What's Funny About a Family Gathering After a Funeral?

 "I'll be glad when you're dead, you rascal you" was a song lyric in the early 1930s.  It is also the opening sentiment in Ernest Kearney's play about the passing of a thoroughly disliked, hateful woman who had nothing but vituperation for everyone and everything. 

Her demise has understandably uplifted the spirits of everyone at the funeral which, by the way, was very well attended [surprised are we?]. 

The play begins after the funeral; it's set in the living room of daughter Kim's house, where members of the family have gathered.  Nearly all of them feel a sense of relief that Mother Hapshaw [her scowling face  seen in a photograph on the wall]  is gone at long last.  There is an allusion that even if the service was lovely, it may have been a bit too lively spirited.

Mom had needed nursing care, so she moved in and lived out her last year with Kim.  The situation became so unbearable, that Kim started to "take to the bottle," as it were.  This drove her husband Lloyd out of the house.  He only came back some nine months later strictly for the joy of seeing this woman finally dead and no longer an insufferable burden.  The one exception in the family who is truly sad is Maggie.  She could afford to be: she and Mom were never under the same roof.  Much to the relief of her wimpy, secretly alcoholic and wife-fearing husband Randy, Maggie had resolutely refused to have that beastly woman come live with them.

Now Maggie and Kim have to come up with a solution to this question:  What are they going to do with Mom's ashes?  Mayhem ensues when the choreographed fight starts over who gets to keep the ashes which are wanted by apparently nobody.  To make matters worse, poor Kim had been looking forward to "veg-ging out" for a few weeks. Her plans go awry, though when suddenly, who turned up from nowhere but good ol' Lloyd who tried to liven up the funeral by hiring a polka band and a clown.  Not to give anything away, but you'll find the intermission music, well, I shall say "appropriate" and leave it there.

"Urned Happiness" won the Dramalogue Award  for Best Comedy Writing, and was nominated for Best Ensemble Comedy for the Ada Award. Dramalogue described it as "An hilarious new comedy on the vagaries of death, grief and love."  L.A. Weekly said:  "You'll be buried alive in lethal laffs and mortal mayhem."  The Los Angeles Times wrote:  "A dark farce featuring one cremated cadaver, a brutalized clown and a confused Polka band – is that a recipe for fun or what?"

"Urned Happiness" features Julie Mann, Kal Bennett, Gary Rubenstein, Joe Corgan and T.J. Marchbank in the cast. Playwright Ernest Kearney also produced and directed the performances which continue running  at 8 p.m. from Dec. 27 - Feb 6 at Theatre Unlimited Studios, 10943 Camarillo St., North Hollywood.  For tickets, call 800-838-3006 or go to brownpapertickets.com.