Preview of The Battle Of ShallowfordRaleigh Little Theatre Preview In “The Battle Of Shallowford,” Orson Welles convinces On Oct. 5-7, 11-14, and 18-21, Raleigh Little Theatre will stage The Battle Of Shallowford, Winston-Salem, NC dramatist and screenwriter Ed Simpson’s pixilated play about a small town’s hilarious response to Mercury Theatre on the Air director Orson Welles’ infamous Oct. 30, 1938 Halloween broadcast of a radio play based on The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Performed in RLT’s Cantey V. Sutton Theatre, the play shows what happens when literal-minded local yokels think that the Martians have landed and are determined to save the world! On his web site, playwright Ed Simpson writes, “On a quiet Sunday night, the local regulars have gathered at Burton Mack’s general store, in the small town of Shallowford, NC [which other sources claim is based on Simpson’s hometown of Lewisville, NC]. It is October, 1938. The rest of the world is poised on the brink of war, but the locals aren’t much worried about events in the world at large. They’re more interested in the local gossip -- and Burton’s general store is the best place to hear it. The regulars include the gossipy, whining Clunette; fey church choirmaster Fred; lowlife, wild-eyed Newsome Jarvis, on hand with his ‘slow’ son, Doodad; Mr. Roy, a one-armed World War I veteran who holds court at the store; egotistic local football hero Dewey Sowers; Burton’s restless young daughter, Ruthie; and her schoolmate Lonny Hutchins, a sci-fi aficionado. All is calm; until, that is, they turn on the radio and learn that the Martians have invaded! Of course, it is the famous Orson Welles broadcast they are listening to -- but they fall for it, hook, line, and shotgun, and run out to do battle against the fearsome threat from the invading Martians. Only Lonny suspects that something is fishy, but he’s got his hands full if he thinks he’s gonna deter the local yokels from their moment of glory.” Long-time RLT artistic director Haskell Fitz-Simons will stage The Battle Of Shallowford with a cast that includes Pat Berry as Burton Mock, Kirsten Ehlert as Ruthie Mock, Jason Justice as Lonny Hutchins, Tim Cherry as Clunette Campbell, Shawn Smith as Roy Sprinkle, Michael Saintomas as Dewey Sowers, Phil Lewis as Newsome Jarvis, David Corlett as “Doodad” Jarvis, and Don Smith as Fred Martin. In addition to director Haskell Fitz-Simons, the RLT creative team includes assistant to the director Julia Ann Rogers, costume designer Jenny Butler, sound designer Becca Easley, lighting designer, and stage manager Paul Slovensky. According to Samuel French, the Asheville Citizen-Times called The Battle Of Shallowford “a theatrical gem”; and the Knoxville (TN) News-Sentinel says the play will “Tickle [the audience’s] funny bones, warm their hearts, [and won’t] insult their intelligence.... The Battle Of Shallowford hits that magic trio.” The Knoxville Journal added, “[The Battle Of Shallowford is] a sentimental comedy that’s hilariously on target … [and] resonates with a folksy, small town life I thought disappeared from popular culture …. [The play has] splendid character and is full of hilarious comic payoffs …. It could easily become a community-theater staple in much the way the works of Larry Shue (The Nerd) have.” Raleigh Little Theatre presents The Battle Of Shallowford Friday-Saturday, Oct. 5-6, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 7, at 3 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 11-13 and 18-20, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 14 and 12, at 3 p.m. in RLT’s Cantey V. Sutton Theatre, 301 Pogue St., Raleigh, North Carolina. $18 ($15 students and seniors), except 410 Oct. 7th. 919/ 821-3111 or etix.com. NOTE 1: All shows are wheelchair accessible , and assistive listening devices are available for all shows. NOTE 2: Arts Access, Inc. of Raleigh, NC (http://www.artsaccessinc.org/) will audio-describe the 3 p.m. Oct. 7th performance. NOTE 3: There will be a talkback Session with playwright Ed Simpson following the Oct. 12th performance. Raleigh Little Theatre: http://raleighlittletheatre.org/performances/07-08/shallowford.html. The Battle Of Shallowford : http://www.mirthmaster.com/shallowford.htm. Ed Simpson: http://www.mirthmaster.com/. WHAT: The TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW is a FREE weekly e-mail theatrical newsletter, featuring previews and reviews by Robert W. McDowell and reviews by Alan R. Hall and others. (For brief bios of our critics, see the CVNC biographies page.) 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