I am so excited to announce that Starlight staff and cast members of "Dearly Beloved" and this December's "Christmas Belles" will be meeting with the playwrights, Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten on August 23rd at my home, where we plan to have a good old fashioned southern potluck! 

"Dearly Beloved" played to sell-out crowds in February, making it the highest attended show at Starlight since it opened in February 2006.  It is the first in a triology of plays about the Futrelle sisters, their family and friends in Fayro, Texas.  The second of the triology, "Christmas Belles," will be performed this December at Starlight.  And the following season,  Starlight will produce the final play in the trilogy "Southern Hospitality".

Jessie, Nicholas and Jamie are traveling around the country this summer meeting with theater companies who have or plan to produce one of their shows.  I am so excited that they have included us in their tour!  We thought it was great that Jessie called us on opening night to wish us  "break-a-leg" but this is even more exciting!

Jessie contacted me through our web site as soon as we announced that we were going to do "Dearly Beloved" and we have been in touch ever since.  She has been a great help when we had questions about line interpretations or characters.  How often can a director or actor go DIRECTLY to the author(s) of a play when they had a question about something in the play!

If you saw "Dearly Beloved" you'll remember that in order to save money, Twink (Emily English),one of the Futrelle sisters, decided to make it a potluck wedding, thus we are planning on having a potluck dinner when the playwrights come to visit just in keeping with the theme!

Check out their very impressive bio's below (and you'll see why we're all so excited about meeting them!) and we'll keep you posted on how the visit goes, and put some pictures up on the web site!

Linda Granger, Executive Director

by Jim Fordyce
(from his weblog)
Rating: 3 out of Fordyce

Regulars know I like silly farces, but only if they are done right. Well the latest offering from the Starlight Dinner Theater is done just right. "Leading Ladies" is about two down on their luck actors, who learn about a dying wealthy old matron searching for her two long-lost nieces to inherit her fortune. Leo and Jack decide to pass themselves off as her nieces and then the fun starts. Director Linda Granger assembled a great cast for this one and did a wonderful job staging this show and working on the all important timing, which is what makes a good farce work. Chris Klaver and Jonathan Stewart are marvelous as Leo and Jack who become Maxine and Stephanie. Bob Murrell was the gold digging minister you love to hate, while Kat Cooper and Angela Dill played the real female leading ladies very well. I must mention the two "senior" members of the cast. Lansing area stage veteran Althea Phillips was perfect as the dying aunt who keeps coming back to life and George Duncan is hysterical as her old Doctor. Also in this show is a newcomer, Reid Schmidt, an LCC student who did a great job as the somewhat confused Butch. Great costumes also add a lot to this show, and only a few minor set problems detracted from my enjoyment. Add it all up and this one gets a very good Three out of Fordyce. The show runs again next weekend, and you all know Starlight sells out, so call for your reservations now. 517.243.6040

Read this article on Jim's blog

Visit Jim's blog at www.MIentertainment.biz

Here's what some audience members told us about "Leading Ladies":

Wonderful.....what an amazing feat....looking forward to your event... We thoroughly enjoyed "Leading Ladies"....the actors played their roles brilliantly ....we laughed and giggled all the way home....Linda you have brought to Lansing theatrical productions of quality and quality actors for these productions...our hope is this venture continues...we always look forward to attending your productions because we know that we will see a great performance....have a safe and blessed summer... P.S. Please give the cast of "Leading Ladies" our appreciation for a great evening and sharing of their talent...an extraordinarily talented group...

- K

Just had to let you know how much I enjoyed the show last night. Every cast member was PERFECT for their part. Starlight is definitely filling a theatre need in the Lansing area.