Latrelle and Sissy at the Table

This scene was one of my favorites because it was such a props challenge. Holding a glass of tea, I'd walk over, spy the apple pie and ask Sissy if she wanted a piece. My first challenge was trying to find a place for the tea. The pie was pre-cut but I always had difficulty getting the pie onto a plate. (And not just one piece, but two!) There was only one night when too much prop concentration made me go up on my lines.

I actually ate the apple pie. Listening to Sissy go on about how big Vera Lisso was getting, I would pick out and eat the apples. I'd try to get as much in my mouth so that when I delivered a specific line, I say it with a mouth full of food. I'd try to finish any remaining apples, chew and swallow, throw down the plate and begin talking about Ty's New York Show. It was as natural as talking with my mom over dessert at her house.

The front row especially got a kick out of this scene. One night a pile of napkins fell on the floor and Sissy got them so I could go on with my monologue. Another night I spilled tea down my dress. And another night I had to use my fingers to get the pie that was stuck on the spatula onto the plate. I took it all in stride, never breaking character. I let Sissy get the napkins, wiped up the tea and licked the apple pie filling off my finger.

Sissy and I always managed to pull off the scene, making it look as easy as, well, apple pie.