Meridian Little Theatre’s latest production, “The Wild Women of Winedale” opens Thursday and runs through Sunday with a 2 p.m. matinee.

A comedy by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Cope, and James Wooten (the brains behind The Golden Girls), the show centers on the reunion of three women from the Wild family.  The production is directed by Tiffany McGehee.

The sisters of Winedale are at a crossroads. Fanny (played by Donna P. Colburn) has an odd reaction to her 60th birthday. Willa (played by Connie Bishop) is so stressed out from her nursing job that she resorts to drinking and speed knitting to cope. Recently widowed Johnnie Faye (played by Sidney Covington) is determined to put herself back on the market and find a man, preferably one with a house, since hers is at the bottom of a Florida sinkhole.

Together, they find a way to clear the clutter from their lives, their homes, and their relationship, proving it’s never too late to choose a new path in life.

“We decided not to hold auditions for the three main characters early on,” Covington says. “Instead, we opted to pull the same three gals who’ve acted together in each of the previous MLT productions written by this award-winning group of playwrights.”

In addition to the parts of the Wild sisters, the script calls for six additional characters.  The cast put their heads together and decided it would be fun to ask McGehee, the director, to play five of those six roles. Covington hints that an unnamed guest may have a cameo appearance.   

“Because Connie Bishop now lives in Tennessee, our rehearsals have been a little unusual,” McGehee said. “Be prepared because I guarantee you that what you see on stage may or may not have actually been rehearsed, so expect the unexpected. The audience can sit back and relax because they will be entertained as well as surprised.”

“The play has a fast-paced repartee, and the characters are incredibly relatable,” she added. “The sisters are dealing with retirement, dating after being widowed, and prospects of career advancement. I am thrilled to flex my acting muscles by interpreting the additional roles.”

Colburn began her MLT gig with the part of Truvy Jones in “Steel Magnolias”, a role she performed twice. However, Colburn says she has had the most fun with her role as Fanny in this production.

“It’s a comedy with heart-felt guts,” she said. “Of all the plays I have done, this one must be the funniest. While I haven’t known [Bishop] long, I love her and [Covington]. When I read the script for Wild Women, I could hear them in my head doing the parts they are playing.”

Bishop, another MLT veteran, moved from Meridian to Hendersonville, Tenn. She was bitten by the acting bug when former MLT Director, the late Jimmy Pigford, would eat lunch at her restaurant, The Village Kitchen.

“He asked me to audition for Annie, and before long, Ronnie Miller was directing me, [Bishop], and [Covington] in The Red Velvet Cake Wars and again in Rex’s Exes,” she recalled. “The characters in Winedale fit us, or we fit them. Whatever the case, I can’t wait to get back to my hometown and have more fun with these ladies.”