Dearly Departed by David Bottrell and Jessie Jones was chosen as the second installment of our "Texas" Series. We are trying to do a play about Texas or Texans in the last performance spot of each year. I was also looking for a comedy. At first, I was skeptical that a play about a funeral could be funny. Happily, I was proven wrong. The playwrights concentrated their efforts on the family as it dealt with this crisis and the numerous problems in their lives. Bud Turpin dies in the opening moments of the play as he is confronted with the promise of his sister Marguerite coming over to spend the day reading scripture, so he can, "get right with the Lord." The widow, Raynelle, reveals that their 39 year marriage had been more of a struggle of wills than anything else. Her oldest child, Raybud, worries that the funeral director will overcharge him, because of an incident that happened in grade school. Her philandering middle son has gone broke in a business that cleaned parking lots and is married to a nagging wife and three children who are "demon possessed". Her youngest child, Delightful, a teenaged daughter, does nothing but eat. Marguerite's youngest son, "worthless and good for nothing", is unemployed and has no prospects. Of course, he is the one not in prison. The fun begins as this disfunctional family comes together and brings all of their problems with them. Then, there are the friends of the family, the Reverend, and the "Joy of Life Singers." I have read few scripts with this many laughs!

Technically, I decided that the emphasis had to be on the performance. Of course, the Black Box is designed for just this type of show. I elected to keep the technical aspects to a bare minimum using only three platforms, a table, some chairs, and the occasional hand prop. I used eight lighted areas to move visual interest from spot to spot as the action needed. Some characters were "doubled" and played by the same actor. In these cases, the challenge was to make each appear visully different enough so that the audience was not aware of the "doubling". Another challenge was the the character of the funeral director's wife, Merline. She is never seen, but is heard throughout the scenes at the funeral home, as she plays the organ in the background. I decided that recorded music just would not have the feel of a character in this play, so a live keyboard artist was added. The result was that Merline, although unseen, became another character in this bizaar collection of people.

The play ran April 29, 30 and May 1 to appreciative audiences. Below are some photos of the fun.