Jessie Jones, Nick Hope & Jamie Wooten’s

AWESOME SOUTHERN COMEDY!!!

REX’S EXES

August 3 & 4 at 730PM
August 5 at 2PM
August 10 & 11 at 730PM
August 12 at 2PM

Directed by Will Hodges

For our season opener, we’ve got a dooooozy for you this year with our annual ‘Southern’ comedy!

The Verdeen cousins in Sweetgum, Texas are a madcap trio that just can’t get their act together.

Cousin Gaynelle is turning 50 and not handling that fact well AT ALL. Peaches, a mortuary cosmetologist, wants to plan her a big surprise birthday party, but cousin Jimmie is too busy with her new wedding gown boutique for “big-boned” gals (called The Wide Bride) - so she can’t hardly be bothered!

Throw in the shenanigans of a supposedly ‘dead’ husband that pops up unexpectedly, a Cajun bounty hunter that comes to town looking for another family member, a jilted bride that holds the cousins hostage with a paintball gun, and finally, their bitter ol’ Aunt LaMerle - whose entire life is centered on being accepted as a member of the Daughters of the Nation of Texas – and you have a hysterical, side-splitting, Southern-fried farce that just might remind you of some of your own family!

Authors Jessie Jones, Nick Hope and Jamie Wooten also wrote the fun comedies THE DIXIE SWIM CLUB and DEARLY DEPARTED – both of which we presented at LLT in past years. And, over the years, they’ve also written for many movies and TV shows, including THE GOLDEN GIRLS. All three of them are Southerners that write about the crazy people in our own lives. Not for the young kids, but it’s a ferociously funny comedy for teens and up.

Here's REX...and his EXES...and the rest of 'em...in final rehearsals!

Click here for Rex's Exes cast list.

Jean Shepherd, Joseph Robinette, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul’s

AMAZING NEW MUSICAL!!!

A Christmas Story

November 9 & 10 at 730PM
November 11 at 2pm
November 16 & 17 at 730PM
November 18 at 2pm

Directed by Wess Hughes

It’s a brand new stage musical based on the hit holiday movie that gets a 24 hour “round-the-clock” television marathon on TBS every December. That beloved original movie starred Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin and Peter Billingsley.

Nine-year-old Ralphie wants nothing more for Christmas than an official Red Ryder BB Gun – but it seems like everyone in his corner of the world just tells him “you’ll shoot your eye out!”

Before Christmas morning arrives, he has to navigate a grumpy department store Santa, an infamous leg lamp, the ugliest pink bunny pajamas, and a “triple-dog-dare-ya” to lick a frozen flagpole.

Written by Joseph Robinette, and based on Jean Shepherd’s original radio-story, the score is by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul - the hot new song-writing team that won both the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Song last year for LA LA LAND, and then just months later, won the Tony Award for Best Musical for DEAR EVAN HANSEN.

A CHRISTMAS STORY-THE MUSICAL was also a critical success for them, receiving 11 Tony Award, Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award nominations. Critics called it “A true Christmas gift,” “A charming triumph infused with utter joy,” and “The best dang musical I’ve seen in years!”

The score features some truly beautiful and sweet ballads along with huge production numbers and tons of laughs. Who could resist a big chorus of dancing leg lamps???!!!

LLT has secured the right to be one of the very first community theatres in the South to present what’s sure to be a sell-out family favorite for all ages!

LLT cast members Jay Baggett and Sammie Mitchell tested our our audience photo-shoot bunny. They "double-dog dare ya to come see the show!".

You can take your own bunny-pic at the Arabian - wouldn't that make for a great Christmas card this year!!!!!

The CHRISTMAS STORY cast sends Season's Greetings

Click images to enlarge.

Click here for
CHRISTMAS STORY cast list.

Neil Simon’s

ASTONISHING  Classic Comedy!!!

BILOXI BLUES

April 5 & 6 at 730PM
April 7 at 2PM
April 12 & 13 at 730PM
April 14 at 2PM

Reservation line opens March 29 and answers 24 hours a day at 601.428.0140

Directed by Rick Youngblood

Neil Simon, America’s favorite comedy writer, capped his long career with the three-play “Eugene Trilogy” that was basically the true story of his own life. Last year, we presented the first one, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS, where his alter ego, Eugene Jerome, deals with his own coming-of-age in 1930s Brooklyn.

BILOXI BLUES continues the story as we follow Eugene in 1943, when he gets drafted into the Army during World War II, and then heads off to boot camp in the muggy swamps of steamy Mississippi. Eugene and his fellow privates have to deal with a strange, but hard-as-nails platoon leader, and we see that Eugene has to grow up very very quickly.

The highlight of the recruits’ time in Biloxi is their weekend leave when they get to hit the town for USO dances with hopes to find some female entertainment.

Even though the three plays are a continuing story, it’s not necessary at all to have seen the first play to enjoy this one. As one critic said, “It stands alone as some of Simon’s very best writing.” And another NYC critic professed that “Absolutely no one can spin a comic line like Mr. Simon.”

The original 1985 NYC production swept up at awards season, winning the Tony Award, the Critics Circle and the Drama Desk awards for Best Play that year. A 1988 film version starred Matthew Broderick reprising his Broadway role of Eugene, and Christopher Walken as the tough sergeant.

It's a moving, but always funny, drama-comedy. Some mature content and language, so not suitable for the little ones, but great for older teens and adults.

Click here for BILOXI BLUES cast list.

Click image to enlarge.

Martin Charnin, Charles Strouse and Thomas Meehan’s

ASTOUNDING Family Favorite

ANNIE, JR

May 30 & 31 at 730PM
June 1 at both 2pm and 730pm
June 2 at 2pm

Reservation line opens May 23 and answers 24 hours a day at 601.428.0140

Directed by Rebecca Green

Registration is now open and runs through April 15th (unless all 100 spots are filled in early as usual)
Camp is now 70% FULL
CLICK HERE FOR THE ONLINE
SIGN-UP FORM

If you're not already on our mail list, send a request to LLTLaurelMS@aol.com to be included.

We’ve presented the full stage musical ANNIE a few times, but this will be our very first production of ANNIE, JR. It’s based on the hit comic strip, Little Orphan Annie – and tells the story of a little redhead kid filled with pluck and positivity – along with the tough billionaire Oliver Warbucks, mean ol’ orphan matron, Miss Hannigan, a lovable mutt called Sandy, and a cast of 100 kids!

Set in the depression era of the 1930s, when some “good news” was something everyone needed a little taste of, Annie taught everyone that “the sun’ll come out, tomorrow – bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there’ll be sun!”

Written by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, ANNIE won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, when the show opened in NYC in 1977. It’s continually been one of the most produced stage shows across the world every year.

Three movie versions over the years have featured Carol Burnett, Tim Curry, Albert Finney, Bernadette Peters and Aileen Quinn (in 1982, getting two Oscar nominations), then Kathy Bates, Alan Cumming, Kristen Chenoweth and Andrea McArdle (in 1999, winning two Emmy Awards), and most recently, in 2014, a third movie version that starred Jamie Foxx, Bobby Cannavale, Cameron Diaz and Quvenzhane Wallis, and received two Golden Globe nominations.

Our annual summer Kids’ Camp production features a week of workshops and rehearsals for the 100 kids that starts May 23rd, wrapping up the following weekend with some memorable performances where these little actors will move us all to laughter and tears as they sing their hearts out!!!