Kelly Griffith | Editorial Assistant
The cast of Wiley and the Hairy Man takes a bow. by Kelly Griffith
As ushers seat enthusiastic children from a mix of local schools, the occasional shadow of a puppet pops up. The crowd of youngsters go crazy with excitement.The chatter of ecstatic little voices start to fill the theater as Johnny Cash is playing in the background.
The first group of cast members appear on stage, bursting out with “the rules.”
“Rule number one, no spittin’ on the floor, don’t spit on each other either.”
“Rule number two, if you brought pigs or chickens please leave them outside, but if you brought a goat that’s perfectly fine, just make sure they don’t chew on the seats.”
“Rule number three, and the most important rule of this whole shindig, ya gotta have fun!”
When: Feb. 18 & 25 at 2 p.m.
Where: Russell Tripp Performance Center
Admission: Adult $9, seniors and students $7, children $5
Immediately the crowd is pumped up, the room is filled with clapping and cheering. Already dim lighting begins to fade, the only light coming from the glow on the steps and aisle seats. Filtering to the left side of the stage, cast members begin to settle in.
This first group does narration, sings and makes sound effects. Two of the men play guitars, one woman makes the sound of the barking dog and uses a kazoo as a sound effect every time the dog jumps. Another man drums at just the right time.The setting is in a swampland somewhere in the south.
The shadow puppetry is amazing with the use of hand-made, over sized masks and detailed scenery.Wiley, the main character, is a young boy who’s greatest fear is to go into the swampland, with fear the Hairy man is lurking. His “pappy”, the boys father, was taken by the Hairy Man. His “mammy”, the boys mother, encourages Wiley to go into the swampland for materials to build his dog a house. Dan Stone and his amazing cast made this American southern folktale come to life!
Stone, Theater Director, is also a writer, mask maker, and co-founder of Sanctuary Stage.Chanted throughout the play, “Cuz, when the Hairy Man gets mad, that’s bad.”
Thirty minutes into the play there is no chatter of voices, all of the children are deeply engaged. “I really liked that the scary Hairy Man was afraid of the little dog, hee hee, haa haa haa,” said Chloe Nix, Kindergartner at Central Elementary.
The cast meets audience members on their way out. by Kelly Griffith
The actors were amazing, with great use of southern, “backwoods” accent.Clapping in rhythm with the crowd also involved, occurs several times throughout the play, keeping the audience engaged and amused.Children show genuine excitement with bursts of loud laughter and the occasional scream or squeal.The entire cast lines up on stage and closes with a bow.
The crowd cheers and claps as the cast exists the stage. “Down by the Bay,” followed by, “Hey,Good Lookin’,”plays as the students exit the theater.The cast lines up outside the theater while students exit. Clearly, the cast members enjoy every minute of it.
Waving and welcoming “high fives” as students head out to their buses. Holding their masks and some props hand-made from paper, cast members encourage children to make their own. Elnora Palmtag, the voice of “mammy,” really enjoyed herself. When complimented her on her performance a huge smile spread across her face, “Isn’t it fun?,” she asked.
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- Wiley and the Hairy Man comes to LBCC (lbcommuter.com)
- Acting Can Be Fun! (lbcommuter.com)
I really wish I could have gone. How fun!