'Greater Tuna' at Paul Bunyan Playhouse
Date and Time
Friday Jul 21, 2023
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM CDT
What do Arles Struvie, Thurston Wheelis, Aunt Pearl, Petey Fisk, Phineas Blye, and Rev. Spikes have in common? In this hilarious send-up of small-town morals and mores, they are all among the upstanding citizens of Tuna, Texas.
"Greater Tuna" is the hilarious comedy about Texas' third smallest town, where the Lion's Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. The eclectic band of citizens that make up this town are portrayed by only two performers, making this satire on life in rural America even more delightful as they depict all of the inhabitants of Tuna -- men, women, children and animals. Two actors, twenty characters, and a barrel of laughs, y’all.
Location
Historic Chief Theater, 314 Beltrami Ave. NW, in downtown Bemidji
Website
Description
"Greater Tuna" (which began as a simple party skit based on a political cartoon more than 40 years ago in Austin, Texas) was originally produced in 1981 in Austin, Texas by its authors, Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard. The play’s stars, Williams and Sears, played all twenty characters, and Howard directed. One year after its premiere, "Greater Tuna" opened Off Broadway, ran for over a year, and went on to tour major theaters all over America and spots overseas for the next thirty-some years, becoming one of the most produced plays in American theatre history.
