VIDEO: Eudora Welty Short Story Comes To Tupelo Stage

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – A short story by a world renown Mississippi writer comes to the stage this weekend.

The Tupelo Community Theatre has been hard at work since July, rehearsing at the Lyric Theatre.

This production features a cast of 14, as they take the audience back to 1795, in the town of Rodney, Mississippi, along the Natchez Trace.

“The entire cast is on the stage the entire time, they are part of the scenery, the props, they are witnessing everything that goes in the show,” said Jennifer Cummings, who directs this production, based on a novella by Eudora Welty. The musical comedy features a backwoods villain, who’s a gentleman by day and bandit by night. He saves the life of a wealthy planter and gets an unexpected reward.

Alex Hargett is a veteran of many TCT Productions and he plays the likable anti-hero.

“They called for a young, good looking guy and I’m like, you know, this is my shot,” Hargett said.

His love interest in the lively production is “Rosamund,” played by Darby Caviness. Darby has been part of numerous youth productions, but this one is different.

“It’s a lot more challenging, this one I’m up front most of the time, I like it was set in Mississippi, cause you don’t see a lot of that, it’s a Southern fairy tale, it’s very unconventional, not your everyday, Prince Charming and Cinderella,” Caviness said.

Dr. Jeff Houin, “Clement Musgrove” on stage, says there may not be a moral to the story, but people will enjoy it.

“It’s a funny show, there’s great music, bluegrass, which you don’t see a lot of times in theater, we have some great actors,” said Dr. Houin.

The “Robber Bridegroom” is this season’s opener for the Tupelo Community Theatre.

For ticket information and show times visit: www.tct.ms