<p>Preparing for opening night of ÒLittle Mary SunshineÓ are (left to right) Nancy Twinkle, played by Mary Evelyn Long, and Little Mary Sunshine, played by Madison Baker. Submitted photo</p>

ILWACO, Wash. The Peninsula Players present Little Mary Sunshine at the River City Playhouse, opening Friday, March 16, for a three-weekend run.

Little Mary Sunshine originally premiered off Broadway in 1959 and ran for 1,143 performances. The Rick Besoyan musical is a delightful parody of other old-fashioned operettas and musicals, and even today is heralded as truly enjoyable family entertainment.

Little Mary Sunshine, played by Madison Baker, is the foster daughter of Chief Brown Bear (Michael Veland) of the Kadota tribe. The government is threatening to foreclose the mortgage on Marys Colorado Inn, located on land that is subject to a dispute between the Chief and the U.S. government.

Captain Jim (John Fugitt) and his Forest Rangers march in and Jim woos Mary, after which the two get well-sung advice from an opera star at the Inn, guest Mme. Ernestine Liebedich, played by Penny Bierly. Meanwhile, Corporal Billy Jester (Frank Lehn) and his girlfriend Nancy (Mary Evelyn Long) are squabbling over Nancy’s flirty appetite for other men.

Some Lovely Ladies from the Eastchester Finishing School are also guests at the Inn. They entertain themselves playing croquet and swinging on swings until they meet up with the Forest Rangers, and love blooms as they joyfully sing together. When the productions dirty old man arrives, in the form of retired General Oscar Fairfax, aptly played by Rob DeuPree, he orders the Rangers away so he may have the Lovely Ladies all to himself.

Never fear, theres a happy resolution for all concerned, and the audience will no doubt depart the playhouse humming the inspirational finale, Look for a Sky of Blue.

Director Rita Smith and Little Mary, Madison Baker, will be featured on Arts: Live and Local, Carol Newmans KMUN 91.9 weekly radio show, at 3 p.m. Friday, March 16. The doors will open that night at 6:15 p.m. for a gala opening night reception.

Little Mary Sunshine runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, March 16 through April 1. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7 p.m. and Sunday matinees start at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 and are available at Okies Thriftway in Ocean Park, Wash., Stormin Normans in Long Beach, Wash., the Imperial Schooner in Ilwaco, or at the door one half hour before show time if still available.

The River City Playhouse is located at 127 S.E. Lake St., across the street from the Ilwaco Post Office and next door to the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum. For more information, visit peninsula-players.com