Cabot theater to present Bull in a China Shop

The Community Theatre of Cabot will present Bull in a China Shop, beginning Friday and concluding May 26 at the Cabot Veterans Park Event Center. Members of the cast include, front row, from left, Kathy Whitt, who appears as Birdie; Catherine Roberts as Amantha; and Brooke Davenport as Jane; and back row, Mary Ann Moore, who appears as Nettie; Karen Conquy as Lucy; Nancy Jansen as Elizabeth; and Tom Conquy as Kramer.
The Community Theatre of Cabot will present Bull in a China Shop, beginning Friday and concluding May 26 at the Cabot Veterans Park Event Center. Members of the cast include, front row, from left, Kathy Whitt, who appears as Birdie; Catherine Roberts as Amantha; and Brooke Davenport as Jane; and back row, Mary Ann Moore, who appears as Nettie; Karen Conquy as Lucy; Nancy Jansen as Elizabeth; and Tom Conquy as Kramer.

— The Community Theatre of Cabot will present Bull in a China Shop, by C.B. Gilford, on Friday through May 20 and again May 25 and 26 at the Cabot Veterans Park Event Center, 508 N. Lincoln St.

Curtain time is at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and May 25 and 26, with an optional dinner at 6:30 p.m., and at 2 p.m. May 20. Tickets are $25 for adults for dinner and the show; $15 for the show only; and $15 for children, dinner and show, and $10, show only. Groups of 12 or more receive a discount.

The menu will include pork loin, cheesy potatoes, green beans, salad, roll and dessert.

For reservations, call (501) 941-2266 and leave a message.

“This is a fun play, a comedy/murder mystery,” said Bob Morris of Cabot, a longtime supporter of the community theater and a member of its board of directors. “It involves a handsome homicide detective who is befriended by the elderly ladies across the street. They invite him to tea and proceed to play out a variation of Arsenic and Old Lace for his benefit.

“The point of community theater is for everyone to be involved, from those who have been onstage before to those who have always wanted to be onstage,” Morris said. “We have both in this play.”

Published in 1958, Bull in a China Shop first appeared as a short story in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and was later seen on the TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Macy Long of Cabot is making her directorial debut with the Community Theatre of Cabot. She is a senior at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, where she is majoring in English and is scheduled to graduate this summer. A graduate of Cabot High School, Long has appeared in several productions with the theater, including Little Women, Schoolhouse Rock! and Kitchen Witches.

“This play is similar to Arsenic and Old Lace … more like a mixture of The Golden Girls and Arsenic and Old Lace,” Long said. “It’s about these six little old ladies who think their neighbor is cute. He is a homicide detective. They come up with this idea to kill one of the roommates so the detective will come and visit them. We don’t know which one is the killer until the end.”

Members of the cast include the following:

• June Chandler of Jacksonville appears as Hildegard, the landlady of the boarding house where the six women live.

• Kathy Whitt of Cabot portrays Birdie, one of the residents of the boarding house.

“I’ve been involved with the theater since 2010,” said Whitt, who is a member of the Community Theatre of Cabot Board of Directors. “We have performed at various places. It’s a nice group of people.

“My character, Birdie, is scatter-brained. She swoons a lot.”

• Catherine Roberts of Jacksonville plays Amantha, also a resident of the boarding house.

“This is my eighth year with the Community Theatre of Cabot. I played Clairee in Steel Magnolias my first time, and most recently, I played Minnie Pearl in our Hee-Haw performance,” Roberts said.

“My character in this play tries to keep everyone on track. They listen to me,” she said.

“We are all having such a good time with this play,” said Roberts, who is secretary-treasurer of the board of directors. “I love it. I’ve been able to meet a lot of new people this time. We are glad to have new faces.”

• Karen Conquy of Cabot appears as Lucy, also one of the house’s residents.

“My character is snarky,” Conquy said. “If she is like any character on The Golden Girls, it would be the mom. [Lucy is] blunt.

“This is my first time onstage. I’ve always worked backstage helping with the set.”

• Mary Ann Moore of Cabot portrays Nettie, another of the residents of the boarding house.

“This is the first time for me to be involved in the theater,” Moore said. “My character is always saying things at the wrong time. I guess you could say she is like Rose on The Golden Girls.

“It’s a wonderful play. The people in this group are fantastic. I didn’t know anyone when I came here.”

• Nancy Jansen of Cabot plays Elizabeth, another resident of the house. Lynn Maxwell of Cabot is the understudy for this character.

“I’ve lived in Cabot for 35 years, but this is the first time for me to act in a play,” Jansen said. “They make it a whole lot of fun.”

• Brooke Davenport of Cabot appears as Jane.

“My character is a reporter who finds out what the little old ladies are doing,” Davenport said, laughing “They don’t like me.”

Davenport last appeared in the Community Theatre of Cabot’s production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in August 2017. She was involved in forensics and debate competition at Cabot High School.

• Tom Conquy of Cabot portrays Kramer.

“My character is a detective, second class,” Conquy said. “I usually build sets for the group. I’ve built sets for shows such as A Christmas Story and The Nerd.”

• Seth Coats of Ward plays O’Finn, a detective first class.

• Audie Waterson, also of Ward, appears as Johnson, a police fingerprint expert.

Priscilla Morris of Cabot, the wife of Bob Morris, serves as director of the Community Theatre of Cabot.

Bob Morris said the theater began in 2005 and has evolved over the years, including undergoing several name changes. The organization became known as the Community Theatre in 2013, when organizers filed for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Additional board members include Chris Coleman, Anita Plummer and Greg Armstrong, all of Cabot.

“Our vision is to maintain the highest artistic standards in everything we do from productions, small events, providing workshops for children and giving the community the opportunity to experience live, family-friendly entertainment,” Priscilla Morris said. “We are 501(c)(3), and all donations are greatly appreciated to help us grow and plan for the future. We have sponsorship levels available with ticket opportunities, and we will list an individual or business name in our playbills. Royalties for musicals are quite expensive, and we plan to do a musical at the end of this summer, which will involve a large cast, including children.”

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