Directed by Theatre Program Coordinator and Professor Marnie Brennan, Dearly Departed is a hilarious comedy of the Turpin family that proves that living and dying in the south are seldom tidy and always hilarious. From the moment the Turpin family patriarch, Bud Turpin, keels over at the breakfast table right through his burial, 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.
Despite their earnest efforts to pull themselves together for their father's funeral, the Turpin's other problems keep overshadowing this seemingly somber occasion: first-born Ray-Bud, played by Sean McCormack, drinks himself silly as the funeral bills mount; Junior, played by Danny Sites, is the younger son who is juggling financial ruin, monster kids and a wife who suspects him of infidelity in the family car; their younger sister Delightful, played by Jean Wise, copes with her father's death by devouring junk food; and all the neighbors add more than their two cents. As the comedy mounts, Ray-Bud asks his wife to simply bury him in the backyard when his time comes and tell everyone he left her to avoid such antics upon his eventual death. Other cast members include Teresa de Gaetano as Raynelle, Maddy Wilson as Lucille, Vida Joines as Suzanne, Josh Arnold as Royce, Angela Ruediger as Aunt Marguerite, Adam Newborn as Rev. Hooker, Alyssha Jordan as Nadine, Ryan Hays as Clyde, Patrick Allen as Bud/Norval, Lisa Rogers as Juanita, and Cat Hintze as Veda.
Dearly Departed features an abstract set designed by Dave Olmsted, Theatre Scenic Designer/Production Manager, complemented by lighting designed by Lori Friedlander, Theatre Technical Director, and costumes designed by HACC Theatre Instructor, Paul Foltz. This play is not appropriate for children under the age of 13. There will be no admittance after the play begins until the end of the first Act.
Dearly Departed, a gut-busting hilarious choice for adults looking for an evening of comedy and laughs, will be presented Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3 at 8:00 p.m. in the Studio Theatre (A104) of the Rose Lehrman Arts Center, HACC. Tickets are $9 adult and $7 student/senior citizen and are available at the RLAC Box Office at 231-ROSE (7673) or online at www.hacc.edu/rose. Early reservations recommended.