Playhouse Merced is bringing to life an original tale of the Old West that is fraught with ne’er-do-wells, damsels in distress, and gold-fevered fiends in their production of “Deadwood Dick.” The acting troupe describes the play, written by Merced’s Shawn Overton, as “the dramatization of a bloodthirsty, dime novel just like grandfather used to read in secret.” But for all the melodrama it is essentially a family comedy according to the playwright.