Holiday treats on tap
Wide variety of productions set for local theatres
I sat in on a Wednesday morning performance of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” at the Boardmore Playhouse with about 250 students from Glace Bay High who laughed uproariously from beginning to end.
In just under 90 minutes, the play by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, crammed in references to every Shakespeare work (including his sonnets) with a full on “Scottish” version of “Macbeth” and an extended, audience participation version of “Hamlet.”
This production (the third in the Boardmore’s history) benefited from brilliantly paced direction by Mike McPhee (with an assist from Rod Nichols) and engaging, energetic, outsized performances from Aaron Corbett, Linsday Thompson and Wayne McKay.
The play has two final performances, today at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Definitely go because you’ll be laughing all the way home on the drive back from the Cape Breton University campus.
** * • I’m making plans to be at the Mira Players final performance of “Bob’s Your Elf ” also tonight at 7 p.m. (with a matinee this afternoon at 2 p.m.) at the Bethel United Christian Church Education Centre in Marion Bridge.
Tickets for the evening show are $15 and include dessert with tea or coffee, and the matinee tickets are $10 (sans dessert).
** * • The Savoy Theatre’s latest dinner theatre production, “Turkey With a Side of Coal,” opened this week to sold-out audiences. In fact, the next three performances coming up on Dec. 3-5 are also sold-out. There are still tickets available for the performances scheduled on Dec. 10, Dec. 11, Dec. 16 and Dec. 2021, all at 7 p.m.
The cast features such audience favourites as writer and director Colin Appleton, Katherine Woodford, Angela Duhamel and Matt Earhart.
The play, served with lively seasonal tunes and a full traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, takes audiences to the Morien Mixed Meat Darts League annual Christmas party and its madcap members who bring alive some Cape Breton holiday traditions that never make it onto any greeting cards.
Tickets are $45 per person and reservations can be made by calling the Savoy Theatre Box Office at 902-842-1599.
** * • And also in the holiday spirit, The Highland Arts Theatre in Sydney is offering last year’s hit production “A Christmas Carol” from Dec. 16-20 at 7:30 p.m. each evening.
Many cast members from last year’s production are returning, including George MacKenzie as Scrooge and Greg Woodford as Bob Cratchit, with some new faces as well. I also have a small role in the show.
The production, adapted by director Wesley Colford from the Charles Dickens’ classic novel, also features many popular and some rarely heard Christmas tunes musically directed by Barb Stetter and gracefully choreographed by Cynthia Vokey.
The Highland Arts Theatre has also announced its ambitious winter and spring schedule of five shows: “The Wakowski Brothers,” a Cape Breton vaudeville (Jan. 21-24); “All in the Timing” by David Ives (Feb. 10-14); “Dream,” a ‘50s midsummer musical, adapted by Colford from "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" by William Shakespeare (March 1620); “Extinction Song," a lone wolf adventure by East Bay native Ron Jenkins (April 27-May 1); and “Herstory, a musical guide for the modern woman” by Sydney playwright Lindsay Thompson (May 25-29).
The Sydney theatre is offering a special package ticket deal for all five shows for $50 (or $10 per show) which is available until Dec. 24. After that, the package deal, available until Jan. 24, is $75 (or $15 per show).
Tickets are available online at http://www.highlandartstheatre.com, by phone at 902-5653637, and at the theatre box office, 40 Bentinck St., Sydney.