The 59th triumphant season of Summer Mummers began on June 15th and will run every weekend until September 1st. That means that you have literally all summer to take in Piracy on the Permian Seas: The Curse of the Burnt Kernel. I highly recommend that you do so, especially if you have never had the pleasure of attending one of these thoroughly entertaining productions at the historic Yucca Theatre in downtown Midland.
Summer Mummers is a strange hybrid of melodrama, vaudeville, silent movie, and burlesque. Like most melodrama, Summer Mummers, features stock characters like “The Hero”, “The Villain”, “The Heroine”, and “The Hero’s Sidekick”. If you remember the Dudley Do-Right cartoons from the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, you have a good idea of the “world” in which the Summer Mummers melodrama takes place. The only difference being that Summer Mummers might be a little more over-the-top than the cartoon was!
Each year, the cast of Summer Mummers tells a new story about how The Hero saves the Heroine from the clutches of the dastardly Villain. They do this with both live performance and a silent movie. Though there is not much to the characters, nor is there much real suspense to the script, the melodrama is usually very entertaining.
Audience participation is absolutely essential to each performance and is what makes it so much fun. Audience members are encouraged to cheer whenever The Hero appears on stage and boo, hiss, and even throw popcorn at The Villain. Furthermore, audience members are encouraged to throw popcorn at each other during intermissions. As a consequence, full scale popcorn wars are a staple of Summer Mummers.
Now a word about popcorn throwing. If you’ve never been to Summer Mummers, this probably sounds a little juvenile. Actually, it is and that is the fun. Summer Mummers provides patrons with the opportunity to get a little rowdy if they want to. It’s all in good fun and it’s actually for a good cause too. Summer Mummers, including popcorn and alcohol sales, provide Midland Community Theatre with a significant portion of its operating budget each year.
So, if you go to Summer Mummers, be prepared to spend lots of money on popcorn and also be prepared to come out smelling like popcorn and feeling a little greasy. Popcorn will be several inches deep in all of the aisles and you’re going to have it all over you whether you want to partake in the “childishness” or not. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
The melodrama itself is very funny featuring lots of slap-stick, gags, and one-liners. It also features a lot of local references for the benefit of locals (like having Midland Sherriff Gary Painter being the one to lock up some of the characters during the silent movie). Not everyone who goes to see Summer Mummers is terrible interested in the “plot”, but if you are, then I would advise that you do what you can to sit as close as possible. The crowd makes a lot of noise and if you sit too far away, it will be difficult for you to hear what is going on. In general, the closer you can get to the stage, the better. You will have to pay a little bit more for your tickets, but it will be money well spent.
The melodrama is followed by “the zany olio” featuring a series of short music and comedy acts. Some of these acts are new every year, while others are favorites that have been performed every year for decades. These acts vary in their humor, but their quality as a whole is excellent and there are a few that are sure to have you in stitches.
I should probably point out that as thoroughly amusing as Summer Mummers may be, it is not for everyone. It is entertainment, not art. If you are stuck on the idea that theatre should be “sophisticated”, then Summer Mummers is certainly not for you. Nor should you attend Summer Mummers if you are easily offended. Summer Mummers is intended for adult audiences and includes a great deal of adult humor. If you are offended by brief nudity, sex jokes, or provocative dance routines, then perhaps you would be better off attending a more family oriented production. Don’t get me wrong, Summer Mummers isn’t just some kind of X-rated burlesque show, but neither is it appropriate for children or those seeking “clean” entertainment.
The key to enjoying yourself at Summer Mummers is, I think, to go with other people who are there to enjoy themselves. If you and your friends cut loose and just have some good natured fun, you will have a blast. It has been around for 59 years because there are a great number of people who are fans for life. So give Summer Mummers a chance. I can’t guarantee that it will agree with you, but I can guarantee that it is unlike anything else you have ever seen.
