Actor John Lagenaux will preform in ‘The Sliver Fox’ at the Essanee Theater over the next two weekends. The play is a 1941 period peice about life, mischievous behavior and the deserie to find happiness again. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. starting on Friday. 

Starting Friday and over the next two weekends, the Iberia Performing Arts League will host its next show, “The Silver Whistle,” at the Essanee Theater.

Set in 1914, “The Silver Whistle” is a period piece about a rogue named Wilfred Tasbinder who tricks residents and staff of a retirement community into believing he is Oliver Erwenter, a 70-year-old whose birth certificate he found, in order to get free food, among other things, from them, according to John Lagneaux, the actor playing Tasbinder/the fake Erwenter.

Though Tasbinder is able to get what he wants from the residents, he soon realizes that they are depressed and aren’t living a life worth living.

He then makes it his mission to get them happy and wanting them to live life again and experience those worlds in a positive way.

“It’s a play I just love,” Lagneaux said. “Of course a middle-aged man playing someone in his 70s brings on shenanigans and theatics along the way.”

Lagneaux said the play is an important one for everyone and has an important message everyone can take from it.

What’s the message?

The message would be to live a happy life and have happiness all around wherever you go.

How long have you been acting?

I’ve been acting for a good bit of years. At this point I started when I was around 17 when one of my best friends asked me if I wanted to audition for a high school play with her and that was in 2014. And it went from high school to community theatre and having fun with that. Working with fun people, passionate people.

What do you enjoy about acting?

Great question. Because even before the acting, I loved telling stories. It was very important to me. When I was younger I imagined being a writer or something similar. It always changed from time to time but it always had to do with stories. I just love the power of stories.

What about the storytelling?

It can change people’s lives positively and of course it can change people’s lives negatively but that’s the thing, they have power and I feel that power can be used in a very good way and I love doing that.

If you had to sum it up in a few words, what would you say people can expect from the play?

Lots of fun, shenanigans and a good moral for everyone from ages 9-90. It’s going to be a great show.