Glen Burnie Kids Shine in Li’l Abner

For two Glen Burnie girls, months of rehearsal, practicing dance routines and songs and learning about the Deep South in the 1950s culminated in The Talent Machine Company’s production of Li’l Abner, which opened Friday at St. John’s College and continues this week.

Gillian Smith, 14, plays Dr. Rasmussen T. Finsdale, the scientist who can’t believe the drastic results Dogpatch’s yokumberry tonic produces in the town’s men after the government declares Dogpatch’s residents must find something unique about their town to save it from being destroyed by a bomb.

Charlotte Kuethe, 11, plays Dr. Smithborn, one of the scientists working with Finsdale, and also one of General Bullmoose’s secretaries.

Gillian said when she auditioned earlier this year, she didn’t have a particular role in mind. This is her fourth show with Talent Machine, and she said she feels accepted in its ranks of actors.

“We’re all kids,” Gillian said. “It’s like a family. It’s not, ‘Do I get to be a star?’ or ‘Do I get the most lines?’”

It’s also Gillian’s final performance as a member of the children’s group, so she said she feels emotional about this production. She later can move up to the adult group.

Based on Al Capp’s comic strip, Li’l Abner also tells the story of Abner Yokum and his efforts to avoid resisting the feminine charms of his neighbor, Daisy Mae, who has been trying for years to capture him at the Sadie Hawkins Day dance. According to local folklore, any man who is captured has to marry that woman.

Not only did the actors have to learn their lines, songs and dance routines, they also had to learn about the time period to better understand the production, director Aly Cross said.

“I’ve never been more proud in my life. They did a lot of research on their own. I encouraged them to watch the film. I made them Google anything they didn’t understand,” she said. “They really did character studies.”

For Charlotte, now in her fifth Talent Machine production, that meant learning how to do a Southern accent and what kind of costumes her characters would wear. Like Gillian, she values the techniques she’s learned from her directors and other actors.

“They’re nice people and teach me a lot of good techniques,” like how to project a voice, she said. “I really like the shows.”

Remaining performances take place Thursday through Sunday in the Key Auditorium at St. John’s College in Annapolis. Tickets can be purchased at talentmachine.com, by phone at 410-956-0512 or at the door.