GORE BAY— In just one week Gore Bay Theatre will be presenting one of the great classics of the twentieth century, ‘Exit the King.’ It was written in 1963 by the internationally acclaimed playwright Eugene Ionesco. The play features Tara Bernatchez, Jack Clark, Lori Evans, John Hawke, Shannon McMullan and John Robertson, all experienced actors with Gore Bay Theatre.
The play is set in an imaginary kingdom in the not too distant past about a king who is informed that he has an hour-and-a-half to live. The King is a power-crazed self-promoter who believes he can control everything, whose world is all about him, denying acts about his kingdom, the world and the environment, never willing to admit failure or fault.
The New York Times said it “satirized modern society with outrageous comedy,” and it is not too difficult to see that the play has as much relevance and bite now than when it was written.
The play was a huge success when it was revived a few years ago with Broadway audiences and received very positive reviews.
“Possibly the longest, oddest, funniest agony in the history of theatre,” said the New York Post.
Back Stage reported it “as a landmark production of a great play. Miss ‘Exit the King’ at your peril.”
New York Magazine said, “it earns the crown for Broadway’s most entertaining despot, it is both funny and moving, like life itself,” and USA Today said it, “surveys the depths of comedy and pathos in a hilarious performance that becomes profoundly moving.”
Directors Andrea Emmerton and Walter Maskel are very excited about the play and the production. Ms. Emmerton said, “our cast is one of the largest and most experienced we have had the pleasure to work with. Over 100 hours of rehearsal time has been put into the production over the last three months, not to mention all the time the actors spend learning their lines. It is one of the most challenging productions we have ever produced for the cast and the technical staff. We are thrilled that we have the opportunity to share this classic with our audiences.”
After their presentation of ‘Exit the King’ locally, Gore Bay Theatre will be performing the play in Elliot Lake, competing in the annual Northern Ontario Drama Festival which features top community groups across Northern Ontario. The group has been very successful competing in the regional and the all-Ontario festival and has been recognized for their consistent standard of excellence.
Mr. Maskel added, “we choose plays that we can cast. In a small community you do not do Hamlet if you do not have an actor who can play the role. We do look for three things though, one-choose challenging material, not just to challenge ourselves but to challenge our audiences; two-take creative risks and three-dig deep and aim high. Exit the King challenges us in every area and we are extremely pleased with the commitment, dedication and expertise by our company members.”
“We hope that audiences are entertained by our production, but like any other art, theatre is subjective,” said Mr. Maskel. “However, we are confident that our audience will appreciate the work that has been put into our production.”
Exit the King hits the Gore Bay Community Hall stage on March 9 and 10 at 7:30 pm and on March 11 at 2 pm. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door.
