Hold on to your hats: The Futrelle sisters — Frankie, Honey Raye and Twink — are throwing a wedding. The resulting “Southern-fried” laughs play out in Columbus Community Theatre’s presentation of “Dearly Beloved” Thursday through Saturday at the Rosenzweig Arts Center. The play by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten is directed by Melanie Rogers Tubbs of Columbus.
In the mythical small town of Fayro, Texas — the kind of place where “if you put a five instead of a 10 in the collection plate, half the town will know before the sermon is over” — the Futrelles have kept tongues wagging for years. There was their almost-famous gospel trio, the Sermonettes, Twink’s desperate attempts to get her longtime boyfriend down the aisle, and Frankie’s frequent chats with their dear, departed mother. But this wedding is a chance to make a real splash, what with hoop skirts, and Rhett and Scarlett dolls atop the cake. Alas, when the vision of an expensive catered wedding dinner evolves into a potluck supper sponsored by Clovis Stanford’s House of Meat, it’s just a sign of things to come. As with any occasion that brings a lot of family together, there are memories to resurrect and old scores to settle.
“I think every time we watch it, we find something else funny,” said Tubbs. “It’s been a really fun show, especially for me; I don’t normally direct comedy.”
A cast of 11 includes some new faces joining seasoned veterans on the CCT stage. Ryan Munson portrays Dub Dubberly, the intended bride’s father.
“It’s extremely funny; there are a lot of really good scenes,” said Munson. “There’s a lot of talent in this little town, and Melanie knows what she’s doing.”
Munson’s community theater debut doesn’t come “easy.” “It was a lot more work than I suspected, but I’ve had a blast doing it,” he said. “These guys have so much camaraderie, and they’ve accepted me as part of the family.”
Commitment to the play and her fellow cast members is big for Andrea Byrd, who is enjoying channeling snooty Patsy Price, the bride’s future mother-in-law.
“It calls for commitment. I don’t care if it’s ushering in church, singing in choir or extracurricular activities, if you’re not committed, you shouldn’t sign on; this has really been a snatch in the backbone on commitment,” Byrd said. The script, she added, is a funny one, but also evokes some key issues, including “finding your happy place.”
The play’s fast-paced humor comes complete with a local psychic, twin siblings, gold lame and hot flashes. Tubbs was drawn to it all, in part, because it is well-written. “Well-written, and yet there are a lot of sight gags, too,” the director said. “You could see it more than once and still enjoy it; there’s a lot of hidden humor.”
Cast members also include Spence Andrews, Justine Edwards, Cherri Golden, Ashley Gressett, Midge Maloney, Jack Marshall, Chelsea Petty, Anna Pierce and Shane Tubbs.
How to go
Performances in the Columbus Arts Council’s Rosenzweig Arts Center Omnova Theater, 501 Main St., are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, plus a 2 p.m. matinee Saturday. Tickets are $10 in advance, available at columbusarts.org or call 662-328-2787. Tickets at the door, if available, are $12. Seating is limited.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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