Tyler Civic Theatre Company to present comedy “Farce of Nature”

Published 10:31 pm Thursday, January 7, 2016

Wanelle Wilburn is certain something is up with her husband D. Gene Wilburn, the owner and proprietor of a fishing lodge called the Reel ‘Em Inn.

Lately he hasn’t been spending much quality time with her, and when she walks into the room he always seems to be on the phone with a woman he swears is ‘the Avon lady.’

Meanwhile, they are not the only ones having trouble at the inn. D’s sister, Sgt. Maxie Suggs, is supposed to be protecting a very jittery Chicago native in the Witness Protection Program from a dangerous mobster he helped to put behind bars. Unfortunately, she can never quiet mange to have her gun and bullets handy at the same time.

These are not even half of the issues faced by the Wilburn family and guests at the inn in “Farce of Nature,” a Jones Hope Wooten comedy that will open at the Tyler Civic Theatre Company Friday.

Director Sean Holliday, who has directed two other comedies written by the Jones Hope Wooten trio, said audiences should come to see the play expecting to laugh.

“(At) a lot of plays you know they are designed to make you think, to give you something to take with you when you leave,” Holliday said. “This is not one of those. This is one of those to make you laugh for two hours and then go home happy.”

Holliday said one of the most interesting subplots of the comedy comes from the character’s contrasting cultures.

“Probably one of the biggest things is it takes place in a fishing lodge and the guests are actually Chicago mobsters and this is in Mayhew, AR,” Holliday said. “So you have the dichotomy of the Chicago mobsters and the kind of backwoods country people, and just the two different cultures and the way they clash and the way they interact is really funny.”

The play includes a range of different characters and each member of the cast was presented with a unique set of challenges.

“Trying to get the walk down, trying to get (the) I’m better than you, you cant do it without me (attitude),” Judy Griffin, who plays Sgt. Maxie Suggs said. “That’s been the biggest challenge for me.”

Many in the play agree that the biggest challenge has been holding back the urge to laugh.

“Staying in character during rehearsals, because this has been the funniest script and the funniest set of actors I have ever worked with bar none,” Carol Leos, who plays Wanelle Wilburn, said. “We have had more laughs during this production run than I’ve ever had before.”

Amanda Spangler plays Lola Barbosa, the outspoken wife of mobster Sonny Barbosa, played by Gary Birney. Ms. Spangler said that this role was different from any role she has ever played.

“She’s the kind of person you always look at and say ‘wow, I wish I had the gusto to do that sort of thing,’ and you just watch their life from a far,” Ms. Spangler said. “I actually (get) to do that.”

While the cast has enjoyed familiarizing themselves with the characters in the play, they have also enjoyed the experience of getting to bond with one another. This bond is evident from start to finish.

“The chemistry of the cast is very much like the periodic table of elements,” Jamey Whitley, who plays Carmine DeLuca said. “Each one is different and brings something different to the table.”

The play opens on Friday and starts at 7:30 p.m. and will continue on Saturday at that same time. On Sunday, the show starts at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 14 through the 16 the show will start at 7:30 p.m. On, Sunday Jan. 17 the show will start at 2:30 p.m.

For tickets or more information, visit tylercivictheatre.com