Meet Carnelle Scott.
She鈥檚 the conflicted dynamo in Beth Henley鈥檚 鈥淢iss Firecracker Contest,鈥 now on stage at the .
Carnelle, in an attempt to escape a misguided past and her 鈥渉ot tamale鈥 nickname, enters the contest. It鈥檚 an annual July 4 event in the small town of Brookhaven, Mississippi, and one her cousin won years before. She thinks if she can win the title then all will be right with the world.
Zuleyl Castro pulls out all the pathos and humor the role requires. She shimmied into the skin of Carnelle.
In fact, the whole cast of this comedy is a hoot. Emily Fuchs is Popeye, a visibly challenged seamstress who attempts to help Carnelle with her costumes. Fuchs gives a vulnerability and innocence to her character that instantly endears her to the audience.
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And you can understand why Carnelle鈥檚 cousin Delmount falls for her. Josh Parra鈥檚 Delmount is blustering and shy and longs to be a philosopher. He does not seem well equipped for that career, but he carries on.
Rounding out the cast are Robin Bousel, hysterical as Elaine, Carnelle鈥檚 cousin 鈥 and former Miss Firecracker winner; Owen Saunders, who plays the sleazy carny worker Mac Sam, and Nika Aguilar as Tessy. Aguilar walks on stage and one can鈥檛 help but watch her every move. She is a pristine physical comedian and her role as the no-nonsense manager of the contest really played to Aguilar鈥檚 strengths.
Michael Martinez鈥檚 direction ensured that every piece of humor was squeezed out of the play, and there is an awful lot of humor.
Henley鈥檚 play is lighthearted but it has a message: It is more important to love yourself than to win any old stupid contest. And that comes through loud and clear in this production.
鈥淭he Miss Firecracker Contest鈥 continues through Sept. 29 at Live Theatre Workshop, 3322 E. Fort Lowell Road. Tickets are $27-$30 at or 520-327-4242. The play runs about two hours, with one intermission.
