"Among contemporary country performers, Robin and Linda Williams shine like a diamond amid rhinestones," David W. Johnson of The Boston Globe once wrote of the husband-and-wife folk duo. Now, with playwright Mary Sue Price, the Williamses are embarking on a journey on "Streets of Gold."
They will be in Fayetteville as the writers of the music and lyrics in Price's musical play titled "Streets of Gold," which will be read at 5 p.m. Nov. 5. Admission is free at Fenix Arts Gallery on Mount Sequoyah.
"It will be a table read -- totally informal, almost a cold read," says Price, whose work on the script has been funded by an Artists 360 grant. "One objective for me is to create a group of actors that I can work with after Robin and Linda are gone. We'll incorporate the songs into the reading, of course. We're figuring out how that will work.
"The objective of this stage of the project is to get a demo, script, and trailer ready to present to sponsors and producers," she adds. "We all three absolutely plan for a professional stage production as soon as possible. It's a great show, and it is perfect for Fayetteville."
"Streets of Gold," according to Price, "is an onstage/backstage musical that covers one season of the super traditional and conservative Spencer Family Ozark Mountain Jubilee, struggling to survive in 1990s Branson when a fading country music star, famous for her cheatin' songs, suddenly joins the show. Chaos ensues as everything, including the music, has to change to survive.
"The main character is Corinna Spencer, who married the show's MC when she was 19," Price goes on. "They both grew up in the show. ... Their family lost all of their land when White River was dammed, and the best way for their father to make a living was to turn himself into a hillbilly clown."
The concept for "Streets of Gold" dates back 30 years, to a time when Price moved to New York to get her MFA in Dramatic Writing at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. Her thesis play, titled "White River," focused on a family affected by the damming of the White River. "Then I started thinking about Branson and came up with the idea of the Spencer Family Ozark Mountain Jamboree."
Price reached out to Robin and Linda Williams, who have been making music together for half a century.
"They liked the script and had experience with musical theater through 'Stonewall Country,' which ran in Virginia from 1985-2005," Price remembers. And the Circle Repertory Company, founded in 1969 and home to playwrights like Lanford Wilson, Jon Robin Baitz, A.R. Gurney, David Mamet and more, was soon on board, workshopping the play in what was called The Lab.
"Circle Rep and I began to apply for funds for a full production of 'Streets of Gold,'" Price remembers. "We came so close. I made the finalists for everything I applied for, and Circle narrowly lost a huge [National Endowment for the Arts] grant for the show. It didn't help that we were competing with 'Rent' for developmental funds, but I think we also hit a cultural bias against the Ozarks, bluegrass/mountain music, and the fact that the show is about a conservative Christian woman who outgrows her marriage."
In the end, she says, "although we got very close, when the time came to pass out the money, we didn't get any at all."
Price went on to write for daytime television, including "General Hospital," and Robin and Linda Williams went on to record a string of popular albums, their most recent the self-released "A Better Day A-Coming" in 2021. It wasn't until Price had moved "home" to Fayetteville -- she's originally from Cassville, Mo. -- that the project came back around.
"Doing the show here now is better than doing it in New York City," says Linda Williams. "How much do people know about Branson in New York City? This is where the show is from. It's where the music that has turned to show business in Branson is from.
"Reviving 'Streets of Gold' was an opportunity," she adds. "We've both been at this for a long time. We're looking to do something that is interesting and that has real meaning to us."
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FAQ
'Streets of Gold'
Table Read
WHEN -- 5 p.m. today, Nov. 5
WHERE -- Fenix Arts Gallery, 150 N. Skyline Drive on Mount Sequoyah in Fayetteville
COST -- Free; donations welcome
INFO -- Email Mary Sue Price at [email protected]
Playwright Mary Sue Price is working with folk duo Robin and Linda Williams on an original musical titled "Streets of Gold." The Williamses will be in Fayetteville for a reading of the play, including their music and lyrics, Nov. 5.
(Courtesy Photo)