REVIEW: 'Dearly Beloved' at Towne Centre Theatre

Here's the deal: If someone, anyone, can tell me how Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten were able to unearth all the dirt on my family and then write the hilariously over-the-top Dearly Beloved, now onstage at Towne Centre Theatre, I'll give 'em a million bucks! Okay, so I don't have an extra mil to give away, how about $5.00? Well, I don't have that much to give away either; can someone tell me the answer for free? Anyone? Anyone?

Dearly Beloved is the wonderfully funny, shockingly true-to-life and on-target skewering of a Texas family on the occasion of the wedding of one of its favorite daughters. While it may not be set in West Tennessee (where I grew up) and the family in question may be the Futrelles, it's certainly a universal story of Southern families-so much so that those three wacky Futrelle sisters (Frankie, Honey Raye and Twink) could very well be my three sisters (Charlotte, Stella Mae and Bobbye). Seriously, folks, there's so much comedy in this rollicking play that no matter where you grew up, you're likely to recognize your own family members.

Directed by Jim Himelrick, the action takes place in the small Texas town of Fayro, with most of the action taking place in the fellowship hall of the Tabernacle of the Lamb Church (whose pastor has been sent to rehab for preachers who drink too much). The occasion is the wedding of Tina Jo Dubberly and Parker Price; Tina Jo is the daughter of Frankie Futrelle Dubberly and her husband "Dub" (of course), and Parker is the son of widow Patsy Price (who's considered "the queen of what passes for high society in Fayro"). Tina Jo's wedding, the culmination of her mama's dream, is set to a Gone With the Wind theme, with bridesmaids in hoop skirts, the processional to "Tara's Theme" and Rhett and Scarlett dolls atop the piano in the fellowship hall, where the potluck wedding dinner will be served after the nuptials.

Frankie (played by Deanna Bowden), Honey Raye (Kristin Hill) and Twink (Karen Himelrick) are the lone surviving members of the Futrelle clan, although their "Mama Eula," who died four years before the wedding, still manages to play a major role in Dearly Beloved. The three sisters, not to be confused with Chekhov's characters, gained fame as The Sermonettes, a gospel group that toured on the revival circuit until Honey Raye's ill-timed and ill-fated marriage to an evangelist cum ventriloquist splintered the group as certainly as Diana Ross' departure spelled doom for The Supremes.

As with any family reunion, there are old memories to dredge up and old scores to settle, but the three playwrights create such genuinely felt moments that-while uproariously funny and entertaining-the play manages to retain an air of reality that some audience members may find to be uncomfortable (if you have to ask yourself if your family is as redneck as the Futrelles, let me assure you they are).

Himelrick's cast is uniformly confident in their onstage roles and the obvious chemistry among the actors is felt throughout the piece. Marianne Clark, one of the doyennes of Nashville theatre, makes the most of her loudmouthed wedding coordinator/florist/Greyhound bus dispatcher role. Annaliese Higgins, as Tina Jo and her twin Gina Jo (who works as chief cow inseminator in Fayro), is having a lot of fun onstage as the two sisters, delivering a well-modulated performance. Laurie Evans as Patsy Price is the smalltown snob we've all known at some point in our lives and her eventual comeuppance is priceless. Paula Higgins doubles as the production's stage manager and as the town psychic (doesn't every Southern town have one?), Madame Nelda.

Christopher R.C. Rosen is well-cast as Frankie's good ol' boy husband, Dub, and Bob Buchholz is terrifically larger than life as Twink's cold medicine-addled boyfriend (whom she is convinced will finally ask her to marry him after 15 years if he witnesses some wedding vows). Johnny Peppers gives a strong comic performance as Justin Waverly, the UPS man who shows up in time to perform the wedding in place of the drying-out pastor. Alan Johnson is the bumbling town "peace officer" whose gun twirling antics very nearly results in tragedy on the special day.

But, clearly, it's the three Futrelle girls who carry the day and garner the most laughs in this winning comedy. Deanna Bowden is very good as Frankie, going from calm to crazy in less than a split second, and Kristin Hill gives a comically genius performance as Honey Raye (who, hand to God, has to be based on my sister Stella Mae--or else they were separated at birth), who arrives in the midst of a life-changing hot flash wearing skin-tight, zebra-striped leggings and a sparkly blue dress. But it may be Karen Himelrick as Twink who takes top comedic honors in Dearly Beloved; you really have to see her performance to fully appreciate her superb timing and delivery.

Himelrick's confident direction assures the success of the production, coupled with his expert casting choices, but some of the scenes (particularly the earlier ones in which we meet all the disparate characters) would benefit from a faster pace. Still, it's hard to imagine any audiences (no matter where they are or what region of the country they grew up in) not finding a whole lot to love about Dearly Beloved.

--Dearly Beloved. By Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten. Directed by Jim Himelrick. Presented by Towne Centre Theatre, 136 Frierson Street, Brentwood. Through October 17. For reservations, call (615) 221-1174. Visit the theatre's website at www.townecentretheatre.com

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