By Tom Fontana
Correspondent

A “problem of proportion” was stirred up in the form of “Blue Lemonade” last weekend in Starrucca.

It seems three country boys came a courtin’ for dates to the Annual Spring Promenade, and found four anxious Southern Belles (all of them certified ding-a-lings).

So commenced the dilemma in this hilarious comedy, the most recent production served up by St. Martin’s Players, part of the St. Martin of Tours Church Arts Council. The play, “Blue Lemonade,” was written and directed by artistic director Chris Lake of Gelatt, and performed at the group’s theater, the former St. Paul’s Church, Starrucca.

The fun on stage took place at the Sugar Plum Plantation, home of the DeBlu family – Big Daddy, Big Mama, and their three hefty daughters. When a pert Yankee cousin arrives for a visit – providing four choices for the three boys who are “dumber than a stick” – the three sisters squawk about the competition so much that they remind Big Daddy of “a flock of geese without a pond.”

Three guys…four gals. Big Daddy, loud and boisterous as presented excellently by John Freitag, calls this a “problem of proportion” – not enough boys to go around. Which one of the girls will have to stay home from the dance?

In the end, the audience is asked to decide.

Martina Lingobardo was dear as the perpetually befuddled Big Mama, mother of the three Belles. All three daughters – each named after a Southern city – were cute and darling: Mary Beth Zincone played Savannah; Sue Lee was Charlotte; and Beatrice Place portrayed Rouge, as in ‘Baton.’

The three suitors (who claim to “read all the time…even during half-time” were hilariously conceived by Eddie Reddon (as Cranston), Fred Jackson (as Wolfe), and Chris Lake (as Deacon). Lake was particularly goofy, on stage as well as during his entrances and exits.
Sharon Panasevich was energetic and perky as Shirley, the visiting cousin from Boston, a Shirley Temple wanna-be, complete with a head full of curls and questionable tap dancing skills. Feeling like “the last pea at pea pickin’ time,” she was scorned by the three sisters.

Meandering throughout the play as sort of narrators/commentators were Thelma “the Help,” serving some of the best zingers (and lemonade), played with appropriate attitude by Deb McNamee; and Willis “the Gardener,” given jocular bounce by Jimmy Stewart.

Rounding out the cast providing funny cameos were local townspeople Fred the Postman (Frank Hadnagy), June the Swamp Lilly (Terry Hill, accompanied by her very well-behaved canine companion Wiley), and the town gossip Coralee (Carol Jackson).

Although the pace of the play drawled at times, it had many high moments that left the good-sized audience guffawing at the antics on stage.
Lake proves to be a worthy and multi-talented artist. As a writer, actor and director, his feel for comedy and timing showed through brightly in the fine cast of “Blue Lemonade.”

Also, Lake and his cast should be commended for bringing live theater to the area, offering quality, wholesome family entertainment while utilizing a church landmark that might have been left unused if not for the Players’ energy, enthusiasm, and commitment.

Area residents should keep an eye out for ads for future productions, and be sure to attend. St. Martin of Tours Church is in Jackson, and St. Martin’s Players Theater (St. Paul’s Church) is about 3 miles north of Thompson. For more information, contact Chris Lake at 570-442-1084.