Garrison Little Theatre unwraps season opener with ‘Mom’s Gift’
Phil Olson comedy runs April 25 to 28
In the spirit of spring, Garrison Little Theatre is trotting out a ghost story for its season opener. But not the spooky sort. “Mom’s Gift” is more “It’s a Wonderful Life,” as a mother dead for 11 years returns as a ghost to attend the birthday party of her husband. Among those attending is her rebellious daughter Kat, who is forced to be there by the courts as part of her anger management.
Alas, Kat is the only one who can see her mom. And what starts as a comedy with plenty of zingers turns into a heartfelt family drama by the end.
One with a twist director Vince Marinaccio won’t even hint at.
“We’re not going to talk too much about that,” chuckles the former Fort Erie Secondary School teacher. “There’s a couple of surprises, but it’s about relationships. Family relationships.
“People will laugh because they’ll relate.”
The Phil Olson comedy is in the vein of Norm Foster and Neil Simon — two longtime favourites at the Fort Erie theatre company.
“If you didn’t know better, I could see people saying it’s another Norm Foster (play),” says Marinaccio. “It smacks of that, in a good way.”
It’s the company’s second Phil Olson play, following “A Nice Family Gathering” several seasons ago.
The cast includes Brittney Hebbourn, Darka Makarec, Carmen Burke and Ryan Lunn. The play will be Garrison Little Theatre’s second production at Crystal Ridge Community Centre following last November’s “The Odd Couple: Female Version.”
The company had operated out of the Italo Canadian Club on Dipietro Street since 1986, but the building was sold last year.
Losing the venue plus the hardships of the pandemic nearly put Garrison Little Theatre down for the count, says Marinaccio.
“Absolutely, for sure. A year and a half into COVID, we still didn’t know when the end was.
“We started on the premise of the dinner theatre model — even if the show isn’t great, at least you had a great dinner. It sells tickets, and COVID put an absolute stop to that.”
While charcuterie boxes were a popular substitute, Marinaccio says patrons are asking for the return of a full dinner. He expects it to return for the fall production, and possibly a bonus summer show.
With each production, he adds, the company is slowly returning to the Garrison Little Theatre everyone knows.
“The last show we did, ‘The Odd Couple,’ that was just about sold out. Right now, we’re about 50 per cent sold out.”
“Mom’s Gift” is at Crystal Ridge Community Centre (99 Ridge Rd., Fort Erie) April 25 to 28. For tickets, visit garrisonlittletheatre.com.