until her final appearance a half a century later, Cannon’s Minnie Pearl made her mark as one of our nation’s premiere female comedienne. Minnie Pearl: All the News from Grinder’s Switch continues it’s limited run through September 13.

Fresh off her return engagement as Mother Superior in Sister Act, Chaffin’s Artistic Director, Martha Wilkinson appears as Sarah Cannon as she reveals the genesis of Cousin Minnie. Melissa Silengo, who just closed her role as Katherine Plummer in Circle Players’ brilliant production of Disney’s Newsies, will play Cannon’s on-stage alter-ego, Minnie Pearl. Of her two leading ladies, Perryman said, “Both of these talented women are incredibly gifted in the same ways as Minnie Pearl. They both have the comedic chops to land a joke squarely on target and both sing like nobody’s business!” Of the duo’s musical talents (to which I too can attest), Perryman continued, “The duet that ends Act 1 might just prove to be the biggest showstopper this year”.

On playing Cousin Minnie, Silengo exclaimed, “I am so honored to have the chance to play such a well-loved Nashville legend”. Addressing the familiarity of the character, Silengo continued, “It seems everyone knows Minnie Pearl to some degree, even if it is only her price tag, and I am excited to get to know her from the inside out”. Noting more than a passing physical resemblance to Queen of Cornpone, she revealed, “A few times, people have said I reminded them of Minnie Pearl, and I always took it as a complement”. “Hopefully, I will remind people of her in the show”, noted the young Minnie co-star.

When asked about her involvement in the show itself, Silengo gushed, “I am so excited to do this show with a super-talented cast and Joy Tilley-Perryman directing at the Barn, where I know audiences will eat it up (along with the buffet). Joy knows comedy so well, especially the Southern variety,  and I trust that she can help me craft my performance with the timing and whit that Minnie Pearl deserves.” Borrowing one of her character’s trademark phrases, Silengo concluded, “I’m just so proud to be here!”

As Silengo mentioned, Cannon’s Minnie Pearl was known for wearing a straw hat brimmed with flowers and a still-present price tag. Country comedy aficionados can quickly tell you that price tag read $1.98. Legend has it, Cannon simply forgot to take the tag off before wearing the hat onstage, but thanks to her quick-wit, she cleverly worked it into her routine and decided the tag would stay. While Cousin Minnie Pearl was known for the aforementioned straw hat (tag included), she also quickly developed a signature style that usually included a gingham print dresses, complete with frilly pantaloons, white stockings and black Mary Janes.

In addition to Wilkinson and Silengo, Minnie Pearl: All the News from Grinder’s Switch will also feature Minnie’s frequent comedy partner, Rod Brasfield. Brasfield, as played by Chaffin’s favorite, Everett Tarlton. For those not in the Opry know, Brasfield began his career in the 1920s, but gained national recognition when Grand Ole Opry founder, George Hay hired him to appear on the Opry in 1944. Four years later, divine intervention occurred when Brasfield was teamed with Cannon’s Cousin Minnie created a hilarious duo. Unlike other comedy duos of the day, where one member of the team usually played the straight man, setting up the laughs for the other, Minnie and Brasfield volleyed the jokes back and forth, delivering alternate punch-lines. The two continued to frequently appear together over the next decade until Brasfield’s untimely death in 1958.

When asked about Tarlton’s portrayal of Brasfield, director Perryman predicted, “He will prove to be a more than able partner to Melissa’s Minnie”. Perryman continued by warning, “She just has to make sure he doesn’t steal the show!”

Rounding out the cast of Minnie Pearl: All the News from Grinder’s Switch are Maggie Richardson, Curtis Lemoine, Loren Ferster and Chase Miller. Of the remainder of the cast, Perryman divulged, “We have a fantastic ensemble that will be assisting in every way”.

As the show’s title might indicate, the character of Minnie Pearl is front and center in Chaffin’s production, but it does indeed touch on the woman behind the comedy classic. That stands to reason because, of course Sarah Cannon, herself, was quite a remarkable woman. Having well-established her Minnie Pearl character as a beloved part of country music, Cannon was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1985, undergoing radical treatment, including a double mastectomy. Following this personal trial, Cannon became spokeswoman for the Nashville-based women’s hospital where she received her treatment. It was as Sarah Cannon, not her fictitious alter Minnie Pearl that she took on this task. The facility was later rechristened The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center. The Sarah Cannon Research Facility is also housed in this location. As the result of a debilitating stroke in 1991, Cannon retired her Minnie Pearl character after fifty one years at The Grand Ole Opry. She passed away five years later, on March 4, 1996 but as Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre’s current production proves, her legacy and laughter live on.

Having already SOLD OUT yesterday’s matinee, as well as the show’s Friday, September 7 evening performance and Thursday, September 13’s matinee, you only have two remaining chances to see this show with limited tickets still available for Saturday, September 8’s 7:30 p.m. evening performance (doors open for dinner service at 5:30 p.m) or the Sunday, September 9’s 2 p.m. matinee (door open for lunch service at noon). Evening and Sunday tickets are $62 ($37 Show Only and $18 for Children 12 and under ). As an alternative to their truly delicious buffet dinner, which features prime rib, other meats and an array of vegetable, salad and side options, Chaffin’s recently added yet another dining options with their Small Plate a la carte menu featuring separate pricing per item. Group Rates are also available. CLICK HERE or call the box office at 1-800-282-2276 for tickets or more details.

Following Minnie Pearl: All the News from Grinder’s Switch, Chaffin’s will present Disney’s Newsies onstage September 20-October 27. CLICK HERE for tickets, as this one’s sure to be another popular show for Chaffin’s. To keep up with the latest from Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre, find them online at ChaffinsBarnTheatre.com, ’like’ them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram and Twitter.

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Actors Bridge Ensemble and Wild Card Productions team for ‘Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood’; final two performances Saturday, July 7 at Belmont Black Box Theatre

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Actors Bridge Ensemble and Wild Card Productions have teamed to present the gender-bending, patriarchy-smashing, Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood, at Belmont’s Black Box Theatre, with two final performances Saturday, July 7 at 2 p.m and 7:30 p.m. And what more perfect patriarchal stomping tale to tell, after all, anyone who thinks the idea of smashing the patriarchy is a new concept, might want to carefully consider the medieval tale of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Their ‘steal from the rich and give to the poor’ ideology has been smashing Prince John and The Sherif of Noddingham since the 15th century, perhaps even earlier.

That said, Adam Szymkowicz’s  Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood continues to smash said patriarchy, while simultaneously smashing not only the tale of Robin Hood as we know it, but the money shifting swashbuckler’s identity itself. For you see, ’tis not the hooded hood who’s righting the societal wrongs, but the fair Maid Marian. That’s right, in this new tale, the fabled Robin Hood isn’t a mystery man at all, SHE’s Maid Marian in disguise. What’s more, HER Merry Men, are mostly like-minded women who’ve decreed, let playing damsel be damned.

For Actors Bridge Ensemble and Wild Card Productions’ merry mounting, they’ve enlisted Britt Byrd as director. Those who know Byrd know that when she’s not on-stage or, in this case, behind the scenes, she has a penchant for cosplaying some kick-ass women like The Joker’s minx, Harley Quinn, and Star Wars’ cunning and brave Rey, so what better piece for her to helm than a comedic costume play (with more than a few surprisingly though-provoking subplots) featuring several strong-willed women and more than a few impressively choreographed sword fight scenes?

Cast as Marian/Robin Hood is Melinda Paul. Whether in literature, on the stage, screen or even in one of my personal favorite depictions, Walt Disney’s 1973 animated feature, Robin Hood has always been portrayed with a self-assured cleverness. Paul takes that characteristic and builds on it, playing both Robin and his fairer alter-ego, Marian with equal parts confidence and concern. While she indeed swashbuckles with the best of them, her gentler scenes with Mackenzie Smith’s Little John provide the oft-outlandish comedic tone of the play with some much-appreciated sweetness. Side Note: Who wouldn’t fall for Smith? That kindness. That accent…that kilt.

True to playwright Szymkowicz’s much-touted gender-bending theme, Ashley Wolfe is spectacular as Alanna Dale, who joins Marian/Robin as one the Merry Men using the only slightly modified moniker, Alan. Wolfe, as Alanna/Alan exudes excitability in her quest to join Robin Hood as one of his Merry Men, even though, unbeknownst to her, Robin is Marian. In addition to her role within the plot, Alanna also serves as the play’s narrator, often breaking the fourth wall to address the audience directly and keep them abreast of the seemingly complicated, but quite frankly, simplistic who’s who and what’s what of the plot. Alanna’s keenness to be one ‘one of the guys’ takes an interesting turn when, as Merry Man, Alan, he falls for fellow Merry Man, Will Scarlet (Lakota Jernigan). Again, relying on the gender-bending premise, Will is, in actuality Scarlet, yet another non-distressing damsel. Scenes between Wolfe’s Alanna/Alan and Jernigan’s Will/Scarlet run the gamut from adorably awkward to an interestingly ah-ha-inducing realization that even in medieval times, love is love and always has been.

Just when you think the playwright can’t pierce the heart any more, there’s even a hilarious ‘will they or won’t they’ running subplot between JR Knowles and Gavin Jernigan as two of the Prince’s Guards. Spoiler Alert: You KNOW they will!

Speaking of his Highness, Fred Brown, as Prince John is regal indeed. That is, if inciting royally rambunctious laughter scene after scene is majestic. Playing his grandiose status to the hilt, Brown’s Prince John lands brilliantly somewhere between Hanna Barbera’s Snagglepuss and a libidinous caricature of pretty much any Richard Burton role. His dalliances with Melissa Silengo as Lucy, his favored concubine are quite hilarious.

Other stand-outs include Kate Adams as Lady Shirley and Diego Gomez as Friar Tuck. The first, with a penchant for baubles and sex, the second given to drink and…well…sex. While she’s supposed to beholden to David Wilkerson as the Sheriff of Noddingham, Lady Shirley gets more than her flirt on with the frisky Friar. Licentious doesn’t even being to describe Adams’ and Gomez’s on-stage chemistry as the randy duo.

While Gomez isn’t portraying dual roles on-stage, he is in fact wearing two hats during this production. Not only is his snagging laughs from the audience as Lady Shirley’s boytoy, he also serves behind the scenes as the show’s fight choreographer. Meanwhile the aforementioned Wilkerson plays the villainous Sheriff convincingly, but he too has a hand in the fight scenes as the show’s fight captain/consultant. I mention these two backstage credits because the fight scenes are that good. Whether wrestling, pulling punches or sword fighting, the precision and care executed by each and every cast member deserves accolades.

Making the most of their limited time on stage, the remainder of the cast consists of Alexandra Chopson as the non-gender-conforming Much the Miller’s Son; Blake Hollliday as the playfully androgynous Tommy of No Consequence and Dominique Howse and Matthew Benenson as Sir Lenny and Sir Theo.

Also of note is set design by Paul Gatrell. Belmont’s Black Box Theatre provides the perfect venue for Marian and Gatrell’s set utilizes the space marvelously. I especially appreciated the larger than life arrows plunged into the ground around the corners of the stage, offering an impressionistic interpretation perhaps of the mighty pines of Sherwood Forest.

While I’ve delved into the gender-flip prevalent throughout the show, it should be noted that the playwright, and this production’s director don’t get preachy. It’s a comedy after all and what better way to broaden thought than through humor?

Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood wraps its two-week run with a 2 p.m matinee Saturday, July 7 and a final evening performance Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Wild Card Productions announced a special half-price discount for the matinee. Simply use the promo code “Hot-BOGO” when ordering tickets. CLICK HERE for tickets. To keep up with what’s next for Wild Card Productions, follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Follow Actor Bridge Ensemble on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter.

Interested in coverage for your latest entertaining endeavor? Click the contact page and drop me a note. You can also follow JHP Entertainment on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.