If the term “back by popular demand” could ever describe something, it would be East Brewton First Assembly of God’s production of Christmas in Mayberry. The play will be held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Dec. 20-22 at W.S. Neal High School’s auditorium. The play will begin at 7 p.m. each night. Admission is free.
“This is our fourth year doing Christmas in Mayberry,” director Chris Summerlin said. “This is our fifth year doing Christmas for the community, but it is our fourth year doing Christmas in Mayberry. We took one year off last year and we were going to do Hatfield and McCoy. My wife, Alicia, really wanted to do that because we had done Christmas in Mayberry for three years now and we could see the cast was kind of getting tired of it.”
But while he cast of the show may have been getting tired of it, the community was thinking just the opposite.
“We have just had so much outcry from it, even when we did not do it last year,” Alicia said. “We had people ask why we were not going to do it. That is also kind of why we stuck with the Mayberry theme. I guess it just kind of connects to people.”
Characters in the play will be: Sheriff Andy Taylor-Tyler Guest; Deputy Barney Fife- Hudson Brown; Ben Weaver- Mike Parker; Opie Taylor- Micah Trippe; Aunt Bee-Wanda McCurdy; Ellie Walker-Daphne Laymon; Briscoe Darling- Marty Loyed; Charlene Darling; Skyler Guest; Darling Brothers- Ty Green, Lawton Shipp, Robin Swift; Ernest T. Bass- Johnathan Hall; Floyd Lawson- Austin Trippe; Gomer Pyle- Adam Scurlock; Goober Pyle-Jeff Elliott; Otis Campbell-Chris Summerlin.
Mike Driskell and James Thompson will do the sound while Cody Laymon will handle the curtains and props. Melanie Hines, Johnathan Lambeth, Courtney Ragan, Brandon Bradley and Coby Lucas will take care of the lights while Felicia Scurlock, Megan Watson and Brandon Chambers will be the stagehands.
The play is directed by Chris and Alicia Summerlin.