Oakville theater group presents history-based comedy

OAKVILLE — The Phoenix Stage Company in Oakville is presenting The Complete History of Theater (Unabridged), by Matt Thompson, opening March 4.

The production includes Aric Calabrese, Killian Meehan and Tim Phillips; making her Phoenix Stage debut is Ali Bernhardt. This production is directed by Ed Bassett with stage manager Teresa Alexandru.

The story: It’s opening night, and master playwright William Shakespeare, theatrical diva Sarah Bernhardt and the indelible intellectual Constantine Stanislavsky lead you on a wild and wacky journey through the history of theatre. Explore the beginnings of Greek theatre, Aristotle’s Poetics, the fine art of Kabuki, the history of mime, the gladiators of Rome and speculation on the real author of Shakespeare’s plays. Along the way, the bumbling Shakespeare misquotes himself, Sarah Bernhardt can’t get over the sound of thunderous applause and Stanislavsky gets blown out of a cannon when someone says the name of “the Scottish play” in the theatre.

Through a little perseverance and commedia dell’arte, the famous trifecta attempts to hold the show together, but when the producer appears onstage, things only get worse when the cast finds out they are trapped in a play within a play. With time running out on the theatre’s rental agreement, the trifecta pays homage to the world’s best-known and beloved plays, all performed at breakneck speed.

Near the play’s end, the cast realizes that the playwright hasn’t written an ending, wherein our iconic celebrities are forced to seek the audience’s help in finding a creative conclusion to the show.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. with 3 p.m. Sunday matinees, at the Phoenix Theater, 33 Main Street, Oakville. Tickets are $25, general admission, $22 for teachers and students, $22 for seniors 60 and older, and group rates are available.

For more information or to purchase tickets, go to www.phoenixstagecompany.org or call the theater at 860-417-2505.

Phoenix Stage Company/Contributed photo The Phoenix Stage Company in Oakville is presenting The Complete History of Theater (Unabridged), opening March 4.