I had the chance to take in two very entertaining plays last week.
First, Barrhead Community Theatre staged its rendition of Cinderella. I attended opening night with my family, and there were plenty of laughs throughout the course of the production. Lucy and Ethel, played by Joan Kallal and Lorna Schaffer respectively, narrated the story. They provided some very interesting banter back and forth, much to the delight of the crowd.
Opening night’s crowd filled about half the theatre. It took more than three months for the production to come together, and although there were several hiccups in the first production, it went over quite well, in my opinion. It’s understandable that nerves among the actors would contribute to that, but it only added to the mirth of the action.
I have to mention Charity Wallace’s interpretation of Penelope. She played such a believable ditzy, evil stepsister. Her performance was a lot of fun to watch, and I’m sure the rest of the audience took just as much joy from her acting as I did.
The Leader’s own Chris Ribau played Prince Charming. I know for a fact he put a lot of work into his role, and he pulled it off very well. The interaction between him and his parents, the King and Queen, played by Richard Parker and Rachiel Lubeck, made me believe they were indeed a royal family.
Alana Hennessey played a great town herald assistant, and Jennie Enders carried an evil aura about her as The Baroness, Lady Anna Pousant.
The funniest glitch in the play came when Priscilla, played by Nicole McKeand, fell off her chair and her wig fell off her head. It was a minor blip in the production, but it went over very well with the crowd.
The cast and crew worked under the direction of Melanie Higgins and assistant director Chris Mast. They all deserve recognition for the hard work they poured into this production.
The second play I was able to attend, even though I was not able to take in the entire production, was The Butler Did It, staged by the United Reformed Church youth group. These talented young actors kept the audience in laughter and suspense, all while raising money for the pro-life cause in Alberta.
Those who purchased tickets to the play were first treated to dinner, and then they moved over to the stage area where the play took place. Colton Wierenga played a hilarious Chandler Marlow. His one-liners brought forth many chuckles from the audience. Jessica Hofstede pulled off a very mysterious Miss Fan, and Heather Strydhorst was excellent as the host Miss Maple.
All of the young actors were great, and the fact they are raising funds for a charitable cause should make them all very proud of themselves. Other youth should take a page from their books and get involved with raising funds for a worthwhile cause. Doing so helps instill a spirit of giving.
