Texas toast

For those who have been following the misadventures of the Fayro, Texas-based Futrelle sisters and their friends, relatives and enemies, Southern Hospitality is the final installment in that comedy trilogy.

There’s one in every family: In the Futrelle family, being larger-than-life is a time-honored tradition.

For those who have no clue where Fayro, Texas, is, and wouldn’t know an ostentatious, loud-mouthed Futrelle from a hole in the wall, well, it’s not too late. The play, which made its world premiere at Asheville Community Theatre on Friday, Nov. 16, stands on its own as a laugh-out-loud, often over-the-top family-friendly event.

Penned by writing team (and recent Asheville transplants) Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, Hospitality is chock-full of Southern charm, offbeat characters and small-town quirkiness. It’s also stocked with punchy one-liners, the trademark of these seasoned writers. Jones coauthored the popular play Dearly Departed; Hope worked as director of casting for New York’s Theatre Communications Group and Chicago’s Goodman Theatre; and Wooten wrote and produced TV shows like For Your Love, Half & Half and The Golden Girls. (It’s worth noting that Golden Girl Rue McClanahan was in the audience for Hospitality‘s opening night, along with Night Court‘s Harry Anderson.)

Previous Futrelle family installments Dearly Beloved and Christmas Belles introduced audiences to a full cast of unforgettable personalities, not the least of which are sisters Honey Raye, Ronda Lynn, Twink and Frankie. The adult siblings are surrounded by grown children who can’t quite leave the nest, husbands in need of constant supervision, friends who tend to be more a part of the problem than the solution, and a few key arch rivals.

One more to watch: Through the holidays, darkly

by Alli Marshall

It’s still early in this, the season of giving and receiving. Some say the holidays begin with Thanksgiving; others count from the day after (the busiest shopping day of the year). Those with excessive spirit start counting a week earlier, with the release of Beaujolais nouveau wine. In his one-man play, Harm for the Holidays: An Autobiographical Anti-Hallmark Card, local comedian Tom Chalmers recounts not just the season at hand but an entire year’s worth of celebrations.

Only, for Chalmers, holidays aren’t warm and fuzzy occasions. Like memoirist David Sedaris in his collection, Holidays on Ice, Harm recounts festive disasters to hilarious effect. “Tom Chalmers usually spends his holidays wrapping bandages instead of wrapping presents,” promises a press release for the show.

Actor Chalmers has written for TV, starred in feature films and commercials, and has most recently appeared in the ACT staging of The Santaland Diaries and Laugh Your Asheville Off Comedy Festival.


who: Harm for the Holidays
what: One-man dark comedy
where: North Carolina Stage Company
when: Thursday, Nov. 29, through Saturday, Dec. 1 (7:30 p.m. $12. 350-9090)

 

Hospitality picks up five years after Belles, with middle-aged couple Frankie and Dub raising preschool twins while grown daughter G.J. faces her own marital troubles with husband Justin, a preacher. Meanwhile, their beloved Fayro is facing hard times as businesses close down and longtime residents move away. In a desperate bid to save their way of life, the Futrelles embark on an ambitious plan to woo a salsa factory with a down-home festival.

The great thing about this family is that they never let reality get in their way. Re-enact a Civil War battle in a locale that never saw action? No problem: They’ll just borrow a battle from neighboring Mississippi. Need funds to support a set of afterthought twins? Try sucking up to curmudgeonly old aunt Iney (delightfully performed by veteran actress Shirley Cohen). Hubby accidentally gambles away the family car? There’s always freelance cow-inseminating to earn extra cash.

If there is a weak point to Hospitality, it’s that the show starts out silly and quickly escalates to pure camp. Jokes are rapid fire and sometimes predictable, but (like TV sitcoms) that’s also the charm. The production is meant to be cozily funny and aims for nothing higher than sheer entertainment—and if the packed house at ACT is anything to go by, that’s a perfectly worthy goal.

As in Belles, Frank Salvo’s portrayal of village idiot savant Reynard steals the show. Roger Magendie also delivers a standout performance as midlife-crisis-riddled Dub Dubberly, and the lavish set alone is worth the price of admission.

While Hospitality isn’t a holiday-themed play as such, it’s a great performance for the whole family (or out-of-town guests) and proves that, for a small city, Asheville’s able to pull some major theatrical talent.


who: Southern Hospitality
what: Final play in heart-warming comedy trilogy
where: ACT
when: Friday, Nov. 30, and Saturday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 2 at 2:30 p.m. ($22/adults, $19/students and seniors, $12/children. 254-1320)

 

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Alli Marshall
Alli Marshall has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years and loves live music, visual art, fiction and friendly dogs. She is the winner of the 2016 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize and the author of the novel "How to Talk to Rockstars," published by Logosophia Books. Follow me @alli_marshall

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.