I slipped in just after curtain, having missed the opening moments of the Williams Lake Studio Theatre’s new play Buying the Moose.
Despite not catching the first lines, it was easy to surmise the play was going over well.
The small audience of crew and supporters at the dress rehearsal, in contrast to their low numbers, were absolutely filling the theatre with laughter.
Within a few minutes, I was chuckling along with the boisterous audience while still trying to focus on capturing photos of the actors on stage, and attempting to hold the camera steady in the low light.
Buying the Moose is a lighthearted look at relationships and (mis)communication.
After two years of heavy news and with shorter days, the Canadian comedy is a bright spark in the darkness.
Two new actors will be making their public performance debuts when the play opens tonight, Nov. 9, and they appear to be ready for the curtain to go up.
“The growth they’ve shown from when we started until now is just phenomenal,” said director Brad Lawryk of actors Keegan Follack, who plays Betty, and Jakob Schwab, who plays Rob. “It’s just been a real pleasure to work with them.”
After the dress rehearsal on Nov. 7, Follack was enthusiastic about performing in front of the live audience.
“Oh my goodness, it was exhilarating,” she said. “I get why people do it.”
Both Follack and fellow actress Megan Monds provided fantastic entertainment, their facial expressions spoke volumes as they played Betty and Cheryl, the wine-drinking friends who share their collective confusion at their male partners’ behaviours.
Lawryk, who is in his 13th year with the studio theatre, chose the play because he wanted to direct a comedy so the audience could “come and sit back and forget about things for a couple hours” and Buying the Moose delivers.
The marriage-based humour is family-friendly said Lawryk and everyone who has had a relationship can identify with some aspect.
After a husband gets himself into a compromising situation, both wife and husband seek consolation with a friend and hidden secrets and gender stereotypes are the subject of some laughs.
The play will run for three weeks Nov. 9-12, 16-19, and 23-26, 2022 with doors opening at 7 p.m. and curtain at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are available in advance via the website at: https://www.wlstudiotheatre.ca/ and at the door, while supplies last.
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