The Dastardly Doctor Devereaux Comes to Maryville

Paging Audie Ence…Audie Ence….report to The Rose Theater in Maryville, MO April 1 through 3 to see the youth musical, The Dastardly Doctor Devereaux!

Something maniacal is going on at the The Hanover D. Cash medical clinic! The evil Doctor Dogsbreath Devereaux and his nasty nurse, Hilda Hatchett, unleash a plan to trick the wealthy clinic owner, Lotta Cash, into giving them all her money. But the evil plan is disrupted by the arrival of the new nurse, Wendy March, who has a secret connection to the wealthy widow. Layer on a handsome and noble young doctor, a heroic, yet dim-witted, nurse, crazy patients, and numerous hysterical musical numbers…it’s enough to leave the audience in stitches!

The production, sponsored by the Nodaway Community Theater Company, involves seventeen area youth, aged 7 through 16, and is directed by Scott Lance. Each year, the theater alternates between performing a youth play or a musical and targets youth in 4th-8th grades. According to Mr. Lance, who has directed the youth plays at The Rose Theater for many years, this cast sports the largest age span of any of the previous productions to allow for maximum participation. Practices, which began at the end of February, are held three nights a week and focus on learning the musical numbers, choreography, and interacting on the stage.

Jennifer O’Gwin, the musical director, shares that many actors have a solo and all get to participate in the musical numbers. Kathryn Vesel, who plays Nurse Hatchett, says, “Prepare for puns! There’s a lot of them!” Many of the actors express that their favorite things about being involved in this musical are: making new friends, having speaking roles, the choreography, and that The Rose Theater feels like “home.”

Performances are Friday, April 1 at PM, Saturday, April 2 at 7 PM, and Sunday, April 3 at 2 PM. Tickets are $8 and available for purchase at Maryville’s Hy-Vee. For more information about the actors and the performance, please check out the Nodaway Community Theater Company’s Facebook page.

The Dastardly Doctor Devereaux is written by Billy St. John with music by Debbie Wilson. It is produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., Englewood, CO.