IHCC Presents Auntie Mame
A young boy’s future is at stake in a battle of wits between eccentric Mame Dennis and conventional Dwight Babcock, as Indian Hills Community College Theatre presents Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s Auntie Mame on October 8, 9, and 10 at 7:30 p.m. in St. John Auditorium. Performances are free to the public, but seating is limited to less than 100 tickets per show, and patrons are encouraged to reserve their tickets ahead of time by calling 641-683-5144. Audience members will be required to wear masks throughout the production.
“Preparing this show for performance has been a challenge,” says director Dr. Jennifer Boyenga. “It was originally scheduled for April of this year, but due to COVID-19, we were unable to perform. We have reduced the cast from 26 to 13, and we are performing in face shields, but the show must go on!”
The play is based on a 1955 novel by Patrick Dennis, and it focuses on the adventures of a young boy growing up with his sometimes odd but always loving aunt, his only living relative. The play was first produced in 1956. It was made into a film starring Rosalind Russell in 1958 and was later adapted as the musical Mame in 1966.
Dr. Ray Slavens, technical director, says, “This show is an old favorite of mine, and it has been fun watching our students bring the characters to life as they learn about early 20th century behavior, like how to sit properly in a dress. Its carpe diem theme is one that appeals to a wide audience.”
The show centers on young Patrick Dennis, played by Troy Neumann of Cedar Rapids and David Halvorsen of Ottumwa, who is sent with his nanny and housekeeper Norah Muldoon, played by Amber Lindley of Oskaloosa, to live in Manhattan with his madcap Auntie Mame Dennis, played by Shannon Garrels of Bloomfield. Mame has great plans for Patrick’s cultural enlightenment, but her plans are thwarted by Dwight Babcock, Patrick’s Trustee, played by Dylan Baldwin of Ottumwa. The battle for Patrick’s future provides the central conflict of the play.
Along the way, we meet an assortment of Mame’s friends and acquaintances, including her best friend, Broadway star Vera Charles, played by Jorge Saavedra of Wapello, her love interest Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside, played by Tate Padilla of Albia, her butler and chauffeur Ito, played by Griffin Berndt of New London, amorous Irish poet Brian O’Bannion, played by Joseph Culp of Pleasantville, catty southern belle Sally Cato, played by Shannon Saeger of Packwood, the bourgeois Claude Upson, played by Caleb Dalby of Ottumwa, Mame’s decorator Pegeen Ryan, played by Alexandria Young of Ottumwa, and Patrick’s avante-garde school teacher Ralph Devine, played by Zachari Thomas of Greeley, Colorado.
Technical support for the show is provided by sound technician Lily Arney of Ottumwa, light board operator Zachary Tarr of Oskaloosa, backstage assistant Joel Courtney of Oskaloosa, and costume assistant Jaryn Froah of Bloomfield.
