Rehearsing a scene from “Dearly Departed” are Lisa Babigian, Jan Weinig, Danielle Delgado, Jeff Zimmerman and Dave Mikolajczyk.
It would be hard to imagine a goofier set of characters than the Turpins. This hilariously dysfunctional family from “somewhere below the Mason-Dixon Line” will come together to deal with death and each other during “Dearly Departed,” the sidesplitting dark comedy kicking off Footlight Theatre’s 64th season.
Footlight Theatre is located at 1705 Franklin St., Michigan City. Show dates are Aug. 2-4 and 8-11; curtain at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Reservations are recommended and may be made by calling 219-874-4035 or visiting www.footlightplayers.org. Reservations will be held until 15 minutes prior to curtain unless secured by the presentation of a Footlight Season Gift Card or by prior payment in full.
Cast members are Jeffrey Steven Zimmerman, Danielle Delgado, Aram Arden, Alice Dickey, Jan Weinig, Brian Brophy, Lisa Babigian, Kristina Heuck, and Dave Mikolajczyk. Director John Avila noted three of the cast members are newcomers to the stage, including Delgado, who describes it as an “awesome and slightly terrifying experience.”
The premise: Bud Turpin has just dropped dead and the rest of the clan has a funeral to plan. Between the feuds, marital flings, and Macaroni and Ham Loaf Surprise, one wouldn’t be surprised if it escalated into a multiple-coffin memorial service.