A well-known Hollywood performer and playwright is coming to perform some standup comedy at Theatre Tallahassee this Sunday (3/6/16) evening. He also has a local connection to Florida’s Capital City.
Del Shores said that local connection is longtime Theatre Tallahassee stalwart Bev Demello. He explained they both attended Baylor in Waco, Texas where they worked on the school newspaper and fought to advance the culture of the community.
“We did things that I can’t even talk about because I don’t want to damage her reputation at this point in her life,” Shores recalled during a pre-show telephone interview. “And I’m scared if I told on her, there’s way more that she could tell on me.”
Even if the name Del Shores isn’t immediately familiar, there’s a chance you might already have been exposed to his best-known work. It began as a play in 1987 called, “Daddy’s Dyin’ Who’s Got the Will?”
“I wrote this play just as a 28-year old,” Shores said. I had one other play before this that was a minor hit in L.A. and this one was in a tiny theatre – 64 seats – it sold out for two years straight, became a major motion picture and it truly changed my life and to this day is my absolutely most-produced play in my body of work.”
Now, Shores is revisiting his very first play.
“I’m about to go into a film production one more time with the franchise ‘Sordid Lives’. I’m sort of telling the last chapter of those characters and that’s been the other big one for me. And it was a play and them a movie and then a TV series and it’s a close second to ‘Daddy’s Dyin’ in production.”
Shores is on his way to Tallahassee. He’ll be in stand-up mode at Theatre Tallahassee this Sunday evening for a performance based on his first-ever play.
“’More Sordid Stories’ is what it is and my stand-up, especially this show, is pretty adult in nature. I don’t hold back with this show, but it truly is one of my favorite shows to perform.”
So it’s best to leave the kids at home. But even though the subject matter and language may be a bit on the salty side, Shores said it’s still all in good grownup fun.
“And I always think being offended is a choice. You can choose to be offended or roll with it and go, ‘Hey, it’s comedy!’ And truly with my stand-up shows, I just want people to laugh. Maybe think a little bit, but mostly laugh.”
Del Shores and “More Sordid Tales” At Theatre Tallahassee, Sunday evening, March 6. Showtime is 7:30.
