Back to Broadway for Huron Country Playhouse in 2008

By Casey Lessard

Drayton Entertainment is sticking to a formula that works for its 2008 season at Huron Country Playhouse, presenting Broadway hits and home-grown originals on its two stages.
The season includes: My Fair Lady, Sorry… I’m Canadian, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum on the main stage, and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change at Playhouse II.
“After receiving so many accolades this year, people keep asking us how we can possibly top ourselves,” says artistic director Alex Mustakas. “It’s a very difficult challenge, but one that allows us to reach new heights of creativity. The result is a very diverse mix of productions, but each one will carry our signature stamp of top-quality professional entertainment at an amazingly affordable price. Now, more than ever, people can experience epic Broadway productions and esteemed talent right in their own backyard.”
Between its six venues in Grand Bend, Drayton, Penetanguishene, and St. Jacobs, Drayton sold 225,000 tickets in 2007. Already, the box office has sold 50,000 for 2008.

Here’s a summary of the season from Drayton Entertainment:
The 2008 Season kicks off with the lover-ly musical masterpiece, My Fair Lady. Egotistical professor of phonetics, Henry Higgins, makes a wager that he can transform unrefined Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle into a lady – and fool everyone into thinking she really is one, too! But when Higgins’ scheme is too successful, he faces the prospect of losing Eliza forever. Will he admit he’s grown accustomed to her face before it’s too late? My Fair Lady runs June 3rd to June 21st.
Sorry … I’m Canadian is a pageant of political patriotism, starring gifted comedian Neil Aitchison. Join us for an entertaining trek across our vast country, and relive the magic of the Great Canadian Song Book: gems like “O’Siem”, “Alberta Bound”, “Fox On The Run,” “Black Fly,” “Song of the Mira,” “I’se the B’ye,” “Sonny’s Dream,” “Farewell to Nova Scotia” and many, many more. Sorry…I’m Canadian celebrates our distinct heritage and offers a fresh take on what it means to be a proud Canadian through a charming blend of music, humour, and political satire. The production runs June 24th to July 12th.
Drayton Entertainment has scored a major coup with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, as the Broadway sensation will be making its Canadian premiere this summer, July 16th through August 9th. Based on the popular film, the production follows the dastardly deeds of two con men engaged in a mirthful battle of wits. Prepare to have your heart stolen in this hilariously clever take on the ultimate con!
The season ends with A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, August 13th through August 30th. This fun-filled vaudevillian romp traces a day in the life of Pseudolus, the craftiest slave in Rome, as he tries to win the heart of a dim-witted courtesan for his master’s son in exchange for his freedom. Armed with the witty lyrics and toe-tapping tunes of legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, this irreverent production is one of the funniest musicals ever written.
The 2008 Season is proudly sponsored by Lavis Contracting and A Channel.
Playhouse II, Grand Bend
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is a frothy, fun look at the absurdity of love. Explore the entire spectrum of romance and its many forms – from dating to marriage, the agonies and triumphs of dealing with in-laws and newborns, trips in the family car, and pick-up techniques of the geriatric set. The production runs July 16th to August 30th.

Ticket Information
Drayton Entertainment offers flexible subscription packages that enable theatregoers to book tickets to any performance, at any theatre, for any date. When theatregoers buy tickets to four, five, six, or even seven different productions, they could save more than 33% off the regular ticket price. Individual theatre tickets are $37.00 for adults; $20.00 for youth 18 and under, and $30.00 for preview performances.
To receive a complimentary 2008 Theatre Guide, call the Box Office at (519) 238-6000 or 1-888-449-4463 or visit www.huroncountryplayhouse.com.

Legends deserve R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Legends
Huron Country Playhouse
Until September 1

By Casey Lessard

It’s not too often you get to see 1960s music “legend” Tiny Tim on stage at the Huron Country Playhouse, and quite frankly, I’m not too sure how many people would pay to see him. This is one time you should consider doing so.
“I remember watching (Tiny Tim) on the Johnny Carson Show,” says Keith Savage, who pays tribute to the super-strange ukulele-playing singer of “Tip-Toe Through the Tulips” in Legends, running until September 1. “I am old enough to love all this music. I went on YouTube and you see him. He was not extremely pretty. (Laughs) It’s fun to be him. I wanted the bigger nose.”
Savage and his co-stars do such a good job of portraying rock’s icons, it’s easy to suggest you may have a hard time getting a ticket for Legends, on now until September 1.
“It’s a sequel to Twist and Shout, the British Invasion,” says creator and director Alex Mustakas. “That idea I got when I was in New York City once. I got tickets to see the David Letterman Show, which happens in the old Ed Sullivan theatre. I got the idea to create something that’s like a live television taping. We needed to find the right theme. I had an idea for the British Invasion for a long, long time. That was such a hit I thought, ‘How can we follow this up?’”
The answer was a retirement show for Roy Solomon, the television-host character based on Ed Sullivan. All of the legends of rock ‘n’ roll are invited to celebrate Roy’s 20 years in the television business.
“It’s a thin story line,” Mustakas admits, although it’s doubtful anyone in the audience will care. “It’s obviously about the music. That’s what it is. We actually touch on 105 songs. It’s music that I grew up with and love. There isn’t a song in the show that everybody doesn’t know.”
“It’s great music,” says Adele MacKenzie, one of the many cast members born after most of the show’s music was produced. “Anyone growing up through the ages listens to this stuff so I know it all already. Dance is my first love but I get a chance to do some lead vocals as well. Everyone gets featured which is why I really like this show.”
Paying tribute to memorable musicians and their work is very hot in this area, as evidenced by the touring song-and-dance troupe, the Lambton Main Street Players, and Parkhill’s Star Dust dinner theatre, which exclusively features tribute acts.
“It’s a very nostalgic time,” says celebrity impressionist Houston MacPherson, who introduces the legends’ different songs and does some of his own. “I did a lot of work in Vegas for a year-and-a-half, and everything there is nostalgic. All the shows are legend-based. People want to hear those good times. I think that’s primarily their reason. There’s a lot of trouble in the world. Those were happy times.”

See also Mary Alderson’s review of this play.

Musical Pioneers Rock the Stage

Legends: A Salute to Musical Pioneers
Conceived, written and directed by Alex Mustakas
Musical Director Bob Foster
Choreographer Gino Berti
Drayton Entertainment Production
Huron Country Playhouse, Grand Bend
August 8 – September 1, 2007

Live! On Stage!
Review by Mary Alderson

The balcony had better be reinforced at Huron Country Playhouse. With the show Legends: A Salute to Musical Pioneers currently on stage there, the audience is dancing and singing along. And that balcony is bouncing in time with the music.
Remember Twist & Shout: The British Invasion of two years ago? Well, this is the sequel. TV host Roy Solomon (The Ed Sullivan-like character) is retiring after having 1,000 shows on the air. So the audience is treated to clips of all the greats (but we get to see live re-creations) who have graced his stage, plus some have returned to honour Roy.
Huron Country Playhouse is set up to resemble a TV studio, with cameramen at both sides of the theatre. On big screens at both sides of the stage we see commercials or clips from the 50’s and 60’s, interspersed with close-ups of what we’re watching on stage.
Well over 100 songs and medleys are presented: memorable favourites such as Jerry Lee Lewis’ Whole Lotta Shakin’ to Roy Orbison’s Pretty Woman, along with medleys of the Beatles and Monkees, and even a Motown set. A cast of 12 very talented singer/dancers bring hit after hit. Joining the 12 are Keith Savage as announcer Sheldon Lubliner, and Houston MacPherson, a celebrity impressionist, who brings us the likes of Jack Nicholson or George Burns, as well as all the old crooners.
Everyone will have a favourite that evokes a memory. The showstopper is Danny Williams singing Bridge Over Troubled Waters with musical director Bob Foster. You may remember Williams from Twist & Shout when he brought the house down with Procol Harum’s Whiter Shade of Pale. He also recreates the Hollies sound with He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother, an emotion-filled favourite where Williams’ amazing voice is probably better than the original version. Another favourite is Ange Pagano portraying Janis Joplin with Me and Bobby McGee. The list of hits goes on.
Keith Savage, always popular with the Huron Country Playhouse audience, provides the comedy. In fact, the audience laughs as soon as they see Savage’s buck-toothed smile. As well as being the amusing announcer, Savage has several other roles – a magician (and some tricks are revealed), Tiny Tim tiptoeing through the tulips, and the lead Crypt-Kicker bringing us The Monster Mash.
Legends is an excellent production of good music and good fun. If you’re thinking about going, order your tickets immediately; it will sell out soon.

Legends continues with eight shows a week until September 1 at Huron Country Playhouse, Grand Bend. Tickets are available at the Huron Country Playhouse box office at (519) 238-6000 or Drayton Entertainment at 1-888-449-4463.

Mary Alderson offers her view of area theatre in this column on a regular basis. As well as being a fan of live theatre, she is a former journalist who is currently the Community Economic Development Officer with the Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation.

Message about Vietnam war more meaningful than ever

Miss Saigon
By Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg, Richard Maltby Jr.
Performed by Elena Juatco, Stephen Patterson and company
Directed by David Connolly
Drayton Entertainment Production
Huron Country Playhouse, Grand Bend
July 19 – August 4, 2007

Live! On Stage
Review by Mary Alderson

Miss Saigon’s timeless message about the inhumanity of war is being presented thoughtfully and spectacularly by Huron Country Playhouse in Grand Bend. Based on Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly written in the early 1900’s, Miss Saigon, as the 1970’s update, is even more meaningful today with the United States currently at war in Iraq.
Like Madame Butterfly, the entire story is told in song, with a cast of amazing voices bringing the epic story to life. There are also some similarities to Les Miserables, which is written by the same creative team – it’s a doomed love story, set against a backdrop of war. This is the best dramatic musical to grace Huron Country Playhouse’s stage since Man of La Mancha in 2004.
Chris is a young American GI who falls in love with Kim, a Vietnamese prostitute. They marry in an Eastern ceremony, and then he is forced to leave as Saigon falls. When he can’t find Kim, he assumes that she is dead. Back home, he marries an American, Ellen. Then he learns that he has fathered a child with Kim. Ellen and Chris travel to Bangkok to meet Kim and little Tam, in heart-wrenching circumstances. Obviously, there are no easy answers in this situation created by the horrors of war.
Stephen Patterson is excellent as Chris. He conveys all the emotion of the role with his clear voice. Patterson appeared briefly in The World Goes Round, a musical revue in Playhouse II two years ago. He was a highlight in that show, but left early to move on to a Broadway touring show. Similarly, Stephanie Roth is excellent as Ellen, the American wife. Although her part is not big, her energy and raw emotion in Now That I’ve Seen Her is unforgettable. She was also memorable in The World Goes Round when she brought the house down with her rendition of Maybe This Time from Cabaret.
Lee Siegel plays John, Chris’ friend who informs him that he has a son in Asia. Siegel sings about the forgotten children of Vietnamese mothers and American soldier-fathers, known as ‘bui doi’ or dust of life. His powerful voice, together with the film showing the orphans left no one in the audience with dry eyes. Siegel’s voice will be familiar as Old Deuteronomy, the beautiful tenor in Cats earlier this season.
Elena Juatco plays the challenging role of Kim, the innocent and naïve girl forced into prostitution. Juatco does justice to the many emotional songs and the large, demanding part.
Franc-Anton Harcourt provides the comic relief as the Engineer, a euphemism for pimp. Harcourt has had extensive experience with this part, and plays it well, switching from being a smarmy wheeler-dealer to pandering to the Viet Cong.
Special mention goes to little Jonah Gonzalez-Martinez who plays Kim’s son Tam. He remains stoic and completely in the role in all his scenes.
The American dream number is a delight – all the symbols of the USA are on stage – Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty, right through to Elvis and Marilyn Monroe.
Credit goes to Director/Choreographer David Connolly and music director Charles Cozens for putting this amazing epic together. Jean Claude Olivier’s set and Jeff Johnston Collins’ lighting are flawless. It’s also good to see local talent – Michelle Vanderheyden, formerly of Forest, is costume designer. From the rich Asian silks to the sequinned strippers, and the American Dream extravaganza, Vanderheyden’s work is incredible.
This production of Miss Saigon is an emotionally draining show that leaves the audience exhausted, yet moved and enriched. How fortunate we are to have top quality entertainment in our neighbourhood.
It was a fitting tribute to Ed Mirvish that Miss Saigon opened at HCP the week that Mr. Mirvish passed away. The flamboyant owner of Honest Ed’s store on Bloor Street in Toronto was instrumental in bringing theatre to Toronto and Ontario, making King Street Canada’s theatre district. After refurbishing the Royal Alexandra Theatre Mr. Mirvish built the Princess of Wales Theatre, just to bring Miss Saigon to Canada. The Princess of Wales stage was big enough to land a helicopter and Miss Saigon was a hit! Ed Mirvish would have been pleased with this production of Miss Saigon, even without the helicopter. He will be missed.

Miss Saigon continues with eight shows a week until August 4 at Huron Country Playhouse, Grand Bend. Tickets are available at the Huron Country Playhouse box office at (519) 238-6000 or Drayton Entertainment at 1-888-449-4463.

Mary Alderson offers her view of area theatre in this column on a regular basis. As well as being a fan of live theatre, she is a former journalist who is currently the Community Economic Development Officer with the Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation.

Bring your Mom on a Girls’ Night Out

Mom’s The Word
By Linda A. Carson, Jill Daum, Alison Kelly, Robin Nichol, Barbara Pollard & Deborah Williams.
Performed by Alex Dallas, Louise Gauthier, Sharon Heldt, Ginette Mohr & Birgitte Solem.
Directed by Robin Nichol
Drayton Entertainment Production
Playhouse II, Grand Bend
July 10 to August 18, 2007

Live! On Stage
Review by Mary Alderson

When six Vancouver women got together with their toddlers and babies in 1993 to write a show about motherhood, they didn’t pull any punches. The women, formerly glamorous professional actors, had become, by their own admission, exhausted, pathetic amateur mothers. So they put together a string of real-life vignettes about the trials of being a mother. And somehow it evolved into a five-character play, based on their anecdotes. (No explanation is given as to why the author named Barbara didn’t become a character in the play.)
Mom’s the Word has been staged across Canada and around the world, and has now spawned Mom’s the Word 2: Unhinged – an update on the group as they deal with teenagers. The original version is now being staged at Playhouse II at Huron Country Playhouse near Grand Bend. The cast of five women, all newcomers to Drayton Entertainment, are being directed by one of the authors, Robin Nichol. So we assume that they are presenting the vignettes in a fashion true to their characters’ namesakes (the original authors’) intentions.
Alex Dallas as Deborah is delightful with her slightly British accent and delivery of humour. And yes, she’s the one who has to chase her toddler when he runs from the poolside change room. Louise Gauthier plays Linda, who writes notes to her “dear partner” and stresses about keeping communication open with her husband. Sharon Heldt has the challenge of playing the character Robin, while the real Robin (Robin Nichol) directs the show. She has some great lines among her anecdotes: “When I pass another stroller, we give each other the high sign, like two Harley riders passing on the open road,” she says. Ginette Mohr is Jill, the character that moves away from comedy when she relates the story of her baby being born prematurely. Her poignant portrayal of a new mother’s worry is very well done, and this touching story provides a moving change to the performance. Birgitte Solem as Allison has some very comedic lines, such as when she asks “How am I supposed to resume my sex life, when I’m wearing a nursing bra?”
The challenges of caring for active, smart toddlers are related in various ways in the vignettes. Deborah tells us that she finds it much easier to be a good mom in public. Another character says that she starts out each day as Mary Poppins, but ends up as Cruella DeVille.
They also talk about the feelings of guilt they have, with one mom saying that the family’s favourite thing to do is to spend time all together. But her favourite thing to do is spend some time all by myself. But of course, they aren’t’ feeling too guilty to take advantage of the situation. As Jill says, “Some mornings when I’m really desperate for more sleep, I lie to my husband about how many times I got up with the baby.”
This show offers realistic slices of life, easily recognizable by anyone who has given birth and raised a baby into a toddler. For the most part, the anecdotes are laugh-out-loud funny, but in a few places, I felt things went a little too far. The squirt-gun breasts and a bit of the male-bashing made me uncomfortable – but that’s alright. Everyone else was laughing uproariously, so maybe I was alone. One doesn’t go to live theatre just to be comfortable. So go see it, and decide for yourself.

Mom’s The Word continues with eight shows a week until August 18 at Playhouse II, next to Huron Country Playhouse, near Grand Bend. Tickets are available at the Huron Country Playhouse box office at (519) 238-6000 or Drayton Entertainment at 1-888-449-4463.

Mary Alderson offers her view of area theatre in this column on a regular basis. As well as being a fan of live theatre, she is a former journalist who is currently the Community Economic Development Officer with the Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation.

Miss Saigon

July 18 to August 4
Huron Country Playhouse
(519) 238-6000 for tickets

Story/photo by Casey Lessard

Lovers brought together by the Vietnam war bring a tragic turn to the Huron Country Playhouse’s next production, Miss Saigon. While most of the fare on display this summer has been upbeat entertainment, the tragic love story of Miss Saigon is a must-see, says director and choreographer David Connolly.
“The cast is extraordinary,” Connolly says. “I’ve been working here for 25 years and this cast is the most talented group you could hope to ever have. The lead female is former Canadian Idol finalist Elena Juatko and she’s everything that Kim should be: naïve and strong and smart. And Steve who’s playing her lover, the male lead has been on Broadway as Marius in Les Mis and did a national tour of Little Women, so he has this unbelievable résumé too. The rest of the résumés span every festival. I taught Frank Anton Howard (who plays the Engineer) at Sheridan College years ago. I reconnected with him to find out that he had played this role through out America and won an Ovation award for his Los Angeles portrayal of it. He’s for the first time back in Canada to play the part. The talent here in this theatre for these two and half weeks is collectively as good as it would be in any theatre in North America this summer.”
Based on the opera Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon is the story of the foreigner going to a foreign land and falling in love. In this case, the love story involves an American soldier and Vietnamese girl during the Vietnam War.
“There are really interesting and dark and meaningful themes. It deals with these themes that are so close to home on top of this heart wrenching love story. It’s too thought-provoking for you to not leave having had some kind of catharsis.”
The play, considered an epic musical, deals with serious themes but should appeal to any audience that loves theatre and drama.
“We have actors that are fully committed to telling it in an authentic way. We have to honour the men who fought in that war. We have to honour the children who are orphaned by that war. All these themes are all the way through it. But at the heart of it is a love story. It doesn’t matter where that love story took place whether it’s Vietnam or the South Pacific or England. The fact is that these two people - desperate people in desperate times - fell in love and got ripped apart so everyone can identify with that. Everyone can identify with having a love that, for whatever reason, couldn’t be. Regardless of who you are, you get to identify with the fact that, ‘Oh yeah, I was in love once and it didn’t work out.’ These two lovers should have been together forever but weren’t and I think we’ve all been there.
“I’ve worked with lots of casts and for me this is the one I want to get up and rehearse every morning joyfully with. That’s a testament to the people that put this together and to the support we’re getting from sound, carpentry, lights, costumes. The women have 10 costume changes in the course of this musical, which is kind of unheard of. Everyone has pushed their boundaries to support this size of this show. Come see how they did it.”

Mom’s the Word

Until August 18
Huron Country Playhouse
(519) 238-6000 for tickets
(519) 614-3614 to win tickets

Click here to enter to win tickets!

Story/photo by Casey Lessard

Whether you’ve dropped a baby, faced a diaper-pail tidal wave, shot milk from your breast or left your child on the roof of a moving vehicle, you know being a mom is no day at the beach. If none of those things have happened to you, you should see Mom’s the Word to get a better sense of what it took to raise a kid like you.
An ensemble version of a one-woman show, the play blends monologues by five women (six in the original show) who are new mothers.
“We’d all been working in the theatre in Vancouver,” says director Robin Nichol, who was one of the six women who wrote the play, “and we’d all had babies around the same time and the bottom had dropped out of our careers. We met regularly. We talked a lot. We laughed a lot and whined a lot and laughed a lot but we never wrote anything down. Then finally at the last minute this festival that we were booked into was coming up so we kind of said, ‘You tell that story and you tell that one.’ It just came about in a kind of organic, West Coast kind of way.”
Assuming the show would appeal to new moms only, the group was shocked at the overwhelmingly positive response from a diverse audience. After a successful nine-month run in Vancouver, the play traveled the world and has been translated into a dozen languages over the past ten years.
“It is the easiest part I’ve ever had to play,” says actor Louise Gauthier, who as Linda, demands understanding from her partner. “My child is five so there wasn’t too much digging or research that needed to happen. Now I just have to wait for my husband to come and see the show to see what he thinks (laughs). I hope he doesn’t feel too bashed.”
“You’re trying to figure out how to best tell the story,” says Birgitte Solem, whose character’s son is born premature, “how to get people to laugh and how you make sure people understand what you’re talking about. Robin is so good with getting the best out of everybody.”
As Deborah, Alex Dallas has to bare all for the audience, and we’re not just talking about her emotions.
“The first time I did this show in Thunder Bay,” Dallas says, “they went, ‘By the way, you’re naked.’ I went, ‘Oh. OH!’ It was fine because we worked it out tastefully. Tastefully, Grand Bend. You don’t have to be scared. It’s so funny and it fits in with the concept of the show so well. Anything for comedy! At the bottom line, we’re all just naked human beings that put on clothes and try to deal with jobs and children and marriages and all these things. People love it because they really relate.
“I have a fourteen year old daughter who’s coming up soon and I’m going to persuade her to see it because I told her about the nudity and she said, ‘What? No, I don’t want to see that.’ I think I will persuade her.”
“A lot of people come up to us, namely mothers, and say they felt liberated or ‘I feel like I’m not alone, let me tell you the story about my day from hell,’” says Sharon Heldt, who portrays the role written by the play’s director Robin Nichol. “It’s all supposed to be cuddly and wonderful and it’s not always like that. We all know that. We all gave our parents trouble on the road.”
“I find that children are really brilliant,” says Ginette Mohr, who is not a mom herself. “They say the most amazing things. They have fantastic observations. I learned a lot from actually being with kids. I’m looking forward to that.”
“It’s a hard job,” says Dallas. “Moms out there will know. And we should all get credit for it, I think.”

Make The Last Resort your first stop

Playhouse presentation of Norm Foster/Leslie Arden collaboration will make you laugh, shout and cheer

The Last Resort
Until July 14
Huron Country Playhouse
(519) 238-6000 for tickets

Story and photos by Casey Lessard

For a guaranteed good night out, book yourself a spot at the Last Resort, playing now at the Huron Country Playhouse. The play is masterfully written by Canadian playwright Norm Foster, and fun music by Canadian composer Leslie Arden.
A group of apparent strangers are staying the night in Saskatchewan’s Last Resort, a hotel in the middle of nowhere that will serve as the perfect hideout for mob informant Nick Galeazzo (Brett McCaig). On the run with FBI agent Angela Miller (Shelley Simester), Nick is paranoid that every other guest in the hotel is out to kill him. Everyone is a suspect, and eventually the murderous mayhem begins. Inspector Closely (Robert Latimer) is the Scottish RCMP attaché who has to sort out the situation.
“It’s so much fun from lights up to lights out,” says Stuart Dowling, who portrays Freda Heitz, the husky female hotelier. “Once you get that reaction and that rapport with an audience it’s just so much fun. Then they start laughing and the laughter builds and builds and then you have to wait for people to be quiet because we have a play to get going.”
“The play is almost making fun of itself,” says McCaig. “Even though everyone is crazy and huge and wacky, it still comes honestly. Even though I’m flailing and twisting myself and contorting myself, you’re still in the moment and you’re being there in an honest way as opposed to just flailing around for no reason.”
The actors are very much in the moment and are impeccable with their comic timing. All of a sudden, a song will emerge out of nowhere, or the cast will begin ballet dancing (one of the funniest scenes, by far, featuring John Devorski as poet Trent Balfour). And to think, the cast has only two weeks to prepare for opening night.
“It is insane,” says Cara Leslie, who has the dual role of Jessica and Julia Youngstead, who are staying at the hotel to hear the reading of their late father’s will. One of them will inherit $32 million; the other, a bracelet. “It really works out to about 10 days if you really look at it like that. I think we have done about seven shows already this week.”
The quick turnaround is one of the reasons Drayton Entertainment takes advantage of actors who have already done the play for their other venues.
“It’s good to come into rehearsal knowing all of your lines and all of your lyrics,” Leslie says, “and it serves you and it just makes things move a lot faster.”
“It’s wonderful to come back to a character that you’ve played before and loved playing,” says Sheldon Davis, referring to “Psycho” Sid Barzini, a carpet salesman who comes to the hotel with his wife Liz (Susan Johnston Collins) for their 24th anniversary. “You get back up to speed. Most of us have done this production before so (director Marc Richard) was able to layer in a few more things. Sid’s really the only guy in The Last Resort who has no agenda. He’s the guy who is just there because his wife has brought him in there and he just wants to have a good time.”
An audience that attends the Huron Country Playhouse looking for a good time will find it. The Last Resort is billed as a Hilarious Musical Whodunit, and when it comes to creating a fun night out, they all “dun it.” This is a really fun play with spot-on performances by a talented ensemble cast. Well deserving of an opening night standing ovation.

Any audience will feel at home at The Last Resort

Genre-bender is a murder-mystery, musical and comedy all in one show
The Last Resort
Huron Country Playhouse
June 26 to July 14
Box office: (519) 238-6000
www.huroncountryplayhouse.com

Story and photo by Casey Lessard

Most people would be happy to see a play that is a murder mystery, a musical or a comedy; those are standard theatrical genres. Canadian playwright Norm Foster and composer Leslie Arden decided to combine the three and the result is The Last Resort, now showing at the Huron Country Playhouse.
The Last Resort is set in a resort in Saskatchewan,” director Marc Richard says, “and the idea is that these characters come to the Last Resort: there are two people there for their 25th anniversary, there’s a man who’s on the run from the mob and he’s in the witness protection program, along with the FBI agent who’s with him. There’s a poet coming to find some sanctuary to write. There are twins – one actor plays two characters – twin girls who are there for the reading of their father’s will; one of them is going to inherit $32 million. There’s the woman who is the proprietress of the Last Resort, named Freda Heights – the big joke of the show. She’s looking after everybody.
“At the end of the first act, somebody is murdered and the whole second act is trying to find out who did it. There’s an RCMP officer named Kenneth Closely, who shows up from the RCMP complete with a kilt and a Scottish accent. He tries to figure out who killed the person who died at the end of act one.”
This is Richard’s fourth production of the play, and he says it gets better every time.
“It’s been a work in progress for me,” he says. “From the very first time I read it, I knew that all those elements had to be there. Usually what I do is go through a scene and look at it just for comic timing, the technical timing of it. ‘You’re saying this because, right now you’re culpable and everybody thinks you did it.’ There’s the murder mystery aspect – turning the volume up on that. And obviously the music is all part of it, too. The music is difficult – it’s really beautiful music, jazzy and a bit hard.”
It’s a fast schedule – the cast has two weeks to rehearse for the play.
“The first time I did this play, the actors barely knew what was going on. So it’s great to have people who have done it with you before because we go, yeah, right. We’re just reminded. All the layers are there and you add layers as they start playing. It’s great to have people who are ready to hit the ground running in a two-week rehearsal process, because you don’t have a lot of time. Especially just to learn the material, let alone to add other stuff to it.
“The actors love it. It’s always fun doing a comedy. It’s always fun to try to find the rhythms and what it takes to make the thing really come to life. We’ve had a lot of fun in rehearsals. Six of them in this cast have done it with me before – in Penetanguishene and Drayton two summers ago – and we have two new cast members. They’re walking around with their eyes a bit bugged out right now but they’re fitting in really well. They’ve had a lot to learn but they’re great.”
Richard likes having a chance to make the play better for a new audience.
“We can add so many layers to it,” he says. “In the two weeks we’ve been rehearsing, we’ve been going back and adding new elements to it, digging deeper. It’s a really fun show. It’s lovely to work on a piece where you know you’re just there to make people laugh. People are also going to be interested in the story and the plot. But just sitting there listening to people laugh is a wonderful way to make a living.”
And the atmosphere in Grand Bend’s not bad, either.
“Maybe Grand Bend’s a little more distracting for people in the summertime. People are like, I want to get to the beach. Yes, but we still have to rehearse. But it’s a great place, a great space to work in, a lovely theatre and it is a bit like a vacation when you work here.”

Tickets now available for an Elegant Dinner for Eight

By Ann Robertson, Huron Country Playhouse Guild

It’s time to get your tickets for the Huron Country Playhouse Guild’s popular fundraiser, the Elegant Dinner for Eight. Local dining establishments offer their culinary expertise to the guild, which hosts the dinner at three locations. Transportation is provided between the three homes, and the winner and seven guests will be served a different course at each one. Aunt Gussie’s, Catering by Barbara, F.I.N.E. A Restaurant, The Schoolhouse Restaurant and The Village Greek are offering their support and assistance, as have others in the community, to make the dinner and evening another success.
Only 500 tickets will be sold at $5 each, and are available by contacting members of the guild: Doreen (519-238-5423), Marcia (519-243-3833), Marg (519-238-2582), or Mary (519-238-5640).
The winning ticket will be drawn Saturday, September 1, and the dinner will be held Saturday, September 15. This will most definitely be an evening to remember! The Dinner for Eight is the guild’s major fundraiser of the year and we anticipate that tickets will sell out quickly.

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