A battle on the course and relationships will have the audience howling in the latest theatrical show at Bashaw’s historic theatre.
The Fox on the Fairway, a comedy written by Ken Ludwig, is the showcase this year for the Friends of the Majestic Theatre.
Co-directors Holly Benoit and Nadja Sawula-Brown lead a cast of six along with several crew members in the play that focuses on the trials, tribulations and complications involved with the owner of a private golf and country club.
“It is certainly humourous, with some over the top and outrageous moments, all the way to the ridiculous,” stated Benoit.
Sawula-Brown added, “There are also a few surprises in store for the audience, but the play has something for everyone. Though with the themes and some romance involved, it is clean, but could be considered PG-13.”
The play follows Henry Bingham as the owner of the Quail Valley Country Club, who has put himself in a few precarious positions — the prospect of losing his club due to betting on a tournament where his ace in the hole jumped ship in addition to the potential of fireworks between his wife and sex-starved club vice-president.
The performance is a bit of a departure from what the theatre has presented in previous years as well as something completely different than what Benoit and Sawula-Brown have worked on before.
“We are both used to being involved with musicals, such as the Hunchback (of Notre Dame) that we both were assistant directors on last year,” stated Benoit, who noted the pair chose this particular play from the three they were presented.
“The two other plays were more classic and one of those was a one-act, so it was far too short. We wanted something different, newer and with some more modern references.”
For Sawula-Brown, the hope is the production will bring in a different audience than usual while also catering to the loyal crowd that continues to support the theatre.
“The run time for the show is about two hours, not including the intermission,” she said, adding that working with another director has been fun so far.
“We are both enjoying this first time as a director, but it’s also nice to have each other as we can bounce ideas off one another while also having some more freedom. It is a bit scary, but if we both like something, then it usually works out.”
The cast features Brian Koenraadt as the lead, Henry Bingham and Mark Isleifson as rival club owner Dickie Bell, with the rest of the characters played by Katherine Cunniffe, Travis Schute, Carrie Donstad and Maggie Young.
“The cast is really having a lot of fun and laughs,” Benoit said.
“We began script work at the end of January and have just moved into performing scenes without the script. We are also still working on completing the set and stage details.”
The annual dinner theatre will run over two weekends with one special Sunday brunch performance.
The dinner shows will go April 5 to 7 and 12 to 14 with the doors opening at 6 p.m. and the meal served 30 minutes later. The Sunday afternoon performance on April 8 will open at 12:30 p.m. with brunch being served a 1 p.m.
Tickets are available in advance only. To purchase or for more information, contact Peter Graham at (780) 678-9000.
