Author: Priscilla Hall, Wytheville Enterprise
Fans of country music in general and the Carter Family in particular will want to see Barter Theatre’s Keep on the Sunny Side during the month of May. Written by Doug Pote, it is the most-requested Barter show.
It is the story of A.P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter and their music, made famous by the recordings they did in Bristol in 1927 and the radio show that was heard all over the country in the 1930s. It contains songs that some of us older folks remember hearing when we were children: “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” “Wildwood Flower,” and, of course, “Keep on the Sunny Side.”
When the play was last produced, Janette Carter (daughter of A.P. and Sara) was on hand to give her approval to the bittersweet story of her parents and their music. Sadly, Janette died in 2006. Her daughter, Rita Forrester, carries on the family’s love of country music at the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons. She was present at last Saturday night’s performance.
In the current version, Eugene Wolf returns as A.P. Carter, and there is no better actor anywhere. Kimberly Mays reprises her role as Janette Carter. (One has to wonder at how it must have felt to portray Janette on stage as the real Janette sat in the audience.) They are joined by Jill Anderson and Joy Lynn White as Sara and Maybelle. The men’s roles are played by Buddy Woodward and Peter Barent Lewis.
Even people who are not fans of country music love this show. Doug Pote, who has also written plays about Ralph Stanley and Jimmie Rodgers, did the region a wonderful service when he scripted this story. People who saw it in 2005 will want to see it again.
My colleague, Joyce McGhee, and I were granted special permission to use the script in our classes at Virginia Highlands Community College in 2005. As a result, I have seen the show multiple times, and even though I am not a fan of country music, I will go to see it again. I love this show!