Cole as the innovative musician Maybelle Carter.

Carter, Jackie Frost as the reluctant performer Sara Carter, and Emily J. and Sara met in 1914, returns to 1960, a few days before A.P.’s death, and concludes in 1976 – six years after the family was welcome into the Country Music Hall of Fame. This musical play – as distinct from a musical – starts with A.P.’s funeral in 1960, jumps back to the day A.P. The program even includes a handy Carter Family Tree. The talent was passed down through the generations, with June, one of Maybelle and Ezra’s daughters marrying country music superstar Johnny Cash. Even those who are not fans of country music may be familiar with “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” which was covered by Elvis Presley. moved to California and remarried – to one of A.P.’s cousins.ĭirector Tom Width is clearly enamored of this foot-patting, hand-clapping story, carried along by a selection of 27 of the Carter family’s most well-known songs. first met.īut the hardships of touring, and separations necessitated by work eventually led to the dissolution of the trio. Known as the First Family of country music, the Carters popularized a new style of harmonizing Maybelle crafted “the Carter lick,” a unique style of guitar picking, and Sara sang and played the autoharp – which is how se and A.P. toured the countryside collecting songs – ballads, blues, folk, gospel, – that collectively became a part of the foundation of the uniquely American genre known as “country music.” Carter, his wife Sara Carter, and his wife’s cousin Maybelle who was married to A.P.’s brother Ezra made up the original Carter family. One of the things I liked about KEEP ON THE SUNNY SIDE, the story of the Carter family of country music fame, is that playwright Douglas Pote didn’t sugarcoat the darker side of the story.Ī.P. Ticket Prices: $49 with discounts for students, seniors, and veterans rush tickets $25 at the door when available Are Your Dreams Big Enough? The Songs and Story of the Original Carter FamilyĪt: The Swift Creek Mill Theatre, 17401 U.S.

Silence of the Wolves by Hannah Pole