Dean Poling | The Valdosta Daily TimesJinx and Randa (played by Chani Cochran and Kassandra Morris) square off as Marlafaye and Dot (Patricia Lanier and Carol Warren) watch in Theatre Guild Valdosta's 'The Savannah Sipping Society.'

PLAY REVIEW

VALDOSTA — “The Savannah Sipping Society” may be the funniest Theatre Guild Valdosta show ever.

Call it the script by long-term writing team of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten.

Call it the smart, compact direction of co-directors Brock Gilliard and Micaiah Barajas.

Call it the chemistry between the small, four-woman cast of Carol Warren, Kassandra Morris, Patricia Lanier and Chani Cochran.

Call it a combination of all of these factors facilitated by a receptive audience of mostly groups of women.

No matter the reason, audiences will call this show funny.

The laughs start early and continue through the closing moments.

The non-stop comedic pacing of the show starts as soon as Patricia Lanier’s Marlafaye staggers onto the stage following a grueling hot yoga class. The show had already garnered chuckles from the audiences but the deep guffaws start with Lanier then ripple like a fuse throughout the strong cast, igniting for a series of explosive laughs throughout the show.

Lanier’s Marlafaye is a divorced liquor distributor who left Texas after her husband ran off with a woman decades younger than him.

Warren plays Dot, a widow whose husband died as they were ready to start living during their retirement years.

Cochran plays Jinx, a rambler who has come to town to care for her ailing sister, a makeover artist who wants to add life coach to her resume.

Morris plays Randa, a repressed architect who lost her job after strangling the younger man promoted above her. 

They meet one another after the hot yoga class and start a friendship of regularly meeting Friday evenings for drinks at Randa’s house in Savannah. Cochran urges the women to be fearless and try new things.

A lot of laughter ensues.

Gilliard and Barajas let the cast build upon the chemistry between them while allowing the script’s snappy repartee to shine. They let the bond between these women become a bond between the cast and the audience.

The play may reference sipping but the laughs come in great, deep gulps.

The review is based on the opening-night performance Thursday.

Theatre Guild Valdosta’s “The Savannah Sipping Society” continues 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Jan. 31, Feb. 1; 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2; 7:30 p.m., Feb. 6-8, The Dosta Playhouse, 122 N. Ashley St. More information: Call (229) 24-STAGE or visit www.theatreguildvaldosta.com.