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. The Department of Theatre and Dance at SUNY Fredonia will do its best to shake away the winter blues at the end of February and the beginning of March as they present David Bottrell and Jessie Jones’ Southern comedy in the Michael C. Rockefeller Arts Center.
 
Dearly Departed will be performed in the intimate setting of the Bartlett Theatre beginning on Friday, February 25 at 8:00 pm. Performances will continue on February 26, March 3, 4, and 5 at 8:00 pm as well. The Sunday matinee of February 27 is already sold out. Audiences will have the opportunity to discuss the play with cast, designers, and crew following that matinee performance. Adult tickets cost $9.50 and student tickets are $7.50. The Central Ticket Office is currently taking general seating reservations during regular business hours at 673-3501.
 
Dearly Departed, set somewhere south of the Mason Dixon line, tells the story of father Turpin’s funeral and its aftermath, not to mention the dizzying array of crazies who are attached to him. This husband and patriarch of the family, was not exactly God-fearing, or even perhaps likable and, as a result, his extended family has a variety of unexpected responses to his passing. When his wife, Raynelle, is asked by the preacher, who is to give the eulogy at his funeral, to describe her husband, the widow succinctly replies that Bud was "mean and surly."
 
Audiences who enjoyed the comic mayhem of the great two person, multi-character play, Greater Tuna, should also enjoy this delightful visit with the collection of dysfunctional Southern-fried eccentrics in Dearly Departed. The intimate ensemble of student players will attempt to bring the backwoods comedy a level of humanity while never shortchanging the hilarity of Jones and Bottrell’s farcical script.
 
Katherine Varno heads the cast of oddball characters playing the mother, Raynelle. Dr. Paul Schwartz, Dean of Arts and Humanities at SUNY Fredonia, plays her husband and patriarch of the family, Bud Turpin, in a short cameo performance. Marguerite, the Bible quoting, self righteous sister of the deceased, is played by Lauren Basler who is partnered with her worthless, unemployed son, Royce, portrayed by Adam Thatcher.
 
Ray-Bud and Junior, the sons in the family, are given life by Brendon Schaefer and Steven Copps respectively. They are joined by their troubled, but hopeful wives, Lucille and Susan played by Anne McAlexander and Kara Infantolino. Kaela Altman-Smith plays the dumpy daughter, Delightful and a guest at the funeral while Anna Stone assumes the roles of well-wishing funeral attendees, Veda and Juanita. Joshua Gregory changes hats many times in the play as he takes the parts of Reverend Hooker, Clyde (a car garage repairman) and Norval (an old man attending the funeral).
 
James Ivey, director of Dearly Departed, has chosen to set the play in his native, West Texas. Actors were sent home for their Christmas vacation with accent tapes to develop their drawls before rehearsals began in earnest in January. Michael Hetzer is designing the scenery for the many locales in the fictional towns of Lula and Timson, Texas. The contemporary costumes are designed by Bekah Carey and lighting by Neely Kinne.
 
The joy of Dearly Departed definitely lies in its bold farcical characters and their ridiculous responses to a serious situation. And while the bucolic farce explores every comedic response to death, it still manages a pretty neat trick by putting a whole lot of fun into a funeral. Dearly Departed contains a minimum of mature language and situations and is not recommended for children under the age of twelve.