The Whimsical World of the Futrelles — FUTRELLE-OGY: CHRISTMAS BELLES at TAG

by Guest Contributor

Tracy Hanayo Okubo

Brad Powell, Artistic Director of TAG—The Actors’ Group, may have already been honored with the Pierre Bowman Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawai‘i State Theatre Council, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to slow down anytime soon. Always one ready for a challenge, Powell took on the daunting task of directing not one, but three full-length shows to be performed in repertory. Welcome to The Futrelle-ogy, the trilogy of Dearly Beloved, Christmas Belles, and Southern Hospitality—three comedies by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten that follow the Futrelle sisters and their wacky adventures.

Christmas Belles is the second of the Futrelle-ogy plays, but if you didn’t see the first, Dearly Beloved, the show does begin with a quick “re-cap,” much like with some television shows, so that you are at least partially caught up. The play picks up from where the last play ended, with the eldest Futrelle sister, Honey Rae Futrelle (Victoria Gail-White), planning the church’s annual Christmas pageant, which she has renamed the “Christmas-Palooza,” complete with the local weather girl as the “local celebrity” and an Elvis impersonator. The town’s florist, Geneva Musgrave (Mary Pat Sjostrom), does little to hide her resentment after having been in charge of the Christmas pageant for the past twenty-seven years.

A series of whacky events ensue as the pageant falls apart and Geneva inserts herself as “savior” of the pageant. In the meantime, Twink Futrelle (Kathy Bowers) is granted special leave from the local prison to spend Christmas Eve at church with her family. Twink spends the majority of her time obsessing over the completion of her revenge against her ex, who left her for another woman. Bowers displays a great comedic talent in her role as the spurned Futrelle sister.

Also in the meantime, Frankie Futrelle Dubberly (Constance Hassell) and her husband Dub Dubberly (Dale Hathaway) wrestle with the reality that they are going to be parents to twins—again! In order to make more money in preparation for this second set of twins, Dub takes on several odd jobs, including playing Santa Claus at the local supermarket. One comedic yet charming moment occurs when the local minister, Justin Waverly (Tony Nickelsen), dressed up as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, sits on Dub’s lap and asks his permission to propose to Gina Jo (Dusty Behner), one of Frankie and Dub’s twin daughters. Futrelle-ogy is a wonderful opportunity for Behner to show her versatility since she is tasked with playing both of Frankie and Dub’s twin daughters.

The brightest spots of the show occur within the Christmas pageant. The local town crazy man who “just loves Christmas,” Raynerd Chisum (John Wythe White), saves the pageant by delivering a perfect recounting of the birth of Jesus from the Bible. But the show stealer was most definitely Virginia Jones as Patsy Price. Jones delivers a strong and spot on performance as the local upper-class socialite who accidentally overdoses on Dub’s painkillers, goes on stage high as a kite, and ends up treating the audience to a booty dance before collapsing in Santa’s chair.

TAG truly rose to the challenge of performing three shows in rep. Not only did the cast have to rehearse for three full-length shows at once, but the set designer (Andy Alvarado) was tasked with creating a set that would be versatile enough to accommodate all the different settings for all three shows. Laurie Tanoura, TAG’s production manager, outdid herself in creating a plethora of realistic-looking food, along with numerous other props and set dressings that complete the picture.

Powell and the entire cast and crew deserve credit for such a huge undertaking. Though there are obvious differences in acting abilities, the overall result is an endearing cast of characters that you want to continue watching, much like with a favorite television show. Whether you choose to see all three shows, or just one, The Futrelle-ogy at TAG will fill your evening with laughter while highlighting the strength of family.

The Futrelle-ogy runs from 11/10–12/11, 2011, with the shows alternating every performance. Visit www.taghawaii.net or call 808-722-6941 for tickets.

Photo taken from TAG - The Actors' Group's Facebook album.