A New Southern Classic: Swell Party
“For Southerners, the truth isn’t nearly as important as a good story.”
This is true, and anyone who is from the South or has lived here long enough knows this. The above is a quote from Topher Payne’s website, and he is the playwright of Swell Party, first performed in Atlanta in 2013 and currently on the bill at Theatre Macon. This production mixes everything truly Southern: the story of the aristocratic Reynolds family of North Carolina, the mystery of how an heir died, an intruding Yankee-wife actress, enough Southern drawls to be just delightful and phrases such as “agitated raccoon”.
So, I don’t want to give away too much in this review however I will say you need to run, not walk, to get tickets. You can also order them online easily, which is what I did, by going to Theatre Macon’s website. What can I say without giving away too much? Theatre Macon has a video here you can see to learn more about the story itself. (I tried to embed it here but couldn’t get the code to work- #fail.)
What I feel like I can say is this: the story is very well written. There are enough aristocratic old Southern sayings in here to make you laugh, but not so many that it feels forced or trite. The cast does an unbeliveable job of delivering their performances and I really felt like I had stepped foot into 1930’s North Carolina. The show does run a little longer than I anticipated, but it’s worth it. And, for the record, I did look around at my fellow audience members and I didn’t see a single person looking at their phones, watches, or anywhere other than the stage.
It’s also remarkable that Theatre Macon is in it’s 30th year. This is 30 years of being downtown, supporting the arts in our community. And they just paid off their mortgage. If you are a believer in downtown or economic revitalization or you like good ol’ Southern Steel Magnolias-like humor, then you will not want to miss this. It’s a good way to have a great night out and also support one of our Macon institutions.
Love to all y’all,
Molly
*Note: In the spirit of full disclosure, I have a number of friends in the cast of this show: Georgia, Brian, Anthony, & Ginger are all people who I adore. And Jim Crisp is someone who I greatly admire and respect, and frankly I STILL brag about that time he gave the cast of Animal Farm (which I was a part of) 1st place at the State One Act Competition as well as a Best Actor award to the entire cast. #Boom #YesItWasInHighSchool #IDontCare
