The latest offering from the prolific Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society is a saucy, off-beat, self-professed “black comedy about white trash”.

‘Sordid Lives’ opens with a provocatively-dressed country singer crooning out a song — also entitled ‘Sordid Lives’ — and from the open chords the audience is made aware that this play will be a racy one.

The play is so racy in fact that the front of the programme even warns it has “ADULT CONTENT”. That did not deter a number of students from attending the dress rehearsal on Wednesday night.

Judging from their reactions to the material and that of some of their chaperones, I am not sure they were actually sufficiently warned, however.

But if you’re ready for a some bawdy humour, ‘Sordid Lives’ is immensely entertaining.

The play centres around a dysfunctional family — the matriarch of which has just died after tripping on her married lover’s two wooden legs — and their complicated relationships, both sexual and interfamilial.

The puzzle of relationships is revealed slowly over the this two-act play’s four chapters.

As a result, the audience has to pay close attention to their risqué, Southern-twanged dialogue to follow what is happening and what has been done to whom by whom.

The pay-off is a worth it though, as ‘Sordid Lives’ is well delivered and laugh-out-loud funny.

The actors’ commitment to their Texas trash accents tends to vary from minimal to studied — surely these characters aren’t all from the same county — but somehow it all works in the context of this tacky tale with a heart of gold.

The first chapter opens in the sister of the deceased’s living room, as Sissy (Liz Knight) must discuss her sister’s shame-tainted demise with the wife of the wooden-legged man, Noleta (Donna Gauthier) — who incidentally is best friends with one the deceased’s daughters, LaVonda (Deborah Joell) — and her uptight-but-well-meaning niece Latrelle (Fran Tucker).

Far from ruining a friendship, however, the events leading up to the adulterous death lead Noleta and LaVonda to a ‘Thelma and Louise’ style reckoning with the men they feel have betrayed them in the local bar.

Nicola Wilkinson deserves high praise for the costumes in this show — they are perfect — from the over the top drag queen attire of the brother in hospital undergoing “dehomosexualisation” to the ill-fitting ‘Mom jeans’ sported with swagger and pride by the saucy LaVonda.

LaVonda and Noleta’s gun-toting rampage against wooden-legged philanderer GW Nethercott (fittingly, stiffly played by Cotty Outerbridge), Wardell ‘Bubba’ Owens (Neil Anderson) and Odell Owens (Shawn Angiers) is a hoot.

But ‘Sordid Lives’ is not all over the top comedy. The laughs are interspersed with monologues from Ty (played by Alex Cabrall), Latrelle’s only son, who is trying to come to terms with his homosexuality — and his family’s denial of it.

Ty has reason to be concerned as his uncle, Earl “Brother Boy” (Chris Edwards), has been locked away in a hospital for some two decades as while doctors attempt to cure his affinity for dressing like Tammy Wynette and inability to successful complete masturbation exercises while thinking of the opposite sex.

A shout-out must go to Jenny Burrell who plays Brother Boy’s therapist, Dr. Eve Bolinger, with gusto and good humour. Dr. Bolinger is equal parts obsessed with getting a book deal by “curing” homosexuals and getting herself some in the process as she nips through her work days with generous doses from her flask.

In truth though, this show seems exceptionally well-cast. Each actor aptly embodies their OTT characters and there were few weak spots in the acting although the women seems to have the juicier parts, in my opinion.

Despite its bawdy humour, ‘Sordid Lives’ actually has a sweet message at heart — about the importance of accepting who you are and being accepted for who you are.

Director Keith Madeiros coaxes that message out between the giggles.

Audiences should go in expecting a no-holds-barred approach to sexual dialogue, however, or they may well leave offended despite the warm message at the play’s core. ‘Sordid Lives’ will be performed tonight and tomorrow night, and Monday night through Saturday, March 10 at 8 p.m. at BMDS’ Daylesford Theatre. All performances are sold out.

Racy ‘Sordid Lives’ has sweet message