BY SHEILA HARRIS sheilaharrisads@gmail.com
Actors and actresses comprising the cast of Shell Knob in the Spotlight (SKITS) were surprised after Friday night’s debut performance of “Scary, Scary Night” to discover that the writer of the play, himself, Michael Lunsford, was in the audience.
Lunsford celebrated his Oct. 25 birthday by flying to Missouri from his home in California to watch the world debut of his play.
Former SKITS performer and avid supporter, Renae Neill, of Purdy, who was also in the audience, tipped off the Cassville Democrat between acts that the writer was in the audience.
“The directors didn’t want to let the cast know ahead of time that the writer was in attendance for fear it would affect their performance,” Neill said.
Upon learning of Lunsford’s presence after the final curtain call, the cast offered a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” in honor of his special day.
The performance of “Scary, Scary Night,” a musical comedy, was a hit with the full house of playgoers in attendance. It marked the first performance of a musical for the SKITS theater cast, managers and directors.
Described as a “murder most funny,” the play centered around a funeral home that became the unwitting repository for a murder victim: the fiancé of the son of past funeral directors who died in an explosion caused by said son.
While the musical performance reaped plenty of laughter, a dance scene featuring a deceased, philandering husband who rose from the mortician’s slab to leer at female zombies as they emerged from the other-world for an impromptu dance, was a show-grabber.
Lovella Hayden, of Shell Knob, provided the choreography.
Live music for the performance was provided under the direction of Kansas City resident Anne Watson. Mike Santino, a long-time musician from Colorado, who now resides in Shell Knob, played the piano for the performance, while Kevin Miller, from Kansas City, played the guitar.
Assistant Play Director Kim Przybyl said SKITS presenting its first musical was challenging, but fun for the team. It was is an undertaking they look forward to tackling again.
