photo by Steve VanGunda

Natchez Little Theatre actor Landon Henry gets help from Don Vestrse getting into his “Captain Natchez” costume Tuesday afternoon. Henry will be playing the part of Captain Natchez as part of the Downtown Development Association’s “ Captain Natchez Show Presents; The Cartoon Network’s Toon Takeover.”

Captain Natchez coming to entertain area children

By Adam Koob (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Wednesday, August 27, 2008

NATCHEZ — Come one, come all, it’s time for the Captain Natchez Show — well, almost.

In an effort to bring more child-friendly activities to the city’s young population, the Natchez Downtown Development Association will begin hosting the Captain Natchez Show Presents: The Cartoon Network’s Toon Takeover.

The first such “takeover” will be Sep. 14 at the Natchez City Auditorium. The event is basically a way for the area’s youth to come together for an afternoon of fun and cartoons.

NDDA’s executive director Carrie Lambert said the idea for the event was inspired by the popular cartoon shows of the 1950s and 60s.

Lambert said residents of the Miss-Lou could look to the old Buckskin Bill Show for an idea of what the Captain Natchez Show should look like.

Lambert said during the 1950s and 60s many children’s shows actually showed cartoons or movies and punctuated them with a host that did skits or told jokes.

“It used to be very popular,” she said. “And that’s what we’re trying to bring that.”

And while the older shows were televised, Lambert said, in the beginning, the Captain Natchez Show will not be on TV.

“We’re working on that now,” she said. “We’re just trying to iron out the details.”

Lambert has been working with several sponsors, including the Natchez Little Theatre and Cable One, to get the program off the ground.

The theater will be providing the costuming and the talent while the cable company will provide the cartoons.

Lambert’s plan works like this: once a month the kids, accompanied by their parents, show up at the auditorium for an afternoon of cartoons and prizes.

Lambert said in between cartoons kids will be entertained by Captain Natchez, a pirate riverboat captain.

“It’s just going to be a lot of fun for them,” she said.

Little Theatre actor Landon Henry has signed on to play the role of Captain Natchez.

Little Theatre’s Executive and Artistic Director Layne Taylor aided in the design of Henry’s costume and the captain’s character development.

“He’s a wonderfully gnarly pirate,” Taylor said. “Kids are going to love it.”

And for his part, the captain said he’s still preparing.

Henry said he’ll try to tailor his act to the type of cartoon the kids will be watching.

But no matter the cartoon, Henry said he’s going to incorporate some aspect of history in his act.

“This is such a significant area,” he said. “We had the Natchez Indians and real pirates that came through here. It should be educational and entertaining.”

Tickets for the show will be $5 and can be obtained by calling Lambert’s office 601-442-2929.

Proceeds from the sale will be divided between the NDDA and Little Theatre.

“This is a great way for people to start making memories with their kids,” she said.