Sing It! “Southern Harmony: A Murder Ballad” at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater

We are in the small town of Carthage, Texas, when an assortment of easily recognizable people—the town gossip, the girl who longs to get away, the police chief—is augmented by Bernie Tiede (Todd Buonopane), the town undertaker/mortician. And, in defiance of the stereotyped version of his role, he is the most irrepressible optimist of all. Bernie enjoys life hugely, whether it’s preparing deceased loved ones for a last viewing with their families (and occasionally sleeping in unoccupied coffins in his beloved funeral home) or directing the community choral group and theatre. He loves people, he loves life, and it’s impossible to imagine that he will become a murderer in the midst of it all.

One person he befriends is the friendless-for-good-reason Marjorie Nugent (Emmanuelle Zeesman), a crabby (and wealthy) widow, who first disparages his presence but gradually comes to rely on him completely, while criticizing everything he does. And unfortunately for him, Bernie has no boundaries, and slowly spends more and more of his time at her beck and call. While she takes him on trips to amazing places, she also expects him to live only to serve her, which drives a wedge between him and the other townspeople he loves. The dynamic now is one of domestic violence, with Bernie the trapped victim.

And, like many such victims, he takes the abuse… until he can’t. Bernie finally snaps, hauls out his Browning 22, and pops Mrs. Nugent’s body into the deep freeze. End of Act One.

Act Two reveals that what we’ve been seeing is a series of flashbacks, and now the trial is fast approaching and the community has to grapple with the whole “when good people do bad things” dilemma. Bernie has taken the fortune he inherited from Mrs. Nugent and spread it throughout the community; nearly every organization has reason to be grateful to him. Because of that, because of who he is, should he go to trial? What does real justice look like in this situation?

“In the real world, we do real things we never thought we could,” sings the cast, and they’re right: ethical decisions are easy as long as they’re considered in the abstract. Real life is different altogether. What does community really mean? And justice? And mercy? And love? Kevin Fogarty’s story takes us deeper and deeper into these questions.

The ensemble of actors/singers, some of which play more than one part, is enthusiastic in its portrayal of Texan life. Marie Lemon, Ralph Prentice Danial, Dante Sterling, David Couter, Haley Jones, and Mark Fishback handle the many primarily clever songs with power and panache, and some fantastic harmonics.

Set designer Christopher Ostrom has, as always, wowed the audience with his mis-en-scène—this time, a rustic Lone Star country/western interior that provides the backdrop to all the various venues and scenes. (See if you can spot the band—Nevada Lozano, Jo Miller, Robert Bekkers and Chris Cerreto—in the set’s cleverly designed pickup truck.) A shout out to costume designer Carol Sherry, who didn’t go too far over the top in creating “western” styles.

Definitely a world première you’ll want to see: it’s bound to start traveling the circuit, and you’ll be able to say you saw one of its opening productions. Beyond that, though, WHAT has again delivered a musical that’s both delightful and meaningful—a rare combination you’re sure to find enchanting.

review by Jeannette de Beauvoir

photos by Michael & Suz Karchmer and Michael P. Kerouac