Cast of Dearly Departed – back row: Joan Berger, Chris Mank, Jim Brown, Jim Janowski, Rick Whitney, John Crawford and Ginger Henry; front row, Phyllis Novy, Sandy Ilsen, Susan Schlesinger and Andrea Hummel. Not shown: Merrie Crawford and Sandy Pallett.
Andrea Hummel
“Now we’re a family and we’re all gonna hang together,” commands Lucille.
So difficulties and petty jealousies are put aside and family dynamics are revealed and sometimes resolved as the Turpin family gathers to bid one last good-bye to Bud, the family patriarch.
Dearly Departed, a hilarious comedy by David Bottrell and Jessie Jones, will be presented in the San Tan Ballroom November 8–12. The cast of 15 will be doing Sun Lakes Community Theatre proud as they portray as eccentric a group of misfits to ever come out of the backwoods of the Bible Belt.
Each new character introduced in the show raises the level of hilarity a bit as we meet Delightful, whose main preoccupation is devouring junk food, and Juanita, who still talks about being Yam Queen in high school, arguably the high point in her life thus far.
An additional element in the show is a choir, The Joy of Life singers. They will be performing before the show, during intermission and as part of the play. Chris Roen, Jim Neilsen, Chris Mank, Jim Brown, Judy Janowski, Marilyn Holt, Sandy Bocynesky, Sharon Guzman and Susan Schlesinger make up The Joy of Life singers.
Dearly Departed was called “drop dead funny” by The New York Daily News and the New York Post said, “If you were amused by the kind of bucolic mayhem of Greater Tuna, this more ambitious trip down a rustic main street could be just your dish of cola.”
Watch the Splash or check slctinfo.org for information about ticket availability. See you at the theatre!