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Set somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon
line, Dearly Departed
tells the hilarious story of father Bud Turpin’s funeral and
its aftermath. From the moment father Bud Turpin keels over
at the breakfast table right on through his burial in the
"Gentleman Farmer" coffin,
DEARLY DEPARTED makes it clear
that there’s more to living and dying in the Bible Belt than
you can shake a corn dog at.
It seems a dizzying array of crazies and dysfunctional
Southern-fried eccentrics have inhabited Bud’s life and
you’ll want to pay a visit to them all.
~The Crazy Cast~
Peopling this zany group is one of the
largest list of award-winning and accomplished actors to
ever emerge on our stage. The cast is led by son Ray-Bud (Larry
Helms), who becomes responsible
for footing the bill for this funky funeral, including the
footwear wife Lucille (Audrey Kelly-Fritz) was able to
locate for her deceased father-in-law. As they say, “if the
shoe fits…”
Bud’s wife Raynelle (Lora
Slavik) may miss her departed,
but “mean and surly” somehow seems more fitting for the
headstone. Sister Marguerite (Marie
Staton) carries her bible and
her hymns wherever she trots, especially in the car with son
Royce (John Hatfield) who has no job, no gas and no future.
Junior (Will
Greene) is one of the sons left
behind--along with an earring accidentally dropped in his
car wife Suzanne (Suzanne Clark)
comes upon.
Hell hath no fury like an
earring found. Sister-in-law Juanita (Susanna
Carey) journeys alone to the
funeral of course, since her husband seems to be getting his
fried chicken somewhere else.
Leading this group through righteous
paths is Reverend Hooker (Curt
Whirl), a man whose voice is
loud and whose bathroom need be close. Friends of the
family, an odd mix themselves, include Clyde (Cliff
Folds), Ray-Bud’s boss at the
transmission shop who knows how to blow things up and Nadine
(Laura Modrall)
expecting her eighth, but whose favorite child is still
Geraldo, or is it Oprah, or Perry Como, or Farah-Zsa-Zsa,
or….
Then
there’s Veda (Kathy Sheffield),
herself just a few fries short of a Happy Meal who brings
husband Norval (Larry Everhart)
for a visit. Seems Norval may be fitted for his own shoes
sometime soon. Veda will soon make sure they fit better than
the oxygen mask.
Oh, mustn’t forget Delightful (S.
Collins), who delights in
Cokes, M & M, bubble gum and anything else that allows her
to speak in monosyllables while eating.
“Oddball” doesn’t begin to describe this group (the
characters, not the cast. Please.)
Taken together, though, this cast has
appeared in over 100 productions, and will be directed by
Norman Small.
Set & lighting design is by Tom
Altman, Costumes by
Camille McCellan
with Krista Burtman
as Stage Manager.
A movie version called KINGDOM COME was released in 2001
starring Whoppi Goldberg. It departed very soon from the
theaters.
"Dearly
Departed
is drop dead
funny...but don't take our word, see it yourself."
---New York Daily News
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