River City Players Follies at Port Cape

Off! Magazine

The River City Players have been performing together for over five years. Some of there plays include "Catfish Moon", Driving Miss Daisy", Wherefore Art Thou, Juliet?", Fingerpainting in a Murphy Bed", The Butler Did It, Singing", "Blood Ties", and Neil Simon's "Proposals". They are coming together again but this time they are giving the community a chance to act with their first annual River City Players follies.

The first annual River City Players follies will be presented as a dinner theater on Aug. 16 and 17 at 7 p.m. at Port Cape Girardeau's River City Yacht Club.

The dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the doors open for the show at 7 p.m.

Among those who volunteered Wednesday at sign-ups for the first-ever River City Players Follies are Steve Gerard, Ryan Keller, and Darrell Pruett. Steve is going to recite a love poem of sorts. Ryan Keller, a member of a high school rock band, will play two songs on his electric violin. Darrell Pruett, the bar manager at Port Cape Restaurant, plans to do five minutes of stand-up comedy.

Due to the poor attendence in August, the community theater group decided that instead of a play they will put on a talent revue similar to the highly popular Jaycees Follies from the 1960s. The follies may be more like "Star Search" and "The Ted Mack Amateur Hour". Debbie Barnhouse, a member of the group's board, hopes there are enough talented volunteer performers that the theater company members won't have to perform. "If we have an overflow we're going to sit back and have fun," she said. The theater group's board also hopes to get new people involved in the company through the follies. "We're pretty much sick of ourselves," joked Jeff Statler. Over twenty different acts have signed up so far.