Who wants to kill a Millionaire Ends Three Year Run
By Renee DeRossett

Tom Coleman, the Director of the Savannah Community Theatre held auditions for the Who Wants to Kill A Millionaire show three years ago this past April.

I got the role of Lily Laplighter, and another Tybeeite Jeff Hall was the Detective Chase Taylor..  We have been performing the show every weekend at the world famous Pirates House for the past three years. We also do special corporate parties.

As you can imagine, With so many performances, there were double casts. Many local actors have played the various roles through the years. The success of the show is due to not only the witty writing and the hilarious characters, but there is a twist at the end of this show that has helped to make the show such an audience pleaser… not to mention the fabulous acting talents of so many…… I am proud to have played the part of the Millionaire Hostess Lily Laplighter since the very first show. It has been a wonderful run.

Audiences are thrown into the show by actually being a part of the action. It is written so as to include several audience members in the show, as well as the murderer. There are two murders during the show, and the audience has to deduce who the killer is. In the end, (unbeknownst to the rest of the audience, and in most cases the people at their own table) the killer  turns out that an audience member (who is given the script prior to the show). There have been riotous endings, where spouses are blown away that their own spouse stands up at the end as the murderer. Many a huge laugh and great time for all.

Last year the Travel Channel saw our ad on The SCT website and chose us as one of the stops on their show about Savannah. Samantha Brown even joined in and was the murderer at the end. It was a huge success and it has aired on the travel channel since January. I have it on tape. We are ending the run only because the writer of the play (Lee Adams from Minnesota?) has decided to take it on a national tour and is therefore not allowing other performances at the same time.

Therefore, we say goodbye to Lily Laplighter, Chase Taylor, Pooh and Nicky Whitney (played by Kim Trammell), Chu-Chu, Suki, and Kilo who would
all like to bid a final adieu and say a huge “thank you” to our many Savannah, Tybee, Bluffton and Hilton Head audiences through the years.

Goodbye to a wonderful run!

Visit: http://www.savannahcommunitytheatre.com

COMING April 23rd:
Coming April 23rd – Tybee Arts Performing Society’s Spring Production
of John Patrick’s “The Curious Savage”

A comedy written by playwright John Patrick and set in the 1950’s, The Curious Savage is a warm-hearted tale of Mrs. Ethel Savage, a slightly eccentric, extremely wealthy widow who wants to make the best use of her late husband’s estate, despite the attempts of her greedy step children to get their hands on it. They have Mrs. Savage admitted to a sanatorium, called The Cloisters in the hopes they can take her money. Primarily a comedy, the play sets up a contrast between the inmates and the selfish stepchildren, and eventually has the viewer wondering who the crazy people really are.

Playwright John Patrick states in the plays forward: “It’s important in ‘The Curious Savage’ that the gentle inmates of The Cloisters be played with warmth and dignity. Their home is not an asylum nor are these good people lunatics. Any exaggeration of the roles will rob them of charm and humor. The whole point of the play is to contrast them with Mrs. Savage’s children and the insane outside world. To depart from this point of view
for the sake of easy laughs will rob the play of its meaning.” Cast for The Curious Savage includes Ethel P. Savage (Valerie Hartz), Titus Savage (Arney Correa), Samatha Savage (Heather Hugener), Lilly Belle (Mary Felchlin), Nurse Willie (Melissa O’Brian), Doctor Emmett (Tracy Priest), Fairy May (Sally Cameron), Florence (Janet Rutledge), Hannibal (Virgil Moore), Jeffrey (Gene Foster), Mrs. Paddy (Cissy Ward); Director – Carol Ingham, Production Manager – Doris Grieder. All cast members live on Tybee or Wilmington Island.

Production dates are April 23rd – 24th, April 25th, April 30th, May 1st & 2nd at the Tybee Arts Center, #9 Cedarwood Avenue, Tybee Island, GA. Doors will open 1/2 hour earlier for art exhibit. Concessions will be available. For more information contact Carol at carolburdette@gmail.com, or 912-786-6652.

The Tybee Arts Association & The Savannah Community Theatre Presents
“I Do, I Do” The Wonderful Musical About Marriage!

FRI. MAR. 19 – 7:30 PM
SAT. MAR. 20 – 7:30 PM
SUN. MAR. 21 – 3:00 PM

Black Box Theater, Tybee Arts Center
9 Cedarwood Avenue, Tybee Island, GA

Book and Lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Based on “The Fourposter” by Jan de Hartog

ADVANCE SALE $18 (Advance Sale $15 MEMBERS)
AT THE DOOR – $20

FOR RESERVATIONS: 912-247-4644
BOX OFFICE OPENS 10 AM TO 6 PM

John Patrick’s “The Curious Savage”

A comedy written by playwright John Patrick and set in the 1950’s, The Curious Savage is a warm-hearted tale of Mrs. Ethel Savage, a slightly eccentric, extremely wealthy widow  who wants to make the best use of her late husband’s estate, despite the attempts of her greedy step children to get their hands on it. They have Mrs. Savage admitted to a sanatorium, called The Cloisters in the hopes they can take her money. Primarily a comedy, the play sets up a contrast between the inmates and the selfish stepchildren, and eventually has the viewer wondering who the crazy people really are.

Playwright John Patrick states in the plays forward: “It’s important in The Curious Savage that the gentle inmates of The Cloisters be played with warmth and dignity. Their home is not an asylum nor are these good people lunatics. Any exaggeration of the roles will rob them of charm and humor. The whole point of the play is to contrast them with Mrs. Savage’s children and the insane outside world.
To depart from this point of view for the sake of easy laughs will rob the play of its meaning.”

Cast for The Curious Savage includes Ethel P. Savage (Valerie Hartz), Titus Savage (Arney Correa), Samatha Savage (Heather Hugener), Lilly Belle (Mary Felchlin), Nurse Willie (Melissa O’Brian), Doctor Emmett (Tracy Priest), Fairy May (Sally Cameron), Florence (Janet Rutledge), Hannibal (Virgil Moore), Jeffrey (Gene Foster), Mrs. Paddy (Cissy Ward); Director – Carol Ingham, Production Manager – Doris Grieder. All cast members live on Tybee or Wilmington Island.

Rehearsals begin in mid March. Production dates are April 23rd – 24th, April 25th, April 30th, May 1st & 2nd at the Tybee Arts Center, #9 Cedarwood Avenue, Tybee Island, GA. Doors will open 1/2 hour earlier for art exhibit. Concessions will be available.

This play has been performed by many High Schools and Community Theatre groups. Check it out at Youtube.com – just type the name of play and writer in the search area.

For more information contact Director Carol Ingham at carolburdette@gmail.com or call 912-786-6652.