The Breaking Glass Pictures DVD of the one-awesome-man stage show "Six Characters in Search of a Play" provides a nice segue to the soon-to-be-released Del Shores short-story collection titled The Sordid Lives Saga: Before the Trip. The DVD is available from online retailers; fans of the written word can pre-order a personalized copy of the book from delshores.com for the apt price of $32.09, rather than the inflation -adjusted cost of $34.09.
The performance focuses on the titular sextet that plays a role in the hilarious white-trash fare of southern Baptist sissy Shores. The MUST-READ book consists of the intertangled character studies of the fictionalized trailer and tract-home dwelling residents of Shores' hometown of Winters, Texas. These works add to the mountain of proof that nobody does Dallas better than Del.
The final digression before discussing "Characters" is a PSA for a cause that is near-and-dear to the heart of everyone's favorite son of a preacher man. The Del Shores Foundation financially supports screenplays and scripts by LGBTQ authors. The general idea is to allow these voices from The Bible Belt to be heard.
"Characters" is filmed live before a studio-theater audience. It opens with righteous dude Del gleefully making the sordid confession that he is a thief. The basis of this admission of grand-theft guffaws is that Shores bases the 'verses of "Sordid Lives" and of other work that includes the aggravatingly difficult-to-find "Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?" on friends, family, and people whom he encounters in his travels.
The rest of the origin story relates to the title of the work. Shores shares that the inspiration this time is a play titled "Six Characters in Search of an Author." That one has a group of fictional characters unexpectedly pop up in the real world.
The most prominent character in this bunch is the real-life Aunt Sissy of Shores. His telling of her final days reinforces the sense that Beth Grant nails that role in the "Sordid" series.
This story begins with Sissy being on her deathbed not preventing her from expressing disappointment that Shores, who has gone out of his way to visit her, has not brought one of his beloved chihuahuas. We also hear how this real-life Thelma "Mama" Harper does not care that her desire as to her final resting place is illegal. One can easily picture Vicki Lawrence saying "Good Lord, Eunice. I don't give a damn if it is illegal. I'm an old woman, and I can have my ashes spread wherever I damn well please. Now hand me the pork rinds and get the Hell out of here."
In true Shores style of taking a joke one step further, our host shares that the potential for publicity is behind his willingness to risk an unfortunate incarceration to spread the ashes of Sissy as requested. Readers of Saga will know that Shores does not consider losing a gym membership an acceptable penalty for breaking the law.
The next best-well known character is real-life actress Sarah Hunley, who portrays barfly Juanita Bartlett in the "Sordid" franchise. The Saga insights include the childhood experiences behind Juanita becoming the Norm Peterson of the Winters dive around which much of the "Sordid" activity is centered.
The vivid storytelling of Shores evokes strong images of real-life Golden Age star turned tragic alcoholic Marie Prevost. Unlike Prevost, Bartlett never became a household name but was beloved among the version of The Mercury Players in the plays and films of Shores.
This portion of the film arguably has the best line in "Characters." Shores shares that "Characters" producer Emerson Collins, who is the Joseph Cotton in this tight-knit group, states that he does not need Bartlett to be completely sober for the filming of the "A Very Sordid Wedding" sequel but does need her to be able to stand.
We also hear how Shores (presumably with a box of Whitman chocolates) goes to visit Bartlett in her (presumably shabby) WeHo apartment to find her engaged in her daily routine of drinking alcohol, chain smoking, and watching The Game Show Network. The response of Bartlett to Shores expressing concern that she is drunk every time that he telephones her truly is laugh-out-loud funny.
The "unsung heroes" of characters include an encounter with a fan who becomes a monkey on the back of Shores, and an ultra right-wing Republican relative with good intentions who essentially crashes the funeral of Sissy to which the aforementioned pet is invited.
A chance encounter with a good-ole boy at the hilariously named real-life Kum & Go gas stations is the segment that proves that Shores is more than a pretty face. This story has Del make an amazing transformation with a minor costume change and incredible alteration of his facial expression and mannerisms.
BGP does its usual excellent job with special features. An introduction by Shores tells the tale of the inspiration for this depiction of the source material for the work that has made him a minor gay celebrity. The extras also include an interview with Collins and promos for the "Characters" tour.
No comments:
Post a Comment