What do you get when you combine Neal Young, Tennessee Williams and the Energizer bunny? The answer is playwright Elroyce D. Jones. He possesses the journeyman storytelling of Young, Williams’ penchant for lush character development and the Energizer bunny’s legendary work ethic. Throughout Jones’ career, he starred on NBC’s “Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers,” performed for the queen of Holland and wrote over 100 plays.
“My daughter says I wrote 135 plays, but I lost count after 1988,” Jones said with a laugh.
Feb. 9 at 7 p.m., Jones will direct the world premiere of his latest work, “The Moaner’s Bench,” in the Lee Hall Auditorium. Jones opted to premiere “The Moaner’s Bench” in Starkville to pay tribute to his aunt, a 44-year resident of Starkville.
The play takes place in 1954, back when sinners rode the pine.
“It’s a religious play,” Jones said. “Back in the 40s and 50s, a moaner’s bench was a place where a person who had been living in sin or didn’t have an affiliation with any church would go to for redemption.”
The star of the play is Freddie Lee (Phillip Perkins), a misguided vagabond who left his native Mississippi for Kansas City, Mo.
“He did everything against what he was taught. He married five times.”
As Freddie’s mother, Priscilla (Shalandra Adams), becomes increasingly feeble, he decides to come back to Mississippi, bring along Freeda Jean (Debra Taylor), fianc?e number six. However, Priscilla is not too ecstatic about her son’s matrimonial news.
Despite the drama, Taylor said the script has lots of humor as well.
The performance is sponsored by Peter’s Rock Mississippi State University Campus Ministry with musical selections by the MSU College Fellowship Choir. Jones, assisted by Taylor, directs the play. For the cast, working with the playwright has become a unique experience.
“Mr. Jones is a very wise man,” Jermaine Johns (Elder Stubbs) said. “He has gained so much wisdom from his experiences, you can’t help but wonder what he’s gonna do next.”
“He (Jones) lets you express yourself in your own way,” Shantoya Clay, who plays Bobbie Jo, said. “He is a very humble man.”
With a cast of 15, teamwork is always essential.
Many of the actors lead similar lives to the roles they play.
“My character is very dominant,” Perkins said. “He’s the type of character who doesn’t mind telling anyone about his past, and I’m the same way. This character is so like my real personality, I wonder if Mr. Jones wrote it for me in the first place.”
Clay’s portrayal of Bobbie Jo is a mirror image of herself, minus four years.
“She is a 17-year-old girl with five kids,” Clay said. “This role reminds me of myself because, as a single parent with one daughter, I am a striver, just like Bobbie Jo.”
For Hughes, playing Sister Lula was almost too natural.
“I like playing her because she likes to take care of other people,” Hughes said. “I love to cater to other people’s needs.”
Jeffrey Watt plays Cuda, who is unemployed. Cuda is the kind of guy who would carry his Yugo keys on a Mercedes key chain.
“I asked for the role because I like to laugh,” Watt said. “I get to change from one mood to another.”
Other cast members include Shonda Deloach as Shellie, a wayward woman who keeps coming back to the moaner’s bench, and Janice Moore as Baby Child, a sassy, fresh-mouthed housekeeper.