2015 Reviews

Dearly Beloved

Written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, Jamie Wooten (Same writers as our Sell-Out Shows Hallelujah Girls, Dixie Swim Club, and Dearly Departed!)
Directed by Randy Davis

"Big Dawg Productions starts their season off with a bang!... Dearly Beloved is no disappointment in that arena, and delivers everything it promises... In the past few years, Big Dawg Productions, though working in a small and fairly limited space, has developed a reputation for pretty substantial production values... With such a talented cast who is clearly having a ball onstage, it is easy to see why this show feels infectious. Davis also is directing “Christmas Belles” (i.e. the Dubberlys do Christmas) this winter for Big Dawg. It looks like it will be the perfect bookend to the season." - Encore

"In the world of Wilmington community theater, “country-fried” entertainment brings in the crowds. The ensemble pieces allow actors to freely chew scenery with a down-home humor that skewers Southern stereotypes. Luckily, “Dearly Beloved,” with a hearty dose of spunk and wit, stands out from the bunch." - StarNews

starnews review for big dawg productions

Laughter on the 23rd Floor

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

"...scholars have argued about the rebel Christ-like nature of McMurphy and his journey for the inhabitants of the ward. Combined with Cosec’s radiant blonde hair and wining smile, one could argue that Rodriguez hit upon a beautiful rebel with this casting choice." - Encore

"An impassioned stage version of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” is currently running at Wilmington's Cape Fear Playhouse under the direction of J.R. Rodriguez for Big Dawg Productions, and thanks to a strong ensemble cast, the play captures the source material's rebellious, defiant spirit." - StarNews

WHQR Interview

Visit bigdawghermit.com
for more info on the show.

The Hermit of Fort Fisher Returns!

“'The Hermit of Fort Fisher' thrives outdoors, where it belongs... "Big Dawg has said it has the rights to “Hermit” for the next couple of years, which means that it could become a summer mainstay at Greenfield Lake. The company’s outdoor debut is an artistic success by most any measure...
'Hermit', a deeply felt and often funny drama about an eccentric Southeastern North Carolina legend, shows why it’s a good candidate to be the area’s first annual outdoor drama tied to local history..." - StarNews

"SUCCESSFUL REVIVAL: Big Dawg’s outdoor production of “The Hermit of Fort Fisher” is a perfect fit for Greenfield Lake Amphitheater...
Big Dawg Productions has moved to the forefront of the cultural scene this year. No longer a mere player, the theatre company is much more a guidepost with consistent sold-out shows across various platforms... The Hermit of Fort Fisher” is a truly unique [show] that encapsulates a story of relationships and love, all taking place on Pleasure Island, just 10 miles south of Wilmington...Anyone who saw the show at Cape Fear Playhouse of in Brunswick County should come see it again at the lake; it is a completely different experience. The space at Big Dawg is incredibly intimate, but this is a bigger story. Just like the Hermit, who did not find himself until he got outside under our beautiful Carolina stars, the power of this story does not gel until it has the grandest stage: under the moon with a chorus of frogs and geese. When Harrill talks about going to catch dinner in the sound, the splash of aquatic life in Greenfield Lake perfectly complements the line. It is but one instance of how much this story is connected to nature and the outdoors... Few stories have ever been so entwined as that of our Hermit and nature." - ENCORE

Miss Firecracker Contest

"Fans of wacky, heartfelt Southern comedies should make a beeline to the Cape Fear Playhouse for 'The Miss Firecracker Contest'...
"Firecracker,' under the direction of Anne Berkeley, finds plenty of laughs, the play also explores, with affection but not sentimentality, the romantic hopes and dreams of its truly memorable cast of characters...The play is aided by Randall Enlow's set, which makes a major change between acts, and Susan Kranyik's costumes, which accent each character's particular nuttiness...For all of its comic wildness and occasional silliness, however, the play gets at a number of nicely drawn truths," - StarNews

"The Miss Firecracker Contest” certainly has all the standards seemingly rampant in Southern comedies: long, drawn-out enunciation of language, colloquialisms galore, caricature-like roles, excessive arguments, and massive amounst of quirk. The latter works in its favor, starting with Popeye Jackson, played by Susan Auten. [She] is such an amazing talent... I love her sense of peculiarity in this role; she masters awkward social situations and interactions that feel authentic...The set design of “The Miss Firecracker Contest” really astounds in Act II. In fact, it may be one of the best transformations I’ve seen Big Dawg ever take on in their small Cape Fear Playhouse theatre." - Encore

Dead Man's Cell Phone

The show’s comic, cosmic tone is a tough one to hit, but when the play gets it... it’s a fun ride... Act two... develops some intrigue as Ruhl delivers her own fanciful take on what happens when we die...Dallas LaFon’s set is bare bones, but flats and set pieces covered in glow-in-the dark paint spatter work with his lighting to create a interstellar feel. Stanley also brings a great soundtrack, from cool jazz to throbby, synthy club music, with occasional, informational snippets about cellphone etiquette also setting the tone...In its own wackily comedic way, the play lumps in cellphones with other "dead" things, suggesting they create a reality in which our lives move so fast that our souls can’t catch up. If it’s true that when you’re constantly tied to your phone you’re more dead than alive, it’s something humanity’s going to have to deal with one day, if it’s not too late already." - StarNews

"Big Dawg Theatre Co. winds up their busy and successful summer with the intriguing “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” by Sarah Ruhl. This is such an odd, and in many ways, rhetorical show. It is amazing to watch this group of people mine it for moments of great humanity. More impressive is how they turn it around and revel in the shallowness of daily life and misfortunes. Fascinating writing, strong performances and a really wonderfully clear directorial vision all resonate with vital design to create an entertaining and artistically rewarding night at the theater." - Encore

Christmas Belles

Written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, Jamie Wooten

It's Christmas time in the small town of Frayo, TX and the Futrelle sisters are not exactly in a festive mood. A cranky Frankie is weeks overdue with the second set of twins. Twink is in jail for inadvertently burning down half the town, and hot flash suffering Honey Raye is desperately trying to keep the Tabernacle of the Lamb's Christmas Program from spiraling into chaos. When Frankie lets slip a family secret that has been carefully guarded for decades, all hope for a successful Christmas Program seems lost, even with an Elvis impersonator.

December 10-13 & 17-20