Century Church Theatre here has a summer festival planned, with two funny and very different plays.
Quartet, by Ronald Harwood, features four inmates, as they term themselves, of a retirement home for opera singers. Each with a different personality, they are coping with life after 70 in their own ways.
Wilf is outrageous, a tease and a flirt, but will he really ever make it with Cissy? Cissy is full of joy, but in a world of her own.
Reggie has a tantalizing secret he will not share, and a feud with one of the staff. When Jean arrives, the dynamics change, as she is not adjusting well to her circumstances, and refuses to fit in.
Their determination to make the best of their situation shine through the banter, and as the audience discovers the secrets each has jealously guarded, becomes part of an interlude that is both poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, and the conclusion is a sheer joy.
It is directed by John Snowdon, and plays July 9 to 19.
Who’s On First? is billed by its author, Jack Sharkey, as “a nightmare comedy.”
False accusations among friends and lovers lead to wildly improbable situations involving a lamp with strange powers, a rubber chicken, and the strangest party ever. Will it go on forever? Is it an accident or a fiendish plot?
The situations grow wilder and crazier as the pace picks up, and the friends try to find an escape. Directed by Nick Holmes, Who’s On First? plays Aug. 13 to 23.
The festival is associated with ASTRO (The Association of Summer Theatres ‘Round Ontario. (www.summertheatre.org) Matinees are on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 2:30pm. Tickets are $22.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm the tickets are $27. Prices include all taxes and charges. Group discounts for 10 or more tickets.
For reserved seats, call the box office at 519-855-4586. For details, visit www.centurychurchtheatre.com.
