Waverly Opera House Ready to Entertain

The annual is gearing up for its performance of “The Secret of Cornbread Flats or How Many Beans Does it Take to End up in Smithereens” this weekend at the Regent Square church.

Gwen Vargas, a member of , coordinated efforts to cast, plan and perform the show which is a melodramatic comedy. Each year, the church chooses a play that works for all of the people involved.

“You really never know how many people will raise their hand to participate so once you have that feeling of who is in, we go to a website to choose the play, looking for the right combination of people,” Vargas said. “We always know that if we need to, we can condense some parts or write in a few. We always put someone in drag and this year is no exception.”

Waverly’s tradition of the Opera House dates back to the 1920s where adults and youth would perform less formal (but no less fun) reviews and minstrel shows for the appreciative congregation and neighborhood.

This year’s story is a mystery in a little town that explodes because of a “natural gas explosion.” The orphans of Beanville go to a town called Cornbread Flats because their parents were blown away. The performances are this Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. at Waverly. Tickets are $10.

“It’s the kind of play where you boo the villains, sigh for the hero and there’s lots of audience participation and song parodies,” Vargas said.

Vargas said that while each year the congregation switches from a production of children to adults, this year, the cast has people from the 20s age range to the 70s.

“That’s a fascinating dynamic,” Vargas said. “One of our older cast members was struggling with a song and a younger one said just pull it up on youtube and listen to it to which he said, ‘I don’t even know what youtube is.’”

Church members begin rehearsals in January and gather every Friday night to prepare for the production. She’s looking forward to the end result this weekend to unveil the show to the neighborhood.

“It’s a huge investment of time and to see all of your friends and family there, the energy level is just high and fun and makes it all worthwhile,” Vargas said.