White Rock Players Club’s last show of the 77th season – opening Thursday (June 8) and running to June 25 at the Oceana PARC Playhouse (1532 Johnston Rd.) – is a Norm Foster comedy with a difference.
Kiss The Moon, Kiss The Sun, which debuted in 2001 in Orangeville, Ont., is a weightier-than-usual effort for the popular Canadian playwright, renowned for his ‘blow-away-in-a-stiff-breeze’ comedies beloved by regional and community theatre groups.
Indeed the script, which Foster himself once described as “Forrest Gump meets Educating Rita,” would seem calculated to play on the heart strings, rather than elbow the ribs.
Robert Castle (James Barclay), described in the WRPC release as a “a 35-year-old man with the mental capacity of a seven-year-old,” encounters Holly (Amber McMunn), a pregnant young woman in crisis. Their chance meeting at a bus stop is the beginning of a friendship that defies all the odds.
But life, as is to be expected, throws complications in their way.
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Robert lives with his aging , widowed mother Claire (Joan Koebel) who has been the centre of his life. But after consultations with her physician, Dr. Andrews (Andrew Kenny) about her failing health, she is coming to the realization that she must find someone to care for Robert after she is gone.
At the same time, the reappearance of Holly’s boyfriend, Simon (Matt Briard) provides her with seemingly insurmountable problems.
The release calls the play “a tender look at how real people can endure hardships with humour and kindness.”
Director Don Briard, a veteran of many productions throughout the Lower Mainland, including WRPC’s recent Over The River and Through The Woods, said he appreciated the serious themes behind Kiss The Moon, Kiss The Sun, and the way it leavens its laughs with genuine pathos.
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“(While Foster is) best known for his sit-com style comedies, this script shows his ability to blend comedy with more serious storylines—and to leave us with questions to ponder,” Briard said.
“While it is a play about what makes a family, it is also a play about love, responsibilities, and the nature of relationships.”
Produced by Bridget Browning, the production is also notable for Briard complementing his vision with his own sound design, set design and set decoration.
Lighting design is by Richard Smith, with projection effects by Demetrios Georgeadis, while Barclay, in addition to his lead role, also contributes set graphic design, and Emma Graveson has assembled the costumes.
Thursday night’s preview performance is presented for $20 for all seats; while shows for the remainder of the run are $28 for adults and $24 for seniors and students (under the age of 18).
The show runs Thursday to Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. with a 2:30 p.m. Sunday matinee.
Visit www.whiterockplayers.ca/shows or call 604.536.7535 for tickets.
alex.browne@peacearchnews.com
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