The Futrelle sisters are at it again in the Santa Maria Civic Theatre’s (SMCT) last production of this season, Southern Hospitality, a romping comedy set in Fayro, Texas. The play was penned by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten. The production actually closes out a trilogy that SMCT has dedicated itself to over the past few seasons, with several actors returning to their previous roles and the thick Southern accents that go with them.
The previous production, Christmas Belles, was a holiday-themed tale about the folks of Fayro, and this one takes place during the summertime, but the living ain’t easy for these characters. The small town economy is in a downturn thanks to a recent factory closure, and the locally owned businesses are feeling the pinch.
Miss Geneva Musgrave (Sally Buchanan) is hard hit at her flower shop and complains over the phone to a friend how she hasn’t had a “good funeral” in months. The people of Fayro are hurting, and they need some kind of windfall.
Other folks in Fayro are hurting for different reasons. Honey Raye Futrelle (Kelly Greenup) is the second oldest of the sisters, dresses 20 years too young, and complains to her niece Gina Jo Dubberly (Erica Croff) about a recent dry spell she’s had in the limited dating. Gina Jo has her own problems; her husband, Pastor Justin Waverly (Kyle Hawkings), is terrible at handling their money.
Meanwhile, we meet two more of the Futrelle sisters—the main focus of the trilogy—at a nearby restaurant, the Dairy Dog. Rhonda Lynn (Maureen Staunton) talks with her sister Twink (Linda Vesely) about her good luck in the dating world, while Twink relates her recent engagement to the bumbling Deputy Sheriff John Curtis Buntner (Cody Fogh). But at the same time, Sheriff Buntner visits Pastor Waverly, who is trying to get promoted from interim pastor to full-time parishioner. He prays for a soul to save, but Sheriff Buntner is more interested in dodging his nuptials to Twink than becoming a devout and devoted husband.
And then, finally, we come to the home of Frankie Futrelle Dubberly (Leslie Franklin) and her husband, Dub Dubberly (Jim Dahmen), both of whom are preparing for the arrival of Dub’s cranky but rich old aunt Iney Dubberly (Clare Terrill), who has news to share with the family during her weekend stay. To top off the aggravation, Dub is in the middle of a midlife crisis and their simpleton friend Raynerd Chisum (Kevin Kinyon) keeps intruding with his little red wagon in tow.
Once everyone is gathered, Geneva brings some news. She just finished a phone call with a representative for a salsa company, which is considering moving one of its factories to Texas.
Always the Futrelle sister to steal another woman’s thunder, Honey Raye comes in after her own phone conversation with the same company’s CEO. She invited the mysterious executive to come that weekend for Fayro Days—a town-wide festival that doesn’t exist—and to stay at the town’s historic bed and breakfast, which is really Frankie’s house.
Needless to say, the whole gang panics, and goes into overdrive to turn the floundering town of Fayro into an enticing location for a shrewd business owner. All the various characters are set to tasks, including wrangling critters for a petting zoo, finding a way to stage a Civil War re-enactment without more than a handful of re-enactors, and staging a beauty contest with only two contestants. When the special guest Dayva Davidson (Diana Round) arrives, she finds the Futrelles and friends at each other’s throats.
The Santa Maria Civic Theatre’s dedication to larger productions like Southern Hospitality is impressive because of the number of set changes, costume changes, and interweaving character arcs. All the while, the entirely volunteer cast doesn’t miss a single beat, delivering uproarious laughs from the audience on puns and punch lines galore. Every actor gets more than a couple of chances to shine.
The stage manager Cagney Herrick, and lighting and sound work by Devin Herrick, Cagney Herrick, and Rob Vesely are vitally important to the production with so many scene and set changes. Director and SMCT Board of Trustees Treasurer John Shade directed the show, reminding visitors that—like the Futrelles and Dubberlys—the Santa Maria Civic Theatre is a family that welcomes all with hospitality and lots of laughs.
Arts Editor Joe Payne bids a fond farewell to the Futrelle sisters. Contact him at [email protected].
