‘There Is One In Every Family’ comes to Houma

The gospel stage play, “There Is One In Every Family” is headed to the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center Oct. 30.

Larry Martin Entertainment’s production stars former R&B recording artist-turned-gospel singer Shirley Murdock and actor Curtis Von, who starred in Tyler Perry’s “Why Should I Get Married ” The New Rising Sun Baptist Church Soul Special Choir of Houma also appears in the touring production as special guests.

“‘There Is One In Every Family’ is about a mother’s love trying to hold together her family unit, while her four sons keep the division going within it,” said Martin.

“One son lives a life of crime; another son uses his pulpit to hide his guilt and shame; one son knows who he is, but always tries to prove himself to others; and the fourth son holds much pain in his heart because his brother stole the love of his life,” he explained.

Locals may remember Martin. He is a 1982 graduate of Terrebonne High School. After high school graduation, he pursued a baseball scholarship at Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College. There, he played left field as a walk-on.

“I was the only freshman invited and the only player that wasn’t an All-American or that had been drafted already,” Martin said.

The Terrebonne native was a first-round pick in the 1984 Major League Baseball draft. But his playing time with the San Diego Padres was cut short because of injuries.

“Long story short, I was drafted in the first round prior to my sophomore season,” Martin recalled. “But I played two years of professional baseball prior to suffering a career-ending injury.”

Selected 36th behind Hall-of-Famer Dave Winfield, Martin speaks fondly of his time in the pros.

“Dave Winfield was the Padres’ first African-American first-round pick and I was the team’s second African-American first-round pick since 1969,” he said. “The first was none other than Jackie Robinson in 1969.”

It was while living in Los Angeles that Martin picked up knowledge of the entertainment business and began making connections. “It’s all about networking,” he said.

“Before I knew it, I started networking with people who were promoting different types of events,” Martin added. “Eventually, I decided to turn my attention to promoting events as an alternative career path.”

One constant in Martin’s life has his been connection to home. His mother, Shirley Martin, still resides in Houma.

“She is really responsible for the person that I am today,” Martin said. “She and my late grandparents – Nathan and Zenobia Thomas – raised my brother Darryl and me. Any success I’ve had in my life stems from my faith in God, hard work and the sacrifices they made in their lives. They did it so that I would have a chance to succeed in life.”

Martin and his wife Stacey now call Houston home. The couple has been married 20 years.

“Even as an adult, I still live by the same core values my mom taught me as a child,” he said. His philosophy as an adult: “I don’t let negative people or circumstances limit my potential in life.”

Tickets to “There Is One In Every Family” are $28, and are available at the civic center box office, F.Y.E. at Southland Mall in Houma and through Ticketmaster.