Congratulations to the Cast of 'Sex Please, We're Sixty'

Matthews Playhouse is proud to announce the hilarious cast of the Community Series production of the comedy "Sex Please, We're Sixty!" The comedy is written by Michael and Susan Parker. The staged reading will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 10 and 17th, with drinks and hors d'oeuvres served at 6 p.m., at Matthews Ballroom, 189 N Trade St, 2nd Floor, Matthews, NC 28105.

A staged reading, or “reader’s theatre,” is an unforgettable experience that puts the spotlight on the story and artistry of the performers. Free from elaborate sets and costumes, this up-close-and-personal format invites audiences to connect more deeply with the heart of the play. Sex Please, We're Sixty is directed by Pamela Thorson.

Cast of Sex Please, We're Sixty

• Paula Baldwin as Charmaine Beauregard

• Mike Carroll as Henry Mitchell

• Vanessa Davis as Victoria Ambrose

• Dennis Delamar as Bud Davis

• Shar Marlin as Narrator

• Suzanne Nystrom as Hillary Hudson

• Elyse Williams as Mrs. Stancliffe

Cast Bios

• Paula Baldwin is an award-winning actor, director, and theatre arts educator. She is excited to be back with the Matthews Playhouse Community Series after appearing as Esmerelda White in Death and Deceit on the Nile and Mary in The Porch last summer. Her recent performances on the Matthews Playhouse main stage include: One Year to Die, Young Frankenstein, Clue, and Grey Gardens. In addition to acting, she also directed Bright Star, Scrooge (’23), and Sister Act for the playhouse. A familiar face to Charlotte area audiences, Paula has also performed in productions at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, Theatre Charlotte, Three Bone Theatre, CAST, CPCC Summer Theatre and Old Courthouse Theatre. A retired Theatre Arts Educator with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, Paula holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Acting/Directing from UNC-Greensboro and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Catawba College where she is a proud member of the Blue Masque Hall of Fame.

• Mike Carroll is thrilled to be part of Matthew’s Playhouse Community Series.  Recently, Mike worked with Matthew’s Playhouse as Murray in The Odd Couple and Wilber Turnblad in Hairspray, the Musical.  Other favorites include Ghost of Christmas Present in Scrooge the Musical, Grandpa Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Monsignor O’Hara in Sister Act. Matthew’s Playhouse is a great theater community that offer outstanding productions and camps for the community and is staffed by a caring, dedicated team.  Thank you for supporting Matthew’s Playhouse!

• Vanessa Davis is excited to be a part of this staged reading performance. She loves MPH and bringing many of their characters to life in all of their wonderful productions.  Thank you, Pamela for this opportunity.  A few of her past credits at MPH include Mrs. Teavee in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Miss Scarlett in Clue, Miss Clavel in Adventures of Madeline, The Wicked Witch in Wizard of Oz, Matron/Gym Teacher in Hairspray and Sponge in James and the Giant Peach.  A huge thanks to my sweet family for always supporting me.  Hope you enjoy this play. 

• Dennis Delamar directed our award-winning One Year to Die by Charles LaBorde in 2024. An MTA Best Director Award winner for Theatre Charlotte’s The Full Monty and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Actors Theatre of Charlotte’s The Great American Trailer Park Musical, I Am My Own Wife, The Pillowman and Clybourne Park, Dennis is a veteran Charlotte actor, director and retired NC public school teacher. Recent acting roles include Ben Franklin in 1776 for both Kings Mountain Little Theatre and Belmont Abbey Players, Constantine Bouc in Murder on the Orient Express for Theatre Charlotte, Charlie in The Foreigner for Players Circle Theatre in Fort Myers, Grandpa Vanderhoff in You Can’t Take It With You at CPCC, and all the Male Adult Roles in Spring Awakening at Theatre Charlotte. His next project is directing Neil Simon’s Pulitzer winner, Lost in Yonkers for Theatre Charlotte’s January-February production in 2027. Dennis is delighted to be back at Matthews Playhouse working with some of his favorite fellow theatre artists.

• Suzanne Nystrom is honored to be doing her first reader’s theater with Matthew’s Playhouse Community Series; especially with this talented cast.  Most recent productions include Driving Miss Daisy with Old Courthouse Theatre, Communicating Doors with Waxhaw Community Theatre, Mean Girls (Reader’s Theatre) with Storefront Theatre and Four Old Broads with Union County Playmakers.  Before moving back to the Charlotte area from Wilmington, she performed in numerous plays for Big Dawg Productions and Thalian Association along with some film and commercial work.  She is excited to be working with Matthew’s Playhouse and with director Pamela Thorson again.

• Shar Marlin celebrates 15 years of being a vibrant presence in the Carolinas' theatre community. Shar has brought unforgettable characters to life across regional stages, including Ouiser in Steel Magnolias, Sofia in The Color Purple, Mazeppa in Gypsy, and Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. She most recently played Sonia in The Worst Motel with EAW Productions. This marks her second production with Matthews Playhouse, where she played Fonsia Dorsey in The Gin Game. Shar serves as a board member and adjudicator of the Metrolina Theatre Association, and believes being on stage is like taking a mini-vacation.

• Elyse Williams began her professional theatrical career at The Barn Dinner Theatre in Roanoke, Virginia in 1969 doing one show after another. When she moved to Charlotte in 1985, she performed for Golden Circle Theatre (the first one was actually in Matthews), Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, CPCC Summer Theatre, Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, Theatre Charlotte, Three Bone Theatre, Davidson Community Players, Old Courthouse Theatre, Union County Playmakers, and Fort Mill Community Playhouse…where she was last seen in Sex, Lies and a Sycamore Tree for Hot Mess Players. An actor in a few full-length feature films include My Body, My Child, Good Ole Boys, and her voice in animated films/series: Christmas at Creepy Castle and The StoryKeepers. Some of her national commercials are Crisco, Wendy’s, Cobble Shoes, and Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion. Since 1988, her television production company, EAW Productions has been producing both broadcast and non-broadcast television, PBS series and documentaries. In January, Elyse’s Theatrical Division produced her original plays, Love, Compassion and Comedy and The Worst Motel in the State. Thank you, Pamela for including me in this outstanding professional cast and for thinking “I’m sexy at 76”!