When three Beaufort women take the stage at the University of South Carolina Beaufort Center for the Arts, audience members might think they're hearing Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette.
That's how convincing the women -- Velma Polk, Elaine Lake and Penney Dawson -- are trying to sound in "Honky Tonk Angels," a musical comedy that opens Oct. 20 and continues Oct. 21 and Oct. 26 through Oct. 28.
The show, directed by arts center director Bonnie Hargrove, follows Angela, Sue Ellen and Darlene, three big-haired women who bond while catching a Greyhound bus to follow their dreams of becoming country music stars.
During the show they'll perform country favorites such as "Stand By Your Man," "Ode to Billy Joe" and "9 to 5."
Performing together for the first time, the women said their personalities really clicked during comedic scenes.
Dawson, 49, predicts their sound will amaze the audience.
"(The audience) will be pleasantly surprised and tickled at the quality of blend and harmony," she said. Dawson is the strings and chorus teacher at Battery Creek High and Robert Smalls Middle schools.
Polk, a nurse, said this is her acting debut, but far from her first time on stage. The 61-year-old sang for more than six years in a country band, and now sings at Grays Hill Baptist Church.
"I think people will leave feeling uplifted and happy," she said.
Lake, a 42-year-old mother, has worked backstage with her husband, Jason, who is technical director for the Center for the Arts. She said the show will leave audiences with a smile.
"Everybody is going to walk away feeling good," Lake said.
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