In
this riotously funny Southern-fried comedy, the three Verdeen cousins,
Gaynelle, Peaches, and Jimmie Wyvette could not have picked a worse time take
over planning the family reunion, but they can’t back out now. They face an
uphill battle as a parade of wildly eccentric Verdeens gathers on the hottest
day of July, smack-dab in the middle of Texas tornado season.
The
Red Velvet Cake War was written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten, the same team that
created The Dixie Swim Club and Hallelujah Girls. Playwright Jamie
Wooten even wrote for The Golden Girls
before working on Red Velvet. “She
gave a voice to Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sofia for many years,” says
Peterson, “so you may be able to see elements of those characters in the
Verdeen family throughout the show.”
Lyric Arts will be holding a bake sale in
conjunction with this show, as well as raffling off a designer cake from local
café Truffles and Tortes each night of opening weekend. In addition to Truffles
and Tortes’ red velvet cupcakes available at the concession counter, Lyric Arts
is looking for treat submissions from local baking enthusiasts for audience
members to enjoy during the show and take home afterwards. Contact Sharon
Broscha at 763-233-0802 to sign up.
All the funds raised from the bake sale will
go directly to Lyric Arts to help with production and overhead costs not
covered by ticket sales. The growing nonprofit theater relies on donations to
make up over 30% of annual expenses not accounted for by ticket sales and
general income.
The Red Velvet Cake War opens May 30th and runs through June 14th, 2014.
Tickets for the production are available by calling the box office at
763-422-1838 or by visiting the Lyric Arts website at www.lyricarts.org. For
questions about the bake sale or raffle, call 763-233-0802.
Theater
enthusiasts are also welcome to join Lyric Arts’ “Page & Stage” event on June 8th, 2013, sponsored
by the Anoka County Library. Registered guests are provided a free script of The Red Velvet Cake War, and are invited
to participate in a facilitated discussion before the show. Guests are also
invited to stay for an exciting question and answer session with the cast and
crew immediately after the performance. All talk-back events at Lyric Arts take
place after the show and are open to the public.
