Andy Daniels, a successful State Farm Agent for more than 25 years, is the Director of the Mid-Delta Arts Association’s next production The Odd Couple.
The show opens on Tuesday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. Additional shows are Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 28 at 2 pm. All shows are at the MDAA Brindley Theater in Indianola.
Andy has been in numerous MDAA productions, served as president of the board and directed two other shows. He brings experience, dedication and enthusiasm to the stage. The Odd Couple will go down in history as the first ever MDAA production with an entirely fresh new cast!
The diverse cast includes a 16-year-old, real life sisters, Elvis, two college buddies, a TFA second grade teacher and a journalist.
John Nobile Bellipanni is a tenth grade homeschooled student and enjoys music and tried out for the upcoming Beauty And The Beast.
He was encouraged to try out for The Odd Couple and got the part of Murray the cop!
“I have really enjoyed doing this and can’t wait for opening night!,” stated John Nobile.
MSU buddies, Luke Hargett and Gaston Lyon will play poker buddies Roy and Vinnie. They were friends in college and graduated in 2016.
Luke is currently residing in Indianola and is a State Farm Agent aspirant. When asked how he got interested in being on the stage, Luke laughingly said, “ Well let’s just say, it was strongly suggested by my “boss” that I take part in his production.”
Gaston lives in Greenwood and works for Sanders Seed. He says that his participation in The Odd Couple was influenced by Luke. Gaston enjoys tennis and recently participated in the Bikes, Blues & Barbeque.
Rounding out the poker players is Joe Forrester who moved to Indianola less than a year ago and recently wowed Delta audiences with his Elvis impersonation.
Joe, who plays Speed, is Director of Sales for Consolidated Catfish.
Lead characters for The Odd Couple are Oscar, played by The Enterprise-Tocsin Publisher Bryan Davis and Felix played by Jath DiCecco.
Bryan and his family moved to Indianola in 2017, and he has always had an interest in the theater.
“I thought Andy was going to sell me insurance, but I wound up being in this production, “ said Davis. “I did get a policy.”
Jath came to Mississippi from Pittsburgh, Penn. with Teach For America in 2015.
After getting his master’s in education from DSU he has taught second grade in Sunflower and Humphreys County schools.
Jath attends the First Baptist Church.
“I got to know Andy through church activities, and well, the rest is history,” laughed Jath.
Playing the Pigeon sisters are real-life sisters, Marcella Baker Simmons, of Tribbett and Melissa Baker Townsend of Belzoni. Both graduated from IA and were in Show Choir, but their stage experience ended there.
Marcella said, “I guess we inherited our interest in the stage from our Daddy, Ernie Baker, who MDAA audiences will remember at Daddy Warbucks in Annie and who played Vinnie in an earlier production of The Odd Couple.”
When asked how they felt about this initial stage appearance together, Melissa said, “where else could you get to be in a Neil Simon classic and play characters who smoke and drink?”
The cast is hard at work polishing lines and MDAA audiences are in for a real treat.
Get your tickets at The Crown, 662-887-4522 or go on line at mid-deltaarts.org.
