
Southern Fried Funeral Presented by TUF
By Steve Taranovich
My wife, Loretta and I, attended the play called ‘Southern Fried Funeral’, a comedy by Osborne & Eppler at St. Thomas More on April 15, 2018, performed by the amazing Teens United in Faith (TUF) youth of our parish.
I wondered why this play was selected by Director Kari Beth Paulk among so many other possibilities. Kari Beth told me, “I reviewed almost 15 plays. This one was from a new company and I was laughing out loud while reviewing it. I figured, as a director, go with what I know…being raised in South Georgia allowed me to really tap into the humor of the script and bring in direction. “
The play was excellently performed by our talented youth and was so very funny and enjoyable. Some items of interest:
The Deer head was from Kari Beth’s grandfather; she brought it with her from South Georgia. Currently it is hanging in her garage.
The refrigerator was purchased for $20 on Craig’s list after a search; it came up for $25 and we were able to get it for $20.
The kitchen cabinets were from decorated/used/recycled cardboard. “Chris Bestul and Laurie Brown were able to make all of the cabinets from cardboard. They did a wonderful job!”, explained Kari Beth.
A day before the play, I went to the St. Thomas More parish hall for a behind-the-scenes visit to speak to some of the people who made this play possible.


The capable sound tech: Kari Beth’s oldest son, Conner Cox.

During the play, the staff surprised Father Jim with a playful photo that flashed on a side screen entitled “In Loving Memory of Dewey Frye, Sr.” —-Dewey Frye, Sr. was the Father who passed away suddenly and the recipient of a ‘Southern Fried Funeral.”
At the end of the play, all the participants gave Director, Kari Beth a round of applause and cheers along with a bouquet of flowers.

What an enjoyable and upbeat experience. We laughed so much all through the play and the Southern accents by all the players was amazing! Rehearsing since January really paid off with a very entertaining and professional presentation.
June 13, 2018