by Jennifer Olsen

MOOoove over… Here comes a cattle stampede live on stage! Golden Chain Theatre in Oakhurst, CA presents the Tim Kelly comedy Here Come the Cows (or Never Say Moo in Mesa) beginning June 28. The annual summer melodrama, which allows for lots of audience participation, is packed with jokes, bound to have you laughing out loud. The melodrama has been a staple on the Golden Chain Theatre stage since its inception in 1967.

This year, you’ll boo the villain, Mandrake Mothdust (Maxwell Barclay) and his “dancing” partner, Trilby Tango (Amanda Von Raeder), who end up stranded in the small (and dusty) town of Mesa. In the midst of a hot spell, poor widow Molly Hopkins (Jamie Letwinch), proprietor of the Mesa Soup Shack and Trading Post, along with the heroine, Penny Frumheaven (Paige Ferbrache), must come up with two hundred dollars to save their home. Only when the grumpiest man in town, Grouchy Backwater (Leonard Brown), kicks the bucket, and the ladies plus the villains keep the money, does trouble really start brewing!

Enter Dan DeLion (Josh Olsen), a prominent cattle buyer who sweeps in with the money needed to save the town of Mesa! Unfortunately, Mothdust and Tango have other ideas for the money. With the help of the hero, Bronco Bronco (JR Romero), a couple of cattle stampedes, and an assorted collection of townsfolk, the town of Mesa is saved.

Directed by Cynthia McFann, this is an “udderly” ridiculous melodrama that knows how to milk the laughs. “I love working with the Golden Chain Theatre” says McFann. “Working with this cast has been rewarding.”

Paige Ferbrache, playing the heroine Penny Frumheaven, states that being in her first melodrama is fun “because it’s so overdramatic, and you can really let your imagination run free.”

Come join the fun at Golden Chain Theatre in Oakhurst, CA to see Here Comes the Cows… or Never Say Moo in Mesa playing Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from June 28 through July 14. Doors open one hour before show time. Tickets available online at: www.goldenchaintheatre.org or at the door.

If you love local theatre, be sure to check out our new Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast, which features mysteries read by local actors. You can check the podcast out on iTunes and Google Play, and also on podbean.

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