Wednesday, March 28, 2001

FCT spins hilarious tale of death in the south

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

Handling the death of a loved one is never easy, but in Fayette Community Theatre's production of "Dearly Departed," it sure is funny.

"The plot of the play, which runs at Sams Auditorium March 30 - April 1 and April 5-8, deals with the Turpin family. The patriarch of the Turpin family has passed on and his grown children must juggle their complicated lives with the funeral. Ray-Bud, the eldest son, is drinking more and more as the funeral bills mount, while his younger brother must deal with his financial ruin, his monstrous children and a wife who suspects him of infidelity.

Meanwhile, Delightful, their spinster sister, deals with the loss by consuming mass quantities of junk food. Their friends and neighbors also chip in their two cents as they pull through their period of grief.

The play is directed by Michael McClendon, a Fairburn resident who has worked with Fayette Community Theatre and Southside Theatre Guild on numerous productions, including "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest," "The Boys Next Door," and most recently, "Twelve Angry Men."

McClendon studied drama at the University of Tennessee and worked as an actor and director after graduation. He returned to Atlanta in 1980 and appeared in the TBS soap opera, "The Catlins." He has worked with many famous actors and directors over the years, including Lily Tomlin, Patrick Swayze and Tommy Lee Jones. He also appeared in "Blue Sky," the Oscar-winning film by Tony Richardson.

"Dearly Departed" played to sold out audiences when it was presented at Southside Theater Guild and in Henry County by the Henry County players," said FCT ticket Chairman Nancy De Lorenzo. "We expect the same sellout performances here and are limiting seating in the auditorium because of the special set design required for this show. We want to guarantee that every patron will benefit from and enjoy the special staging by Grant Juneau and lighting design by Vincent Anderson."

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