Hillbilly heaven: Valley Center Playhouse dishes out knee-slappin' fun with 'Possum City, USA'

Font Size:
Default font size
Larger font size

Jody Renstrom just wants to have a little clean fun.

At least that's the idea behind the Valley Center Playhouse in Lindon.

For more than 30 years now, Renstrom and her husband have been offering family-oriented entertainment to Utah Valley.

"Possum City, USA" is no different. Written by Renstrom herself, the play is a hillbilly comedy filled with slapstick humor and lively music, and nothing that will leave anyone blushing.

"There aren't a lot of really good clean plays out there," Renstrom said. "So when I was teaching, I refused a lot of plays because of dirty [content], and just decided to write my own."

That was a decision that has proved successful, especially this year.

Of the 10 plays that the Valley Center Playhouse will produce this year, eight were written by Renstrom. But even with such a wealth of plays under her belt, Renstrom still labels "Possum City, USA" one of her favorites.

"It's just a lot of fun the whole time and kind of a little mini-Broadway production," she said. "By intermission, everyone is laughing."

The play is the story of Ralph Ratcliff, a popular boy who comes to Possum City looking for a new act for the Grand Ole Opry. To his surprise, he finds that Possum City is full of talent -- and a whole lot of silliness. The play was inspired in part by the fun and silly antics of Daisy Mae and Li'l Abner, comic strip characters that Renstrom saw depicted in a play years ago.

"I just thought, oh this is so much fun to watch these hillbilly folk, and it's so fun and full of life and energy and toe-tapping music, and I thought I'd really like to write my own," she said.

But Renstrom couldn't use the same character names, so she thought of her own: Lulla Dawn, Ella Mae and Peaches Monroe are just a few of the endearing characters audiences will meet in "Possum City, USA."

The production is now open and will run through Aug. 6. An hour and a half of hillbilly silliness, this play is sure to delight those who attend.

If You Go

Possum City, USA

When: Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays through Aug. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Valley Center Playhouse, 780 N. 200 East, Lindon

Tickets: $6, $5 for students, seniors and children, $25 per family. No babes in arms or children under 4.

Info: 224-5310, www.vcpnews.com

Print Email

/entertainment
73° F
Sponsored by:

Utah County: Our Towns

Lowest Gas Price in Utah

Poll

What should the national anthem be?

Loading…
The Star-Spangled Banner remains an inspiring tradition.
My Country Tis of Thee is easier to sing.
America the Beautiful has loftier sentiments.
The Battle Hymn of the Republic is stirring and historic.
This Land is Your Land is catchy and idealistic.
God Bless America would be great before ball games.
Several songs can represent the United States admirably.

Inside Sources

Sausage Grinder

They say there's two things you never want to see made -- laws and sausages. Daily Herald reporter Joe Pyrah covers the whole dirty process.

Jared Lloyd

Daily Herald prep sports expert talking about what he knows best.

Darnell Dickson

Daily Herald Sports Editor covering BYU Football.

Jason Franchuk

Daily Herald Sports Reporter covering BYU Basketball.

The Zuke

Thoughts from Daily Herald Sports Reporter Neil Warner.