Everyone needs a good laugh according to Keith Madeiros, and he is about to produce a very large one as the director of Del Shores’ play, ‘Sordid Lives’, which opens at the Bermuda Musical & Dramatic Society’s Daylesford theatre tomorrow.

Described as “a black comedy about white trash in four chapters”, the play centres around the lives of a family brought together by the death of their matriarch, Peggy — a grandmother who died while carrying on an illicit love affair with a married man in a seedy motel.

As the old saying goes, ‘Your sins will find you out’, and Peggy’s was revealed when she tripped over her lover’s wooden leg lying in the middle of the floor, cracked her head on the bathroom basin and died of a brain haemorrhage.

Cut to a steamy southern summer day when Peggy’s chilluns, La Vonda and Latrelle, are squabbling over their mamma’s funeral wardrobe. Should the old swinger repose in her coffin wearing a mink stole complete with the animal’s head or not?

But that’s not the only problem the sisters are wrestling with. Latrelle is in denial about the nature of her mother’s death, and the fact that her son is gay. La Vonda wants to spring her son from the mental hospital in which he’s been residing for over two decades. She is also best friends with Noletta, the wife of her mother’s illicit lover, in addition to being a woman scorned who is out for revenge.

The night before the funeral she cracks and attempts some Thelma and Louise-inspired “therapy”, with La Vonda as her partner in crime.

Meanwhile, their brother (‘Brother Boy’) has been put in an institution to “recover” from “a bad case of homosexuality with a touch of transvestism” — or perhaps it’s just a bad case of having lived his life dressed as Tammy Wynette!

Then there’s Sissy, the deceased’s sister, who is the glue holding this bizarre family together. Aside from refereeing her nieces’ concurrent disputes, Sissy decides this is the week to quit smoking.

The final twist is Bitsy Mae, the resident entertainer at Bubba’s Beer Joint, who is not only an ex-con, but also she enjoyed a deep, meaningful relationship with the late lamented Peggy.

The plot is as insane as it is hilarious, and Mr. Madeiros is confident that playgoers will readily identify with aspects of it.

“It is definitely a comedy, not a farce — very dark humour, but you don’t need a PhD to watch it,” Mr. Madeiros assures. “Everybody needs a good laugh. Sometimes there is plenty to cry about in life, but we also have to find the humour.”

When casting the play, the director says he was “spoiled for choice” because of the large number who turned out to audition.

“All of them were very, very good, but the people I chose were exceptional.”

Two of the cast, Deborah Joell as La Vonda, and Chris Edwards as ‘Brother Boy’, have never been on stage before, while Neil Anderson landed his role just 48 hours after arriving on the Island. Noleta will be played by Donna Gautier, and Sissy by Liz Knight. Alex Cabral, Cotty Outerbridge, Shawn Angiers, Jenny Burrell and Odell Owens complete the cast.

Jo Shane is the producer, Debbie Mello the assistant director, and Nicola Wilkinson the stage manager.

With six weeks of rehearsals completed, the director took time to reflect on the bigger picture — what it takes to mount a production, and his gratitude for the dedication of everyone involved.

“I am always amazed at the support you get when you do a show. Everybody gives their time for free, and I have to give credit to those who are working behind the scenes because they don’t get to go out on stage and accept the applause,” he says. “It is a very nice feeling to know that there are people who will support you, and go way beyond what is expected of them, to produce a show and make everyone on stage look really great. When you direct, it is important to have a stellar team back stage as well as on stage.”

Having extensive experience on both sides of the curtain, Mr. Madeiros said he enjoys the buzz of directing because of its many demands.

“The role of the actor is to concentrate on his or her part and make it as believable as possible. It is almost a selfish thing. As a director you have to think about everything — the performance, the backstage, the lights and sound. It is a really good test of your concentration. You can never go into it unless you believe in what you are doing. I did a lot of stage stuff and enjoyed it, but directing is a whole different process. You have to have the big picture in your head. Everybody wants your information.”

Part of the big picture as a director is developing an appreciation for the amount of hard work which goes on both on stage and behind the scenes.

“I think every actor should direct, just to appreciate how much effort goes into a production,” he says. “We wouldn’t have theatre in Bermuda if it were not for the volunteer corps of people, end of story. There is no financial backing from Government, and no national theatre here. A lot of money is being put into sport and the ‘social agenda’, but civilisation is nothing without art, and theatre is art. It is what defines us.”

In terms of the Bermuda Musical & Dramatic Society, and its contributions to theatre, Mr. Madeiros says the registered charity is fulfilling an important cultural niche.

“At BMDS people want to do a job, and it is expected. Not all shows are winners, but the effort and the intention are there, and you don’t move forward unless you make some mistakes. We have some decent opportunities to see local theatre at its best, and many people who see things here say, ‘I saw that in New York and here was better.”

[bul] ‘Sordid Lives’ opens at Daylesford Theatre tomorrow and continues through March 10. Tickets ($20) are available at Daylesford Theatre box office between the hours of 5.30 and 7 p.m. tonight and from tomorrow on weekdays only from 5.30 to 8 p.m.