Dogpatch comes alive at Fox Playhouse

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Li'l Abner made his first appearance as a newspaper comic strip in 1934. Since that time he has appeared in movies and on Broadway.

The Nevada Community Council on the Performing Arts brings Li'l Abner to the stage in a musical by the same name at the Fox Playhouse on Aug. 5, at 8 p.m. Other performances will be on Aug. 6 and 7, at 8 p.m., and on Aug. 7 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $6.

The musical tells the story of how all the characters of Dogpatch, USA, make a ruckus when they find out their beautiful Dogpatch will be taken over as a test site for A-bombs. A group of townspeople go to Washington, D.C., to meet President Bush and try to solve the problem, and the craziness begins. While all this is going on, Daisy Mae is still trying to figure out how to catch Li'l Abner on Sadie Hawkins Day so that he will finally have to marry her.

Li'l Abner is played by Derek Fast with Amanda Nichols playing Daisy Mae. Mammy Yokum is portrayed by Sandy David and Pappy Yokum by Marvin Klotz. Other local actors and actresses appearing include: Scott Hillier, Kenny Jones, James Besaw, Elizabeth Burlingame, Joanne Rosales, Cole Headrick, Jesse Garwood, David Kilmer, Amanda Maxwell, Bob Ebert, Mike Bessey, Wil Andrews-Weiss, Robert Kalthoff, Laura Lovinger, Charlie Johnson, Sarah Haney, Donna Nichols, Ashleigh Compton, Susie Kalthoff, Makenzie Fast, Ashley Ferris, Erin Ebert, Kirsten Mae Smith, Tim Tabor, Matt Ebert, Benjamin Francis, Sam Francis, Chris Hogan, Robert Palmer, John Scarborough, and Brandon Norton. Brent Mendenhall will portray President Bush.

The play is being directed by Sandy Davis assisted by Summer Smith. Karen Hertzberg is the accompanist. Li'l Abner is produced by special arrangement with Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc.

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