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Spring has officially sprung in Edmonton, and that means Teatro la Quindicina is gearing up for its new season, the third in the new May - through October format initiated by Artistic Director Jeff Haslam in 2008. Teatro 2010 promises three world premieres- two by Stewart Lemoine, plus a brand new musical from the writing team who brought you last year’s record - breaking season closer Everybody Goes to Mitzi’s. First however, there’s a revival of Stewart Lemoine’s 2001 screwball caper On the Banks of the Nut, opening May 29 on the Varscona stage.
Directed by the playwright, who freely admits that this work is one of his personal favorites, the production features original cast members Leona Brausen, Jeff Haslam, and Davina Stewart, plus a pair of sparkling newcomers, Kristen Padayas and Eric Wigston. The latter portray a plucky temp and affably inept federal talent agent on a hare-brained talent quest in rural Wisconsin in 1951. Theirs is a madcap undertaking which involves pie, Mahler, bird-watching, embattled star-crossed lovers, a hapless lady tourist, and the abruptest civic election in history- all at the curiously appointed Nut River Lodge astride the noble banks of the River Nut.
The bucolic settings for this screwball spin through the great outdoors are created by Belinda Cornish and Jeff Haslam, and lit by Bobby Smale. Costume designer Leona Brausen outfits everyone in the best looks for town and country in ’51, and stage management duties are dispatched with zestful elegance by Belinda Cornish and Rachel Rudd.
On the Banks of the Nut runs at the Varscona Theatre from April 29 to May 15. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm, with additional matinee performances on Saturdays at 2pm. Tuesday evenings are Pay-What-You-Can.
