The
Francis Marion University Theatre's final mainstage production of the
2007-2008 season
will be Dearly Beloved by Jesse Jones, Nicholas Hope and
Jamie Wooten. THE STORY: The Futrelle Sisters,
Frankie, Honey Raye and Twink, are
throwing a wedding. Frankie has almost made herself sick with elaborate
preparations for her daughter Tina Jo’s antebellum-inspired wedding,
and the rumor mill in their small town of Fayro, Texas, is working
overtime. No surprise there, the Futrelle Sisters have never been
strangers to gossip. After all, they did survive the scandalous breakup
of their almost-famous gospel singing trio, The Sermonettes. But Twink’s desperate attempts to get her boyfriend of fifteen-and-one-half years down the aisle, Frankie’s ongoing conversations with their dead mother, and Honey Raye’s tendency to race to the altar at every opportunity have kept tongues wagging for years. In spite of her own marital problems, Frankie has held steadfastly to the hope that she can pull off one “final Futrelle occasion” with elegance and style with the help of the cantankerous wedding coordinator, Miss Geneva, who runs the local floral shop/bus depot. But on the day of the nuptials, Frankie’s hope begins to dim when she discovers Twink’s alternative solution to an expensive catered wedding dinner is a potluck supper sponsored by Clovis Sanford’s House of Meat. When the prodigal Honey Raye arrives at the church in skintight gold lamé, consumed by hot flashes and a steely determination to right old family wrongs, Frankie’s hope is shaken. It is lost completely when word reaches the church that Tina Jo and her fiancé have fled Fayro and eloped. The sisters ultimately pull together to find ways to keep the unsuspecting guests in the pews while a highway patrolman races off to track down the runaway bride and groom. As a last resort, and to the delight of the citizenry of Fayro, Texas, The Sermonettes reunite and sing again. -- Dramatists Play Service
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  Dearly Beloved production photos by Abby Kiker
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Reservations for Dearly Beloved may be made beginning March 31 by calling the box office at 661-1365. The box office will be open to reserve seats Monday through Friday from 1 pm to 5 pm. All tickets are free to the public. Curtain is at 7:30. The Francis Marion University Theatre's 2007-2008 season opened with William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. There was no Winter Production this season so the Francis Marion could host the Palmetto Dramatic Association / South Carolina Thespians High School Theatre Festival in February. For additional information contact Mr. Gourley in FAC 224, 661-1538, agourley@fmarion.edu. Interested in working "behind the scenes"? Contact Mr. Granath in FAC 222, 661-1536, dgranath@fmarion.edu. |
