The Royal Players will present Cheaper by the Dozen on Thursday through Feb. 7 and again Feb. 11-14 at The Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market St. in historic downtown Benton.
Curtain time is 7 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; and 2 p.m. Sundays.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for students. Tickets can be reserved online at theroyalplayers.ticketleap.com. For phone reservations, call (501) 315-5483. Tickets can be purchased at the door on a first-come, first-served basis.
Cheaper by the Dozen is based on a true story of the Gilbreth family, written by two of the children at a later age — Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and his sister, Ernestine Gilbreth Carey — and dramatized by Christopher Sergel. Patrons of a certain age, or those who just enjoy old movies, will remember the 1950 film version of this story that starred Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy as Mr. and Mrs. Gilbreth.
The patriarch of the family is an inventor; the matriarch is a psychologist. As the story goes, the father is well-known for bringing better efficiency to factories — he also keeps his family of 12 children running just as well.
“It pretty much follows the old movie version,” said Lisa Goodrich of Benton, who is directing the local production. “What I like most about it is the universal message it conveys.
“It’s about love and respect and how a family interacts with each other. It is told by Frank Jr. and Ernestine 40 years later. It is a series of flashbacks.
“It turns out that the father has a secret. He has a heart problem and does not want anyone in the family to know about it. He is trying to groom the family for his inevitable death. He is trying to prepare Anne, who is the oldest child, to be able to help their mother take over the family.”
Goodrich is a longtime supporter of The Royal Players. She has directed, produced or stage-managed at least 30 times with the local community theater group. She most recently directed The Royal Players’ production of Murder’s in the Heir for Civitan Services’ annual murder-mystery dinner, Murder at the Masquerade, on Oct. 29, 2015, at the Benton Event Center.
“We had 80 people — mostly kids with some adults — audition for Cheaper by the Dozen,” Goodrich said with a laugh. “It was a hard choice to select those to be in the show. But when you see them line up, you will see they are the right ones for the parts.”
Goodrich said all the cast members except two have been in previous productions by The Royal Players or its children’s troupe, The Young Players.
Jeremy Clay of Sheridan plays the role of Mr. Gilbreth, the patriarch of the family. Tracy Courage of North Little Rock plays the part of Mrs. Gilbreth.
“Years ago, I directed Cheaper by the Dozen for seventh-graders. That was when I was teaching theater at Pulaski Academy [in Little Rock],” Clay said.
“I worked with the main characters. It was hard for a seventh-grader to know exactly how to play a dad. But by the time we were ready to present the show, I felt like the kids owned the play,” he said.
“It was during that time that I had an idea of how I would play the dad,” Clay said. “So it was nice when Lisa asked me if I would be interested in playing this part. I am very pleased to be in this production.”
Clay said it is a “plus” for him that his wife and two of their three sons are involved in the production. His sons Nathan and Jack both appear as children in Cheaper by the Dozen, and his wife, Carrie, is in charge of props.
“Carson did not get a part in this one, but he is hoping to be in Shrek,” Clay said of his third son.
Shrek: The Musical is the next offering by The Royal Players, with auditions wrapping up today and the play opening April 14.
Jeremy Clay is a longtime supporter of The Royal Players; he last appeared in the local production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. He has a degree in theater from the University of Arkansas and is the drama teacher at Bryant High School.
This marks the third time Courage has appeared in a production by The Royal Players. She previously appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird and Love From a Stranger.
“I now volunteer with community theater both here and in Little Rock at The Weekend Theatre and Community Theatre of Little Rock. I love The Royal Players. They provide such an opportunity for children and adults, as well, to come together and practice their art. Plus, I get to work with talented actors and learn from them.”
Courage is director of communication at Pulaski Technical College in North Little Rock. She grew up in west Tennessee and has lived in Arkansas since 1998.
Appearing as the Gilbreth children are the following:
• Destiny Marchese of Little Rock portrays Anne, the oldest child. The 20-year-old daughter of James and Erin Marchese, Destiny is a home-school graduate and will attend Pulaski Tech in the fall.
• Meredith Medford of Bryant plays Ernestine. Meredith, the 13-year-old daughter of Grant and Jennifer Holland, attends Bethel Middle School.
• Ashley Cornwall of Bauxite appears as Martha. Ashley, the 14-year-old daughter of Todd and Kimberly Cornwall, is making her debut with The Royal Players. She attends Southwest Christian Academy in Little Rock.
• Nathan Clay of Sheridan plays Frank. Nathan, the 15-year-old son of Jeremy and Carrie Clay, attends Sheridan Junior High School.
• Jack Clay of Sheridan portrays Bill. Jack, the 13-year-old son of Jeremy and Carrie Clay, attends Sheridan Middle School.
• Berkeley Courtney-Moore of Little Rock appears as Lillian. Berkeley, the 7-year-old daughter of Alyson Courtney and Wess Moore, attends Pulaski Academy.
• Collin Hutson of Benton plays Fred. Collin, the 9-year-old son of Jeana and Sam Hutson, attends Caldwell Elementary School.
• Zachary Glover of Benton appears as Jackie. Zachary, the 11-year-old son of Mark and Melissa Glover, attends Caldwell Elementary School.
• Luke Ferguson of Benton portrays Dan. Luke, the 12-year-old son of Laura and Pete Ferguson, attends Benton Middle School.
The cast also includes Donna Johnston of Alexander and Jim Troillett of Benton, who narrate the play as the older Ernestine and Frank.
Others appearing in Cheaper by the Dozen are the following:
• Paul Johnston of Alexander appears as Dr. Burton, the family doctor.
• Hunter Strom of Sheridan, the 16-year-old son of Chris and Kim Strom and Amanda and Ken Kelley, plays the part of Joe Scales. Joe is about the age of Anne and is a self-centered cheerleader.
• Jeana Hutson of Benton appears as Miss Brill, a teacher who has no love for the children, and they have no love for her.
• Josh Brown of Benton, the 18-year-old son of Jeff and Paige Brown, is making his debut with The Royal Players as Larry, a “nice-looking clean-cut boy” about Anne’s age who is her “special friend.”
• Phoebe Earles of Benton appears as Mrs. Fitzgerald, the family’s housekeeper.
• Lori Buckner Martin, who lives near East End in Pulaski County, provides the family dog — Shelby, a female English setter.
Members of the crew include Erin Marchese of Little Rock, costumer; Rachel McBride of Bryant and Susan Dill of Benton, producers; Savannah Fischer of North Little Rock, language coach; Abby Sudbury of Bryant, stage manager; and Carl McBride of Bryant, set design and construction.