Off to the Races: Tin Building Theatre goes “glamping” to deliver song, dance and laughs with its fall musical “Derby Girls” Oct. 12-19

CLIFTON – It’s all glamour and Southern Charm – fanciful flower trimmed hats and gravity-defying fascinators, stunning pastel-colored dresses highlighted through pearls and gloves, seersucker suits, bow ties and straw boaters, mint juleps, strawberries and shrimp. Or so the ladies from Willachoochee, Georgia thought when their dear friend Milli invited them to attend the Kentucky Derby with her.

The biggest day in horse racing the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs after all is synonymous with flaunting the family fortune, million-dollar horses, high stakes and winning big on long shots.

But in the comedy play and musical by Alicia Lane Dutton’s “Derby Girls” all that glistens is not gold when Wynona, Jessie Lee, Vivian, Georgia and Twyla Faye realize they’re not staying in a hotel, but staying at an Arabian-style bazar campsite. It might be called “glamping,” but an outdoor privy and battling mosquitos is never glamorous, no matter how romantic a night under the stars in the woods might seem.

With tickets on sales now, it’s off to the races in rehearsals for the Bosque Arts Center’s Tin Building Theatre upcoming fall show. You don't want to miss the classic sing-a-long songs – like Ain’t He Sweet, By the Light of the Silvery Moon and Pretty Baby sprinkled throughout the play with the vaudeville-style dancing, or the laugh-out-loud hilarity throughout the show.

Tickets for all four performances are now for sale online at bosqueartscenter.org or by contacting the Bosque Arts Center at (254) 675-3724. The show includes a dinner theatre on opening and closing nights at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 12 and 19; a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. on Oct. 13; and a regular performance on Friday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. Dinner tickets are $45 and regular tickets are $20. On The Bosque Arts Center’s Tin Building Theater.

The TBT used to do musicals in the 90’s like Godspell and Nonsense, and the board has been wanting to do a musical for some time now. The success of the TBT summer camp’s musical The Little Mermaid, strengthened the appeal to do a musical. And this “jukebox musical” with its fun storyline was the perfect fit.

Going from lugging luggage and hatboxes, to dressing up for the Kentucky Derby Festival Ball, meeting new friends along the way and finally gracing the cheap seats on the infield, fascinators and all, the ladies go for an exciting photo finish. On and off the racetrack, will they win big or lose it all? In many ways the trip changes the course of their fate.

The audience is sure to recognize some beloved stage veterans as well as newcomers to the TBT stage, as well as discover some beautiful voices in the mix, all under the direction of Debbie Rollins. Belinda Honea plays Milli, a retired nurse hoping to increase the amount of followers to her blog – the reason she wanted to go to the race of races in the first place and to write about “glamping.” She is joined by Kassidy Cardona who plays her musical theater student daughter Jessie Lee.

Co-Director Michael Richardson plays the Derby bugler, Jessie Lee’s love interest. Linda Lowrance plays Wynona, who owns the “Til Death Do Us Part” wedding venue and cemetery. Don Boysen plays Jackson – soon to be Wynona’s ex-husband. Danielle Ybarra plays Twyla Fay, the owner of the faltering ice salon back home, the Tastee Freeze.

Independently wealthy Atlanta Braves player widow Georgia played by Connie Terry, learns to let go. The cast is rounded off with super-conservative retired teacher Vivian, played by Jo Grelle.

“Derby Girls” writer Dutton will be attending the show’s opening night. Born in Tuscaloosa, Ala, most 55-year-old has lived in Abbeville since August 2022. For her, writing plays is about telling charming and oh-so-recognizable Southern stories, letting people escape, forget life’s challenges for a bit and laugh. This show premiered in 2023.

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS & courtesy of STEVE SCHMIDT with TIN BUILDING THEATRE

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