by Frank Blocker and Chuck Richards
A monologue-style comedy with one actor playing the title role and two actors splitting the five remaining, campy roles.
Characters
EULA MAE – ex-rodeo rider, mid 30s to mid 50s
MAMA (Anna Mae) – Eula’s mother and quite the card
CARL JOE – truckdriver, age matches Eula
RITA MAE – 29, pageant junkie, not very talented or swift
EVA MAE – Rita’s mother, divorced, huge Tammy Wynette fan
SUE-SUE DANIELS – 40-65, pageant coach, functioning (mostly) alcoholic
OFFSTAGE characters: Reverend Lester Burkett, Pageant Announcer, and Pageant Contestants.
Time & Setting
Late 90s to early 2000s, OR dates can be changed in script to match character ages.
History of readings/productions
April 2001 – opened off-Broadway at The Jose Quintero Theatre, NYC, running for 6 weeks, directed by Linda Patton, starring Helen Bessette as Eula Mae, along with the playwrights.
1990-2000 – several productions in Atlanta, Georgia originally opening at the 14th Street Playhouse,
Royalty options are available through the The Robert Freedman Dramatic Agency, Manhattan.
Synopsis
Eula Mae’s Bait & Tackle is diversifying, adding Beauty to the business provided by pageant coach/hairdresser Sue-Sue Daniels. Eula Mae’s niece Rita is going for her last-ditch attempt to win the Miss Alabama pageant. Local trucker Carl Joe is making his last-ditch effort to woo the heart of Eula Mae. It’s her crusty mother who’ll help guide her heart and give Rita hope after losing yet again, because of course, she does.
from the Off-Broadway premiere
“Endearing Southern charm.” – The New York Times
“Blocker and Richards flip from role to role with comedic brilliance and virtuosity …”– Backstage Magazine
“Like rhinestones on a Tammy Wynette t-shirt, brilliant moments punctuate Eula Mae’s Beauty, Bait and Tackle”– Broadway.com
from the Atlanta years: 1991-2000
“An uproarious southern comedy … a tag team tour de force – Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Not to be missed” – Southern Voice
“An original comedy” – Creative Loafing
“You’ll laugh so hard your stomach will hurt.” – Etc. Magazine
Frank Blocker 