The way we handle the loss of a loved one says a lot about us, while also forcing us to re-evaluate our lives. The characters in "Dearly Departed," performed by the Black Theatrical Ensemble at the Morton Theatre this past weekend, are at a poignant moment in their lives, which makes examining their personalities and relationships all the more interesting.
The play, written by David Bottrell and Jessie Jones, tells the story of a Southern family as they deal with the death of Bud — husband, father, uncle and brother. Bud's death isn't really the point of the story, but a backdrop over which to expose characters. Each person handles the loss in a different way, just as any family would.
Ray-Bud, the oldest son and new patriarch of the family, takes the burden of funeral arrangements and stresses over costs. “Tell her we'll just strap him on top of the Impala,” he suggests to save money on a hearse. Junior, the dreamer younger brother, wants the best of everything for his father without considering the realities of finances. Suzanne, Junior's nagging, dramatic wife, makes it about herself. Lucille, Ray-Bud's supportive wife, takes care of everyone as they grieve. Marguerite, Bud's religious, judgmental sister, sticks her nose in everyone's business. “That's three G-O-D's and it's only 7:05 in the morning,” she complains to her son Royce, who seems uninterested. Raynelle calmly and unemotionally plans her husband's funeral. She's “not real happy, not real sad, just glad I guess. Glad it all happened. Glad I knew him.” And Delightful, the youngest mentally-handicapped daughter, who her mother calls a "surprise," eats throughout — she says less than five words during the entire play, but might be the funniest character.
The only problem is that there are so many characters it's a little hard to keep up with who's who and how everyone is related, especially in the beginning before we meet everyone. Several of the characters could have been cut entirely — namely Royce, who adds little to either the plot or humor of the play.
In addition, a few scenes, which distract from the plot more than help move it along, could also have been eliminated. For example, a scene depicting the pastor hosting a radio show had little to do with the rest of the storyline. During the second act I found myself checking my watch. Had a few of the extraneous scenes been cut out, the slow pace might have been avoided.
The strength of "Dearly Departed" lies in its ability to deal with somber topics like death, miscarriage and infidelity and still be funny. It's not just that there is comic relief throughout, it’s that the issues themselves are handled in a comical way.
“I have got to remember to get the batteries changed on his pace maker,” says an elderly woman attending Bud's wake about her husband, whose costume of high waisted shorts with suspenders, tall white socks, black tennis shoes and a golf hat fit his role perfectly. He may be knocking on death's door, but the intricacies of his medical problems have become commonplace to her. And that's what most hardships in life are, just things we have to deal with to get by.
The family dynamics in "Dearly Departed" are also true to life. This is shown best when Ray-Bud and Junior get in a fistfight in the afternoon, but are able to get past it and have a good conversation later that night without so much as an apology from either one. All families have some level of dysfunction. "Dearly Departed" brings that dysfunction to life in a light-hearted, yet realistic way.
It's the characters in "Dearly Departed" that make it worth watching. I found myself connecting to nearly all of them, in part due to excellent character development, but, also, largely because of the quality of acting. Marguerite and Suzanne's characters were a little over exaggerated, but that's part of what made them funny. Royce was a little boring, and Junior was hard to understand at times, but the actors who played Ray-Bud, Lucille and Raynelle gave outstanding performances that allowed the audience to sympathize with them. The actress who played Delightful managed to steal scenes without saying a word — a true mark of good acting. By intermission, I had forgotten that I was watching actors, a testament to the believability of each character.
"Dearly Departed" succeeds in providing a humorous look into family interactions. The great writing and acting kept me — and the rest of the audience — laughing throughout and explain why the play has been reproduced hundreds of times in the 20 years since its original debut.
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