In new stage theatres production of beth henleys the miss firecracker contest, the characters from left popeye deja abdulhaqq, carnelle jessica wilkinson, delmount david lind. Wandering into the chaos is carnelles seamstress, sweet and strange popeye, who falls in love with delmount. Im not exactly a fan of beth henleys 1984 comedy the miss firecracker contest. Eventually, delmount returns popeyes affections and finds her odd personality something worth loving. Carnelle holly hunter enters the miss firecracker beauty pageant which her.
The miss firecracker contest ends with carnelle, popeye, and delmount watching the independence day pyrotechnics from a perch atop the. A seamstress, popeye jackson, arrives and carnelle hires her to make a pageant costume. Miss firecracker is a 1989 american comedy film directed by thomas schlamme. The play is set in the small southern town of brookhaven, mississippi, and tells an archetypical story of a young woman trying to reinvent herself.
But shes determined to turn it around by becoming this years miss firecracker. Fine arts faculty northwest mississippi community college. The miss firecracker contest, along with other beth henley plays, is characterized as a southern gothic. Determined to follow in her cousins footsteps footsteps,carnelle enlists the help of local seamstress popeye jackson in preparing for the miss firecracker pageant.
When beth henley is really flying, her comic voice has the crazed yet liberating sound of a rebel yell. In the miss firecracker contest, her comedy at the manhattan theater club, this. Miss firecracker lights up the stage at germantown community theatre. It stars holly hunter, mary steenburgen, tim robbins, alfre woodard, and scott glenn. Miss firecracker lights up the stage at germantown. Shes also had the pleasure of directing the fall play at germantown high. The miss firecracker contest south camden theatre company. The miss firecracker contest plot summary, character breakdowns, context and. Miss firecracker not a dud, but it misses key sad notes. The miss firecracker contest wins with laughs and drama encore.
Carnelle tells tessy that she needs popeye to fix her dress. Popeye jackson from the miss firecracker contest summary. This boisterous and bold dark comedy, a true beth henley play, explores human nature through the slightly largerthanlife, and finds earnest humor and satire in many of the same places. Monologue from the miss firecracker pageant by beth henley. Into the woods, daisy in sideshow, popeye in the miss firecracker contest. Character description, analysis and casting breakdown for popeye jackson from the miss firecracker contest. Fireworks on the fourth of july jackson free press. Both charming and irreverent, the miss firecracker contest is a wistful take on southern beauty culture and the reallife facades it so eloquently symbolizes. Instead, the film, written by beth henley from her play the miss firecracker contest, is a superficial and sporadically witty piece aimed at such easy targets as family squabbles, smalltown. Watch miss firecracker 1989 full movie free online. In the miss firecracker contest, her comedy at the manhattan. Maybe i should go on and get your measurements off you right now if ya dont mind.
Carnelle mc wolfe, left is bent on winning the local beauty pageant, and popeye neda armstrong is her devoted. Act go back for murder company velveteen rabbit act miss firecracker contest youre a good man, charlie brown all my sons fox on the fairway a year with frog and t. The miss firecracker contest is a southern literature play written by beth henley. The town of yazoo city, mississippi, is agog over the annual fourth of july miss firecracker contest, and no one is more obsessed with winning this honor than carnelle scott holly hunter. It got a production at the manhattan theatre club offbroadway in 1984 directed by stephen tobolowsky, who was henleys romantic partner at the time. Assisting her in this venture is popeye jackson, an extremely odd and. The miss firecracker contest pops with charm orange.