A cast of 28 will perform in the 1950s musical based on the
famous comic strip ‘Li’l Abner’
Gilroy – Janeece Pourroy may not play the leading role in “Li’l Abner” but as a townswoman or “Dogpatcher,” her character still packs quite a punch.
“I just love the humor,” said the college sophomore. “It’s something adults can appreciate.”
Decked out in frumpy, flannel duds – the apparent haute couture of Dogpatch, USA – Pourroy still has a chance to ensure her character shines thanks to the show’s clever lines and musical score.
A cast of 28 hailing from throughout the South Valley will all bring the fictional town of Dogpatch, USA – a place we’re all familiar with – to life on the Gilroy High School stage. The castmembers range in age from 11 to 60-plus.
Set in what the government later refers to as “the most unnecessary, no-account,” town in the country, the “Li’l Abner” musical is based on a famous comic strip of the same name.
Al Capp’s comic strip, which ran from 1936 to 1977, followed a cast of characters living in Dogpatch, USA. Besides inspiring a long-running Broadway musical that first opened in the late 1950s and two movies, Capp’s creation also impacted American culture.
In 1937, the cartoonist introduced a foot race dubbed Sadie Hawkins Day into his strip. The basis of the special day was to find a husband for the homely Sadie Hawkins, a regular character in his cartoon.
Sadie Hawkin’s father decreed that once a year bachelorettes would be given the chance to pursue and marry one of the town’s single men. The strip’s tradition became a nationwide rage and by the late 1930s schools across the nation were staging Sadie Hawkins Day events.
That Dogpatchers spend their days doing little else than lazing around sipping Kickapoo Juice, the locally brewed spirit, fishing and heading to the Sadie Hawkins Dance, is a mainstay of the musical.
That laid-back attitude and the inherent humor it brings to the musical is what drew Steven Good to the production. The University of California, Santa Cruz student plays Li’l Abner, the star of the show.
“You can’t go wrong with the script on this,” he said.
When Dennis Beasley, Odyssey Theatre Company of Gilroy High School artistic director, approached Good and asked him to audition for the play, the 19-year-old had quite a lot on his plate and was sure he’d have to opt out.
But Beasley said ‘that’s fine Steve, we can work around them.’
So Good auditioned and landed the part of the protagonist. That it’s chock-full of comedy and the wit’s not limited to main characters is what the college sophomore really likes about the musical.
Even the minor roles “are so hilarious,” he said. “It’s such a fun play.”
