Little Theatre Of Virginia Beach to Present THE MISS FIRECRACKER CONTEST

Little Theatre of Virginia Beach transforms into the small town of Brookhaven, Mississippi, where the Fourth of July means it's time to crown the next Miss Firecracker. It's been a dream for Carnelle Scott (played by Madeleine Dilley) ever since she was a little girl and watched her cousin Elain win at age 17. What she lacks in polish, she makes up for in enthusiasm.

"Carnelle Scott is a deeply insecure yet bighearted young woman who has, unfortunately, made quite a name for herself in her small Mississippi community-- That name being 'Miss Hot Tamale' due to her reckless and promiscuous behavior. On her misguided path to redemption, she enters the Miss Firecracker contest, hoping that winning a beauty pageant title can restore her tarnished reputation," said Dilley. "Despite her best efforts to fit in, she ends up sticking out like a sore thumb."

"The Miss Firecracker Contest" is one of Beth Henley's best-known works, next to "Crimes of the Heart" which earned her a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award. It was such a hit that Henley also wrote the screenplay when it was adapted into a movie in 1989 starring Holly Hunter. "Beth Henley takes people and uses their oddities and quirks to reveal their search for love, and the difference between romantic love and familial love," said Ann Heywood, the play's director.

The odd cast of characters includes Carnelle's cousins Elain (played by Mary Zuzik Andrechik) and Delmount (played by Cody Hall), who unexpectedly arrive as she prepares her pageant act. Both are also trying to leave their past behind.

Elain is running away from her seemingly perfect life. Zuzik Andrechik said, "As the story begins, Elain has left her wealthy husband and children and returned to her childhood home. She is a former beauty queen, still physically lovely, but a bit bored with her present existence. She longs for a bit of excitement."

Delmount wants a fresh start. He came back to their childhood home to sell their house after his mother recently passed away. "Delmount is considered a violent man that can get angry easily," explains Hall. "He's had a history of abuse and violence. He considers himself as a philosopher though. Deep down, Delmount is a caring man who can seem quite awkward and embarrassed at times."

Carnelle's awkward seamstress, "Popeye" Jackson (played by Anna Tozzi-Barbay), is new in town. Tozzi-Barbay said her character, "is a bit of a 'strange bird' on the surface, but at her core, Popeye is a deep well of wisdom who sees beyond the surface to the core of a person."

Popeye develops a crush on Delmount, but the pageant coordinator, Tessy Mahoney (played by Ash O'Leary) has a history with Delmount and gets flirty. "Tessy got the short end of the stick in life, from her looks, to her job, to her love life. She is disliked and mistreated and outcast, and strives to scramble together some sense of order, control, and purpose in life by coordinating the Miss Firecracker Contest," said O'Leary. "She is wounded and bitter, wrapped in a heap of southern 'bless your hearts' but strives to make the best of a bad deal in her life."

Mac Sam (played by Michael Stypulkoski), now a carnie balloon man, still has affections for Carnelle, even though she gave him "the syph." Stypulkoski describes his character as "a hard-drinking, hard-living ladies' man who, for better or worse, lives his life on his own terms."

"This play is about redemption. The women have been damaged, but are very strong, and carry on even stronger," said Heywood. "There is hope. A little bit of hope, and kindness. It teaches us kindness works better. Kindness comes back."

"The Miss Firecracker Contest" runs March 11 through April 3 at Little Theatre of Virginia Beach. Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are available at ltvb.com. They are $20 for adults and $18 for seniors age 60 and up, active military, and full-time students. Audience members are required to follow the theatre's health guidelines found at ltvb.com/covid which include showing proof of COVID-19 vaccination and wearing a mask.

To post a comment, you must register and login.