Selah Dessert Theater invites theatergoers to a funeral — three funerals, to be exact — but director Mary Ruth Lynn promises it won’t be a sad occasion.

“Three Viewings” by Jeffrey Hatcher opens its 2025-26 season tonight in the performance space above Selah Restaurant in Struthers.

That wasn’t the original plan. Lynn originally scheduled “Ripcord” by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire as the opener. Before that, it was slated to close the 2024-25 season, but in both cases casting difficulties forced her to find an alternative. “Three Viewings” is made up of three monologues that take place in the same funeral home.

“There are references in the script that tie things together,” Lynn said. “There is some overlapping in terms of names of characters, names of people that these characters associate with or know. So there is that little ribbon that runs through. Otherwise their stories are their own.”

Pete Sherman plays Emil in the opening story, “Tell Tale,” about a funeral director who is infatuated with a real estate agent who attends all of the funerals there in search of potential clients. His attraction escalates from crush to obsession.

“I won’t give away the ending, but it’s pretty spooky, a very spooky kind of ending,” Lynn said. “There’s a good Halloween theme.”

Jeanine Rees, who also is assistant director, stars in “Thief of Tears,” as a woman who goes to funerals to steal the jewelry off the corpses. When her grandmother dies, she is determined to acquire a ring she believes is hers.

The final story, “Thirteen Things About Ed Carpolotti,” features Denise Sculli as a woman who discovers her recently deceased husband has left her penniless and in debt to any number of unsavory characters.

“A mysterious note, like a blackmail note, appears, (telling her) I’m going to release this list about all these things all these people, including her husband, did if you don’t give me a million dollars in two days,” Lynn said. “The stories are funny. I mean, it’s a funeral home, but it’s not a dreary, sad piece. It’s quite funny.”

Lynn also stages the play so it’s more of an immersive experience. The floral arrangements decorating the theater will have been “sent” by those who have reservations for that night’s performance, and the programs will look like church fans.

“They’re going to sign a guest book when they come in,” Lynn said. “My Emil, the funeral director, will be greeting people at the door, and he ties things together all the way through.

“I have some music that tags the ending of each of these scenes that is unexpected, because it’s not it’s not funeral music. It’s more contemporary songs that tie in with the ending of each of the pieces. So I think there’s a lot there that will bring interest to the audience, as well as these characters drawing them in.”

“Three Viewings” opens tonight and runs for three weekends. Road work on Bridge Street makes the Selah parking lot inaccessible from that road, although theatergoers can access the parking lot using the alleyway from the Campbell side of the theater. The project is supposed to be completed Friday, but Lynn said theatergoers should allow extra time as long as it’s ongoing to navigate the detour and find parking, which also is available at nearby lots.

If you go …

WHAT: Selah Dessert Theater — “Three Viewings”

WHEN: 8 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday and Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 7 and 8

WHERE: Selah Restaurant, 130 S. Bridge St., Struthers

HOW MUCH: Tickets are $19.50 (including dessert at intermission) and are available online at www.selahrestaurant.com/theater-events