Vision of Jesus on refrigerator sparks search for life’s

Friday’s opening performance of “Messiah on the Frigidaire” at Macon Little Theatre also will be the first time the play has been presented in Georgia.

Set in a small town trailer park in South Carolina, the comedy/drama centers on a husband and wife who are looking for more in life.

“They’ve been living there a while. The husband, Dwayne, is trying to prove that he can make something of himself and feels like he is not doing what he should be doing. His wife, Lou Ann, is going through a crisis, hoping to find the meaning in life,” said director John Freeman. “They obviously got married right out of high school, and her best friend, Betsy, lives there, too.”

As Lou Ann and Betsy are discussing life one night, they notice an image on an outdoor refrigerator, believe it is the image of Jesus and think that maybe it is the sign they have been looking for.

After they report the sighting and the “National Investigator” magazine features it, Dwayne sees an opportunity in the image and begins selling wine and unleavened bread to visitors. The local preacher refuses to get involved until a city councilman in his congregation also sees opportunity brought by tourism. What happens in the end will shock the audience, Freeman said.

“When I read it, I became very intrigued with the whole concept because it’s not like what you would call a basic Southern show. They are not stereotypical characters, and they are not played that way. They are real people and have humanistic qualities that they all embody,” he said.

Freeman was so intrigued that he contacted playwright John Culbertson to discuss the play, and Culbertson will be in town for the Oct. 22 performance and a question-and-answer session afterward.

“It’s mostly been done overseas, very seldom in the U.S., really only up North,” he said. “I think people are interested in the South, what we are like and how we talk. The dialect is instilled in the show; it’s very real in the language used.”

The cast includes Sabrina Dorrity as Lou Ann, Carter Chamblee as Dwayne and Georgia Olson as Betsy.

“It’s been a blessing for me to have such a great cast. This show lets the actors get a little more in-depth all the way through Act One and part way through Act Two when they come to the realization of what they are looking for in life,” Freeman said.

The show is not recommended for children younger than 12 due to some harsh language and the subject matter.

“It looks at the human situation and deals with human foibles and how we look at life and what we take away. It will make you laugh and cry; it will shock you, and it will make you think. It’s a neat little show in that respect.”

This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Vision of Jesus on refrigerator sparks search for life’s."