ABOVE: (L-R) Blue Star, Peg O’Keef, Miss Sammy and Beth Marshall in Wanzie’s “Ladies of Eola Heights, Episode 6 – Zoom Reunion.” (Photo courtesy Wanzie Presents)
ORLANDO | Quarantine and social distancing aren’t enough to keep playwright Michael Wanzie from bringing audiences the next, all-new installment of his hit series “Ladies of Eola Heights.”
“Ladies of Eola Heights, Episode 6 – Zoom Reunion” will premiere on YouTube Aug. 15 and will remain available for on-demand viewing through Aug. 29, according to a July 29 press release.
The show, which as the title suggests, will take place entirely through a Zoom meeting in present day during the coronavirus pandemic. Opal (played by Peg O’Keef), Ruby (played by Blue Star) and Pearl (played by Beth Marshall) are living in separate cities and have not spoken in nearly a decade. Pearl invites her sisters to join her in a Zoom meeting as she has an important announcement to make.
“As per usual, old wounds are ripped open, only to be healed again, and in the process, our ladies strengthen their southern sisterhood even as they continue to shock one another, evolve and discover new secrets,” the release states.
“Zoom Reunion” is the sixth installment of the popular stage series. The original “Ladies of Eola Heights” debuted in 2005 at the Parliament House’s Footlight Theatre and ran for a record-breaking nine months, making it the longest running show ever to play at the Parliament House. The success of the original show led to three more shows: “After The Prom,” “Court Ordered Therapy” and “55 West.”
While the first four episodes in the series cast men in drag to play the lead roles, Wanzie said that he always planned on women to eventually play these roles.
“’Ladies’ was written with all the original male actors in mind purely as a marketing ploy to sell tickets at the Parliament House,” Wanzie stated in the release. “But it was always my intent that ‘Ladies’ would eventually be performed at other venues, with real women in the female roles.”
The first time “Ladies of Eola Heights” was performed on stage with women cast in the female roles was in 2014 at The Abbey starring O’Keef, Star and Marshall. The only returning male cast member was drag icon Miss Sammy.
Wanzie’s last installment in the “Ladies” series came in 2016 with “Ladies of Eola High Seas” in which the ladies embark on a Disney Magic cruise.
“Zoom Reunion” is the first in the “Ladies” series that will not take place on an actual stage and, due to the current pandemic, has been entirely rehearsed through Zoom meetings. Something else that is a first for the new production, an all new “Ladies of Eola Heights” sitcom-style theme song with music by Rich Charron, lyrics by Wanzie and performed by Sam Singhaus and Randi Solomon.
“Ladies of Eola Heights, Episode 6 – Zoom Reunion” — directed by Kenny Howard — premieres on the Wanzie Presents YouTube channel Aug. 15 at 9 p.m. ET and will be available for on-demand viewing through Aug. 29. Access to view the show on-demand is provided after ticket purchase. Tickets are $15 per household for General Admission and $25 for VIP All Access which will include access to the pre-show and post-show Zoom cast parties and unlimited on-demand viewing. VIP is limited to the first 20 respondents.
For tickets, go to Wanzie.Eventbrite.com.
