"Since arriving with the thunderous debut Daddy's Girl, Gary Ray Stapp has become a Community Theatre favorite." -- AACT Spotlight, January/February 2010

Spotlight Production

Great Bend Community Theater

Great Bend, KS

Daddy's Girl

April 25-28, 2019

Gary Ray Stapp, playwright

Aprons

APRONS (4M, 5W)

The opening, with Avery face down in a a meringue pie, sets the tone for the the entire farce, and the comedy never stops. stops. -- Editor, Eldridge Publishing

The mistress of a Long Island estate is very rich, completely eccentric, and suspiciously homicidal and yet she regularly gets lost in her own home. So how has she managed to get away with murder? Lady Di has accomplices of course! Four of them to be exact: Adeline, Lydia, Angel, and Felicity, each uniformed in a white apron, armed with a feather duster, and humorously dangerous as they have chosen to protect their employer from the police in order to perpetuate their very generous incomes. But when the body count takes a sudden jump, the camaraderie of the maids begins to unravel into comedic chaos as they struggle to sweep the bodies under the rug and hidden from both an attorney and from an off-duty homicide detective who happens to be married to one of them. And when confession leads to arrest, the women learn the valuable lesson that crime doesn’t pay…or does it?

Laugh Until You...

"False advertising! The show was not a ‘laugh your @$$ off’ comedy, it was a ‘laugh until you pee your pants’ comedy!”
— Alyssa Sobba, Garnett, KS

Best of Your Scripts

"Not one of your best scripts, it is the best of your scripts!" — Alvin Peters, forensics coach & director, Garnett, KS

CHARACTERS

ADELINE — Chief maid and head cook. The leader, strong and eloquent.

ANGEL — A maid. Mouthy and flirtatious and a little rough around the edges.

FELICITY – A maid. Prim and proper and slightly over-reactive.

LYDIA — Timid and Naïve and a little bit blonde.

DIANDRA MATTREL-VON SCHMIDT (LADY DI) —The Lady of the House – Ditzy, rich, former actress, rich, eccentric, rich, mentally unstable, but rich! Get’s lost in her own home.

ERLING KNOWELS – Diandra’s attorney and business manager. In charge of the affairs of the estate.

AVERY HOLLIS – A self-proclaimed lady’s man and all around jackass.

GREER JENSEN – A likeable man struggling with his sexual preferences.

THADDEUS BONNAIRE – A flamboyant homosexual chef, highly conceited.

Setting: The breakfast nook of the vast kitchen of the rambling manor of the VonSchmidt Estate, Long Island, NY

A CRITIQUE of MY WORK by BOB and MARY JO GEIGER

    “If you want to experience really enjoyable theater, plan to attend any of the plays written by Gary Ray Stapp. Audiences of any age, neophyte or veteran, sophisticated or plebian, discriminating or eclectic, critical or all-embracing, will find artistically satisfying results with Gary’s plays.
     His plots are intricate and defy transparency until the denouement presents the solution to the viewer. You may think you have the motives lined up, but then you find you have another think coming when one of your theories crashes. He keeps the story line moving at such an accelerated pace that the humor comes so fast one must listen very closely not to miss many of the gag lines. Some of his humor is so subtle that even the most erudite student of drama may miss the punctuation. Hilarious dialogue keeps the audience producing belly laugh after belly laugh throughout the development of two or more intrigues in each production. Stump the audience is his game.
     Gary skillfully delineates each character to complement the whole, and thereby maintains the web that draws the audience into the action and releases them only as the curtain nearly begins to fall. His characters are full-bodied, genuine, surprising, and memorable. One can see oneself often in the situations that unfold on stage, and anticipate the actions and reactions of the characters, only to be totally ambushed by what actually develops. Each of his characters plays an integral part in the movement of the plot, and keeps the audience in awe as then feint here and there to add another turn, another nuance to the unpredictable movement toward the unanticipated solution of the various conflicts.
      Gary’s stage business is direct, purposeful, and communicative, and his sets contribute visual elements essential to the interaction of his characters without the delivery of the plot having to depend entirely on them. All in all, Gary’s plays are well written, carefully crafted, challenging, humorous, and good theater.”
— Bob & Mary Jo Geiger, Chanute, Kansas.

*Bob and Mary Jo have been faithful supporters of The Chamber Players Community Theatre where they have enjoyed the presentations of my plays. Their generous compliments are not only in response to my writing, but are also in reaction to the talent of the Chamber Players’ actors who have brought my words to the stage. Bob and Mary Jo have a long history with the Chanute Community Theatre, having been directors of numerous plays and musicals. Their years of involvement and support of CCT prompted the theatre group to create an award in their honor. The Geiger Award is presented annually to a member of the CCT organization.   Thank you, Bob and Mary Jo, and thanks to all of you who have taken the time to express your appreciation of my work. With humble and sincere gratitude, Gary.