If it’s a play written by the trio of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, then Debbie Fryer knows she wants to be part of the cast.
Their comedic talent provides laughter show after show and rehearsal after rehearsal.
“We’ve been rehearsing since May and have heard these lines, but we are still laughing,” said Fryer, who plays the role of LaMerle in the Aiken Community Theatre production of “Last Roundup of the Guacamole Queens,” which opens for two weekends July 12.
The playwrights are known for creating small Southern towns filled with eccentric characters who have a secret or two. In this show, the Verdeen cousins – Jimmie Wyvette, Peaches and Gaynelle – are planning the gala of the year.
And in the true spirit of an event in a Jones, Hope, Wooten comedy, everything that can go wrong, does and then even more goes wrong.
Fryer said the “Last Roundup of the Guacamole Queens” doesn’t have any type of deep meanings or hidden messages, it’s pure fun and lots of laughs.
It’s a small cast and some characters may not have lots of lines, but if any of the characters were removed, it wouldn’t be the same, she said, and might not be as fun.
Fryer has been in several other Jones, Hope, Wooten productions including “Christmas Belles,” “The Dixie Swim Club” and “Hallelujah Girls.”
While she’s acted in a few dramas in her life, Fryer gravitates to comedies.
“It’s a lot more fun to make people laugh,” she said.
“Last Roundup of the Guacamole Queens” is the finale of the 2023-2024 season and will be at 7:30 p.m., July 12-13 and July 18-20 and at 2 p.m. July 14 at the Aiken Community Theatre, 126 Newberry St. S.W.
Tickets are $15-$20.
Aiken Community Theatre will open the 2024-2025 season on Sept. 6 with “The Play That Goes Wrong.”
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years and is a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
Great article Charmain! And thanks to our wonderful director, James Schroeder, and assistant director, Wess Romano, we’re ready! It’s an amazing cast, outstanding backstage crew and all we need now is our audiences!