GORE BAY—In less than two weeks the curtains will rise on the Gore Bay Theatre (GBT) annual summer season of plays. This year GBT will present two award-winning plays, ‘Boiler Room Suite,’ a comedic drama by Rex Deverell and ‘Shirley Valentine,’ a comedy by Willy Russell.
Boiler Room Suite won the Canadian Authors Association Award for writing and has become a Canadian classic. It is about two homeless people who meet in the boiler room of a hotel. They conjure up reality by using their imagination to play multiple roles, entertaining the audience while bringing awareness of various social issues. The duo are interrupted by the hotel caretaker and the comedy turns more dramatic as their sanctuary from the world is threatened. ‘Boiler Room Suite’ features three GBT veteran actors, John Hawke, Shannon McMullan and John Robertson.
The Manitoulin West Recorder called it “a very engaging, entertaining and powerful evening of theatre,” with “stellar performances and one of the strongest ensembles seen on the Gore Bay stage.”
The Manitoulin Expositor said it “kept the audience’s eyes so riveted on what was taking place on stage that any sense of time was suspended with masterful acting” and that “directors Andrea Emmerton and Walter Maskel have outdone themselves with this production and that in itself is no easy task when compared with their substantial body of work.”
‘Shirley Valentine’ is one of the most popular comedic plays having received numerous accolades including a Broadway Tony Award winner. It was so popular it was made into a movie which received academy award nominations as well as the British Comedy Award for Top Comedy Film.
It is about a woman, Shirley Valentine, and the “series of hilarious and poignant stories about identity,” leading to a holiday romance in Greece and re-evaluation of her life and dreams. The New York Post called it “absolutely smashing” and the New York Daily News said it was “a joyful, captivating piece of theatre,” with the Financial Times saying it was “a thrilling, cheer raising piece of theatre.”
The Guardian said it was one of the “most influential postwar British plays.” The production features another Gore Bay Theatre veteran actress, Tara Bernatchez.
Don’t miss these two exciting evenings of theatre. Ticket information is available in the advertisement in this issue.
