Southern Dandy 75 is back on the stage
The intoxicating return of Southern Dandy 75
It’s a humdinger of a hootenanny.
Southern Dandy 75 is back. Born rough and ready on the Fringe, it returns all growed up and loaded for bear at Live Five.
“I think it’s just going to be a huge gift,” says playwright Andrew Taylor. “It’s always great to have a second chance to do something. With the crew we have, with the time we’ve had and with the support we’ve had, I think it’s just going to be nothing but delight.”
It’s the story of two hobos who get behind on their rent and promise to pay their landlord with a bottle of the finest bourbon money can buy, Southern Dandy 75.
“With the help of the liquor store owner’s rebellious daughter Lydia, the three end up stealing bottles of Southern Dandy and invoke the rage of the liquor store owner Heinrich who is also running for mayor that day. So in a matter of hours, the hobos find themselves running from all sorts of dangerous and surly adversaries,” Taylor says.
Since its debut, the play has gone through rewrites and a workshop at the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre while expanding from one act to two.
“There’s a lot more focus on character. The Fringe play really played up on the antics and situation comedy whereas this one we really had a chance to look at the characters, especially the two women in the show. We’ve just been able to flesh out the story and make everything connect,” says Taylor.
The original cast returns under new director Joshua Beaudry.
“He has a knack for comedy, for slapstick and for finding the meat of every scene. It’s been cool watching it come together.”
It’s more musical this time, too. The band In With the Old plays live music.
“They’re great. They’re super fun to work with and just have a gift for traditional bluegrass.”
One surprise element that’s come through is a political one. With an election going on, and the megalomaniac liquor store owner up against the landlady, there’s definite Trump-Clinton resonance.
“There’s almost a bit too much truth in it right now,” laughs Taylor.
He got the idea for Southern Dandy 75 during a 24-hour playwriting competition, saying it came to him almost in a fevered state in the middle of the night. In a way, it’s a tribute to the cartoons he watched as a kid, from Donald Duck to Futurama. Writing it, and coming up with terms like “half-baked Johnny Appleseed,” “scrawdammit,” and “humdrum of a turkey drumstick” has been a blast.
“I always found it to be a total indulgence project. I write it the way I want to write it. It’s just a pleasurable, joyous process.”
The cast of Southern Dandy 75 includes Lindsay Adams, Jared Beattie, Grahame Kent, Luke Pennock, Danielle Spilchen, Devon Wesnoski.