GORE BAY—You can’t go far wrong with a dinner and show, especially if that dinner is provided by the Gore Bay Rotary Club (with beef from Burt Farms and dessert by Finnia Chocolate) and the show is the Norm Foster play ‘Lunenburg,’ performed by veteran Gore Bay Summer Theatre thespians.
‘Lunenburg’ is a two-act comedy that takes place in the present tense in the Nova Scotia town of that name. Those familiar with the works of Canadian playwright Norm Foster know that the laughter comes with a solid dose of pathos and ‘Lunenburg’ falls solidly into that paradigm. The play is one of two being presented by Gore Bay Summer Theatre this year, the other being another Norm Foster play ‘My Narrator.’
Gore Bay Theatre is something of an anomaly for community theatre troupes in that they offer repertoire, that is two plays in the season. Usually, the company offers a comedy and a drama, but this year director Andrea Emmerton explained that she and co-director Walter Maskell decided that, given the challenges of the past couple of years, it behooved the company to bring two uplifting comedies as diversion.
Following Mr. Foster’s established style, ‘Lunenburg’ takes a quirky twist right from the moment the actors step on stage—and what actors they are. Each carries several high honours with them onto the stage, and their work in ‘Lunenburg’ maintains those traditions in spades.
Shannon McMullan, who generously spared time from her busy summer running Perivale Gallery in Spring Bay to take on the role of Iris Oulette, supplies most of the pathos and drama that plays counterpoint to the humour in the production. Ms. McMullan’s immense dramatic skills are taken to the limit as she portrays a woman confronted, not only by the devastating loss of her husband of many years, but also by a series of devastating revelations that would shake anyone to their core.
The husband and wife acting duo of Helen and Ray Landry, playing the instantly infatuated Natalie Whitaker and Charlie Butler respectively, brought the house down repeatedly with their impeccable comedic timing. Island theatre goers may recall these two from their award-winning performances in ‘On a First Name Basis.’ It is hard to believe the pair could top those performances—but they do. The chemistry between these actors, and with Ms. McMullan, take this production to a whole new level.
The audience laughter resounding throughout the performance gave special meaning to the spontaneous standing ovation that greeted the trio as they took their bows at the end of the evening.
While the dinner theatre production was only available on July 7, there are still several performances of this outstanding show to come, with productions taking place on July 13, 20, 22, 26 and 27. Curtain time is 7:30 pm and tickets are $20 advance and $25 at the door. Tickets may be reserved by calling the Gore Bay town office at 705-282-2420, extension 5, with VISA and Mastercard accepted. Cash only at the door.
