With tremendous audience response to 9 to 5: The Musical, the St. Jacobs County Playhouse prepares to stage the Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, Harvey.
A thought-provoking play about dignity, self-respect, and the loyalty of friendship, Harvey will entertain audiences for three weeks, from April 11 to 29.
Theatregoers are invited to suspend their disbelief and enter the surreal world of Elwood P. Dowd, an affable man who claims to have an unseen (and presumably imaginary) friend named Harvey, who is described as a six-foot tall rabbit.
When Elwood decides to introduce Harvey to guests at a party, his society-obsessed sister attempts to commit Elwood to a sanitarium, inadvertently setting in motion a chain of events that will cause everyone to question their own reality.
“Audiences can’t help but be charmed by the warmth and wit in this compelling story about the power of friendship and the beauty of imagination,” said Alex Mustakas, artistic director of Drayton Entertainment.
“With its larger-than-life characters and insightful look at the human condition, Harvey encourages each of us to challenge our perception of reality.”
Over the past two decades, Mustakas has directed over 100 productions for Drayton Entertainment, and will return to the helm to direct Harvey.
Written by Mary Chase, Harvey was a runaway success when it opened on Broadway in 1944. In 1945 Chase was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in drama for Harvey, which made her the fourth woman in history to win the prestigious award. The stage play inspired the beloved 1950 motion picture starring James Stewart. A revival of the play is set for Broadway later this year, starring Emmy Award winner Jim Parsons (of The Big Bang Theory) as Elwood.
The cast for the Drayton Entertainment production includes Ted Simonett as Elwood P. Dowd. Audiences will recognize Simonett as the naïve husband in the comedy Murder at the Best Western.
Michelle Fisk tackles the role of Elwood’s status-seeking yet skeptical sister, Veta Louise. Fisk has performed with theatre companies across Canada and last appeared at the Playhouse in the period piece The Heiress in 2010.
Canadian veteran stage and screen actor Victor A. Young plays Judge Omar Gaffney, an old family friend and lawyer of the Dowds who is responsible for arranging Elwood’s commitment to the sanitarium. Young made his Drayton Entertainment debut in 2011 as J. B. Biggley in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
Audience favourite Brian McKay is the esteemed psychiatrist, Dr. William B. Chumley, head of the sanitarium. A difficult man who is feared by his subordinates, Dr. Chumley eventually comes to see the magic that Harvey creates. Jayne Lewis returns for her second season with Drayton Entertainment as Dr. Chumley’s wife, Betty, who is more concerned with socializing than with science.
Jayme Armstrong, who is being praised for her performance in 9 To 5: The Musical currently on stage at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse, will join the Harveycast along with Alan K. Sapp and Tova Smith.
Director Alex Mustakas is supported by set designer Allan Wilbee, lighting designer Simon Day and costume designer Jessica Bray, whose combined talents will transport audiences to the 1940s.
Harvey plays eight shows a week from April 11 through April 29.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.draytonentertainment.com, in person at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse box office, or by calling 519-747-7788 or toll free 1-855-drayton (372-9866).
