Red, White and Tuna
| Red, White and Tuna | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard |
| Date premiered | 1998 |
| Original language | English |
| Series | Greater Tuna, A Tuna Christmas, and Tuna Does Vegas |
| Genre | comedy |
| Setting | Tuna, Texas |
| Official site | |
Red, White and Tuna is the third in a series of comedic plays (preceded by Greater Tuna and A Tuna Christmas and followed by Tuna Does Vegas), each set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, the "third-smallest" town in the state. The plays were written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard. The plays are at once an affectionate comment on small-town, Southern life and attitudes but also a withering satire of same. The plays are notable in that two men play the entire cast of nearly twenty eccentric characters of both genders and various ages. The first play, Greater Tuna, debuted in 1981 in Austin; Red, White and Tuna debuted in 1998.
Williams and Sears regularly tour the country to perform all four plays, with Howard directing. Of the four plays, Red, White and Tuna is notable in that Sears' and Williams' final costume change (normally done off-stage) is done in full view of the audience.
Red, White and Tuna is not currently available on VHS or DVD.
(In order of respective appearance)
Performed by Williams:
Performed by Sears:
The show begins with two new-age hippie friends, Star Birdfeather (Sears) and Amber Windchime (Williams) driving back to Tuna, Texas at night. They are returning so that they can meet with old friends due to the 4th of July Homecoming Reunion and Fireworks display. They are nervous to see the state of the town, and are also nervous as to whether or not people will remember their 'past lives' from when they still lived in their hometown. They become so upset that Amber forces Star to pull over, and they hum to calm their inner peace (Until Star attempts to hum a Nancy Sinatra song, which angers Amber). They drive on apprehensively under the cover of the night.
The next morning, local radio station OKKK signs on and the DJ's Arles Struvie (Williams) and Thurston Wheelis (Sears) begin giving the daily announcements, which are focused around the 4th of July celebrations. The hot topic of the day is the dropping out of Didi Snavely (Williams) and Pearl Burras (Sears) from the Reunion queen contest, essentially ensuring that the stuck-up Vera Carp (Williams) will win. Also mentioned are several issues which are addressed throughout the show, including the Prayer Posse (led by Vera)'s drive to censor hymns, the members of Free White Texas attempts to declare the town of Tuna a free, independent white nation, and the wedding of Arles and Bertha Bumiller (Sears) the next day. The news is suddenly hit with a new hot topic, in that gay theatre director, Joe Bob Lipsey (Sears), has stormed off from his summer production of *Red, White, and Fabulous!* due to Vera saying he cannot sing a song about alcohol in a dry county. Local animal rights activist, Petey Fisk (Williams), also makes an announcement denouncing that all creatures with more than four legs are pests.
...
Wikipedia