Dark Comedy Entertains at Chautauqua Playhouse

Irreverent comedy graced the stage last weekend at the during a performance of “Dearly Departed”.

The play follows the family of Bud, a husband and father, after he drops dead at the breakfast table one morning. Set in the Bible Belt, the comedy pokes fun at religious fanatics and family dynamics as the players go about planning a funeral.

Some will miss Bud but others seem indifferent. When asked by the Reverend Hooker (Philip Pittman) to describe her husband of 39 years, Marguerite (Patty Thiel) says, “he was mean and downright surly”. She later asks the funeral home to engrave “mean and surly” on Bud’s headstone.

Bud and Marguerite are not the only feuding spouses. Bud’s son Junior (Jason Titus), who makes the trip for the funeral, is nearly driven to homicide by his wife Suzanne (Lisa Derthick) over her nagging and other marital issues, including money troubles and infidelity.

The play was rife with corpse jokes and often took a turn toward the macabre. Characters often told others to hurry because the corpse was melting, or would not last long in the heat.

Strong direction by Dean Shellenberger shone throughout the production. The timing of the jokes was excellent and the audience frequently roared with laughter.

The set was impressive as it always seems to be at Chautauqua Playhouse. The small stage captured the rustic rural Bible Belt and was simple enough to serve multiple purposes with minimal changes.

Actress Claudia Wrazel shone as Raynelle, a hostile religious zealot who imposes her beliefs on her children. Wrazel enthusiastically sang hymns periodically throughout the production, and chided her son for not attending church and listening to rock ‘n’ roll music. 

A hilarious scene ensures when Raynelle and her son Royce (Vincent Keene) wrestle over the car radio control, switching the music back and forth from a pious hymn to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”. The two eventually break the radio, leaving them to sit in silence, which Raynelle fills by singing hymns.

Level-headed Ray Bud, the son of the deceased seems to be the glue of the family, despite his propensity for anger. Actor Wade Lucas did an excellent job portraying the gentle-hearted family man.

Another example of excellent casting included Chautauqua Playhouse veteran actress Boots Martin, who delivered a spot on performance as bragging neighbor Juanita. Shana McCarl was an excellent choice for the part of Delightful, Bud and Marguerite’s youngest daughter. Delightful deals with the death of her father by eating anything she can get her hands on.

Chautauqua Playhouse’s “Dearly Departed will continue to show through June 12. Showings are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. For more information, go to cplayhouse.org.