Lots of Life
synopsis

Bebe Gibbs has taken an unusual interest in her garden ever since her
ex husband (Jessie Ray) mysteriously disappeared.  Nosey neighbor
Lanetta Whatley seems to think that murder is involved and teams up
with fellow trailer park residents (Doreen Witherspoon and Donelle
Tapscott) in order to find out what really happened to him.  Together,
they conduct an investigation which includes spying, taking dirt
samples from Bebe's garden and making a guest stint on the Nancy Grace
show. Chaos ensues when Bebe gets wind of the rumors and the local
police department shows up on her doorstep.  All the mayhem is set to
music with songs such as...
When There's Beer in The Fridge, There's Hope in The World
Pure White Trash
The Perfect Crime Ain't Perfect
I'm At An All Time High At My All Time Low
A Girl's Gotta Do What She's Gotta Do
You've Got to Love Me Warts and All
Life's A Deathbed of Roses

BROTHERS TEAM

FOR 'LOTS OF LIFE'

by Alec Harvey

A conversation with Don Everett Garrett is peppered with comments about TV series such as "The Carol Burnett Show," "Hee-Haw" and "Designing Women," so it comes as no surprise when the following comes out of his mouth as if he's talking about Winston Churchill or Thomas Jefferson:

"I think it was Julia Sugarbaker who once said, 'In the South we don't ask if you have crazy people in your family; we ask which side of the family they're on.'"

Those crazy folks are on display in "Lots of Life," the musical written by Garrett and his twin brother, David. It opened at the Levite Jewish Community Center this weekend and runs through next weekend.

It was David who was writing a show for the LJCC and came to his brother asking for help.

"I knew I wanted something about five women in a trailer park, with some sort of whodunit element to it, and I hadn't gone any further than that," David says. "He came up with this really wonderful treatment outlining the show."

"Lots of Life" takes David's five women in a trailer park, three of whom get suspicious when another's ex-husband disappears, and a big garden appears in her front yard. Think "CSI" meets "Hee-Haw" meets "Designing Women" meets .¤.¤.

"David and I grew up on 'The Carol Burnett Show,' so we grew up on that broad comedy, those over-the-top characters," Don says. "We knew this was going to be silly. We just wanted something where people could go in and just laugh for a couple of hours."

Two other influences? Flannery O'Connor, with her macabre, crazy Southern characters; and, most of all, the twins' father, Ray, who introduced them to country music.

"We would visit family in Memphis on weekends, and our father used to make us endure country music on those road trips," says David, who, like his brother, graduated from Erwin High School and Auburn University. "At that time, we thought it was torture, listening to George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton. But as we grew up, we both realized we loved that music."

So "Lots of Life" is filled with songs like "Deathbed of Roses" and "When There's Beer in the Fridge, There's Hope in the World."

David, a law librarian for Maynard Cooper & Gale, and Don, who is supervisor of theater, debate and dance for the Jefferson County School System, hope there's lots of life in "Lots of Life." They're calling this a work in progress, and they plan to tweak it and improve it after they see audiences' reactions.

"We're talking to people about it, and we hope to get some of our stuff published," David says.

We're Coming Back!!!

  Theatre LJCC Presents

 LOTS OF LIFE

An Encore Performance
Thursday Aug 14 at 7:30, Sat. Aug 16 at 8:00 and Sunday Aug 17 at 2:00.
Tickets $15 adults and $12 students

Purchase tickets online at www.bhamjcc.org or call the Ticket Line at 879-0411
ONE WEEKEND ONLY

Introducing

Diane Garrett Williamson

as

Sylvia Sidell