“Dearly Departed,” a comedy about a dysfunctional Southern family dealing with the death of its patriarch, will be featured at the Downtown Playhouse in Pocahontas this summer.  The show opens July 14 and runs through August 11.

“Dearly Departed” is set in the backwoods of the Bible Belt, where the beleaguered Turpin family proves that living and dying in the South are seldom tidy, but often hilarious. Despite their earnest efforts to pull themselves together for their father’s funeral, the Turpin’s other problems keep overshadowing the solemn occasion

Amidst the chaos, the Turpins turn for comfort to their friends and neighbors, an eccentric community of misfits who just manage to pull together and help each other through their hours of need, and finally, the funeral.

“Dearly Departed” is sponsored by Patrick Carroll, D. D. S. and McNabb Funeral Homes, and it is directed by Kelly Grooms.  Performance dates are July 14, 20, 21, 22, 27 and 28, and August 3, 4, 5, 10 and 11.

Tickets are $19.20, including tax, and the cost of admission also covers beverage and dessert.  Dessert options for the show are: strawberry creme pie, key lime pie, triple chocolate cake and sugar-free parfait.

To order tickets or for more information, go to thedowntownplayhouse.com or call 870-758-2282.

The Downtown Playhouse is located at 302 North Marr in Pocahontas.

Photo attached: Kelly Grooms (left) rehearses a scene with Brittany Grooms on the set of “Dearly Departed.”