July 19, 1977

The Courier-Times

“The Prince From Pendlepoop” opens Tonight in Memorial Park

            “The Prince From Pendlepoop,” an original play written by Summer Theater in the Park director Dick Willis and Sherrie Burke, with current production musical arrangement by Della Mae Tronchuk, will open another Raintree County Opera House Guild, Inc., how today at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Park Shelter House.

                The play is a spoof of musical comedy of the 1920s.  The main plot line parodies the boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl again formula used for most musical comedies.  It so happens in “The Prince From Pendlepoop,” however, that the boy is really a prince studying incognito in Pendlepoop College for Eager Young Men and Women in the Eastern United States.  Prince Bernie (Mike Fleming) falls in love with Mimi (Diane Crisp), but the true love-love at first sight formula never does run smooth and the show deals with the complication of their romance until in the third act, when Bernie and Mimi are happily reunited.

                Adding to the complication of the romance is Bernie’s stuffy guardian, Willard (Bob Garner), who does not agree with Bernie’s love for a commoner.  Willard is taken in tow, however, by the hot-blooded poetry professor Lela Powers (Ann Poer) who teaches him a few of the ins and outs of romantic poetry until he is transformed through the magical morality of musical comedy into a fun loving, happy and contented person.

                Other characters spoofed in the production are the Big Man On Campus, the campus Don Juan, who manages to be president of every organization.  Daniel Dapper is portrayed by Jim Baird.  The campus rowdy, the college president and sorority girl are other college types parodied in “the Prince From Pendlepoop.”  The cast is completed with a chorus of wide-eyed spread fingered college coeds and eddies that can be found only in the American musical comedy.

                The production features 16 original songs with lyrics written by Dick Willis and music by Mrs. Burke and current music by Miss Tronchuk.

                “It’s fun theater,” said Mrs. Burke.  “There is little though, no message, no sex and no strong language.  The play is simply an evening of fun theater.”

                Tickets always are available at the door with refreshments during intermission.  Fans provide a somewhat cool atmosphere during the show.