While I won’t tell you who’s got the will, I can say that “Daddy’s Dyin’ Who’s Got the Will?” will remind you of people in your own family.
Another thing I can’t tell you is whether or not you want to admit it.
Ardmore Little Theatre’s second show of the season is the hilarious and touching tale of the Turnover family as the children return to their dying father’s bedside in a small Texas town.
Dysfunction and crazy antics abound as the siblings search for their daddy’s will, which he took from the lawyer’s office days before his debilitating stroke.
The family patriarch is played by John Pryor, who is completely embodies the idiosyncrasies of the role, switching from lucidity to pure delusion with ease.
To counter the near-death daddy is his mother-in-law, Mama Wheelis, played by Carmel Jones. Even though she is much younger than the character she plays, Jones personifies the crass and religious matriarch.
The play depends upon the actors’ ability to produce family chemistry. The two couples we see on-stage are played by real-life pairs Randy and Chelsae Simmons and Brian and Taloa Alexander.
Randy Simmons plays the only son, Orville, a greedy, beer-drinking redneck, more concerned with his inheritance than his father’s imminent death. While all he may have done is act naturally, Randy takes the role to new heights portraying how Orville expresses his dissatisfaction with life with abusive tendencies.
Chelsae Simmons plays his wife, Marlene. The play is Chelsae’s first with a speaking role, though it is hardly noticeable as she does a marvelous job portraying the insecure housewife searching for her own voice.
Taloa Alexander plays Evalita, the baby sister who goes through husbands like others would shoes. On a rare trip home, she brings new fiance, Harmony, played by her real-life husband, Brian. Although both are native Ardmoreites, their performances reminded me strongly of the hippies I knew in college.
Then again, the actors’ talents shine through as real life goes out the window when Harmony and Marlene begin to flirt with one another.
While not technically related, the other actors are all longtime members of the ALT family and stage, which shows in their terrific performances.
Lisa Cowan plays Sara Lee, the sister who has stayed home and taken care of Mama Wheelis and Daddy as the others moved on to other things. Cowan’s performance truly balances the bitterness amid the comedy from her character’s years of being underappreciated by those she cares for most.
Gina Quary rounds out the cast as oldest sister, Lurlene, who left the family ranch so she and her husband could go into the ministry. Quary epitomizes the struggles of an older sister who blazes her own path and longs for acceptance from her family.
Director Joh Mann has brought together an amazing cast to represent the dysfunctional family, and the set takes the audience right into the Turnover living and dining rooms for an amazing glimpse at the meaning of family.
Jennifer Lindsey, 221-6536
