A full house sat attentively as it was hit by the first dark-humored joke of the play.
The theatergoers, seated in the classy blue auditorium of the Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbott Road, didn't exactly know what they were getting into when they purchased their tickets for "Dearly Departed."
Presented by the Lansing Civic Players, "Dearly Departed" was written by David Botrell and Jessie Jones and directed by Linda Granger.
The play offers both dark and fun humor as well as carefully thought-out satire depicting a Southern family from the nation's Bible Belt.
The story revolves around a modest family who lost its patriarch, Bud Turpin (Stan Fredericks), to a stroke.
Against clever and creatively-designed sets, family members are forced to reach past their own individual problems in order to come together to help Raynelle Turpin (D.J. Morgan) plan the proper funeral.
The play's wit, however, is dependent on the actors' abilities to work off of each other - which some do better than others.
A tremendous performance was given by Royce (Brian Stratton) as he portrayed an unemployed, Busch-beer drinking, AC/DC-loving bachelor forced by his loud-mouthed and religious mother, Marguerite (Judy Such), to attend his uncle's funeral.
As the two battle over radio stations and whether Royce is the devil, Royce's car breaks down, forcing the two to spend even more time together.
Other than Marguerite's few missed lines and on-stage nervousness, the two were a great pair.
The play did a fantastic job poking fun at stereotypical family relations in the South, especially between married couples.
Lucille (Denise Baum) acts as the family's savior, especially to her husband Ray-Bud, Bud's son. Ray-Bud (Richard Redman) is a hardworking and concerned son with a bit of a temper problem. Slight overacting on Ray-Bud's part is hurtful to the pair's purpose as the sober, normal glue of the family.
Comedic relief comes frequently from the Rev. Hooker (Jayke Pell) who got a dog and whistle with his clothes and suffered from intestinal difficulties due to the previous night's Mexican dining.
Two MSU students made their acting debut in the play.
Economics and political science senior Kiri Jewell gave the audience plenty to laugh at as she played the part of Nadine, a clueless mother of eight preparing to marry a carnival worker who hates children.
English senior Erin Carrier portrays Bud and Raynelle's "surprise" daughter, significantly younger than the two sons. Carrier has few lines, but each garnered much laughter from the audience, as did a large belch influenced by one of her junk-food binges.
"Boy oh boy, it's interesting," Lansing resident Darrin Fowler said. "It's funny but at the same time it would leave one to reflect on life a bit."
Fowler said the play was a good choice for a Sunday afternoon.
"People should take in as much community theater as possible. It's an affordable and enjoyable way to spend an afternoon."
Along with humor, however, there is a message within the play that, no matter what roads we choose to take in our lives, on any given day we still are part of a family and live in a circle that will always lead us to one another.
