Fayro, Texas, is not a happy town. The rendering plant is gone, as is the SuperSaver and many of the other businesses. The few that are left are hanging on by a thread, and as one character laments, “There hasn’t been a good funeral in two months.” She owns the florist shop.
It’s a fun, gentle show with some hearty laughs and it was a nice way to unwind for the weekend. You’ll leave smiling.
Thus the stage is set for this chaotic farce as the four Futrelle sisters (Frankie, Honey Raye, Twink and Rhonda Lynn) take it upon themselves to try to come up with a plan to save their town. That this will eventually lead to a Fayro Days festival that involves a re-enactment of the Battle of Vicksburg (only this town the South will win, with balloons and hobby horses) is one measure of the crazy set loose in this work.
Written by the comedy team of Jesse Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, the show is the everything but the kitchen sink of comedy. This team reveres the craziness of small Southern towns. ‘Southern Hospitality’ is the third play in the trilogy that begins with Dearly Beloved and continues with Christmas Belles. But you don’t need to be familiar with the other two to get into the spirit of this one.
Oh, and did we mention, the town has four days to come up with a complete festival in order to lure a new major industry to the town?
That sets the scene for two hours of zaniness. Somehow Honey Raye, as the president of the Chamber of Commerce, makes promises to this salsa company looking to relocate, that will stretch the town to the limit, including a petting zoo, a craft show, the aforementioned re-enactment (with 15 people), a pet costume parade, kiddie rides, and a beauty pageant (with two people).
Just to add to the fun, Twink is so desperate to get married that she’s asked Deputy John Curtis Buntner to marry her, and he inexplicably said yes. Frankie is at the end of her rope–her husband, Dub, is having a major midlife crisis at the same time her five-year-old twins are literally tearing up the town. Rhonda Lynn is, shall we say, feeling unfulfilled and looking for rich husband number five or six. Dub’s old, and supposedly rich, Aunt Iney, the “meanest woman in twelve counties,” has invited herself for a visit to discuss a matter of importance. Finally, the preacher, who has been the interim preacher for five years, is being evaluated by the Conference of Bishops to make the post permanent, but he and his young wife, in the meantime, managed to gamble away both their car and their mobile home.
There are some truly funny moments in the show—the concept of using red and blue balloons, after spending a night drawing faces on them, to round out the re-enactors is a hoot. And due to the dearth of animals available for the petting zoo, the preacher’s wife gamely puts on a cat costume so people can pet her too (the duck is mean and the emu is dead, but they’re going to tell everyone it’s sleeping). And since the horses from the 4H club won’t be available until after the parade, the re-enactors are practicing with hobby horses. In public. And Aunt Iney might be dead; the body disappeared, so no one is sure. This town has taken making lemonade out of lemons to a whole other level.
Armed with clipboards, hair that never moves and heat-proof makeup, these ladies pull off a miracle. They are ably assisted by Raynerd Chisum, whose good-heartedness and simple, home-spun wisdome they’ve taken for granted.
The admirably good-natured cast includes Kate Ives (Miss Geneva Musgrave); Kacie Greenwood (Honey Raye); Mandi Ellis (Gina Jo Dubberly Waverly); Edye Smith (Rhonda Lynn); Melissa Dunlap (Twink); Michael Wong (Justin Waverly); Richard Isaacs (John Curtis Buntner); Cal Whitehurst (Dub Dubberly); Christine Tankersley (Frankie); James McDaniel (Raynerd Chisum); Janice Zucker (Aunt iney); Anne Hileary (D. Dayva Davidson); and Charles Dragonette (Buck Strickland—he seems the sanest at the end as the visiting magnate, but then again he likes the town).
The show is directed by Eddie Page, who also designed the set. The show moves smartly. One caveat is that the scene changes were a little fumbling; a few things were dropped and there was some miscalculations with moving furniture. On the other hand, this is a town used to things going awry, but they keep soldiering on.
It’s a fun, gentle show with some hearty laughs and it was a nice way to unwind for the weekend. You’ll leave smiling.
Running Time: Two hours and 15 minutes with one intermission.
“Southern Hospitality” at Aldersgate Church Community Theatre, runs through July 28, 2019. For more information, please click here.
