Following in a long tradition of presenting a melodrama each summer, Footlighters Theatre Society will return to the Prince Charles Theatre on July 20 and 21 with Someone Save My Baby, Ruth.
“These shows are audience favourites,” said Footlighters president Brian Lawrence, who is directing the play. “While the plots always have a new twist, the interaction between the stock characters — hero and heroine, villain and villainess — makes a melodrama so much fun.”
In this summer’s melodrama, Jordan Koop and Marybeth Stenhouse star, respectively, as Ernest Noble, a police officer, and Penny Candy, a recent widow who brings her baby, Ruth, to live with her aunt, Praline Candy (Susan Jorgensen), owner of the Sweet Shoppe. Their paths cross with villain Sidney Swindle (Jason Smith), who wants to tear down the Sweet Shop, and Ada Sourball (Simone Wiebe), Swindle’s well-meaning accomplice.
The Sweet Shoppe is a busy place, with candy cook Farron Heit (Morgan Benty) and Cindy Grade (Suzanne Chubb) constantly duelling with words, music and, naturally, kitchen utensils. Shop assistants Taffy (Zoe Marini) and Toffee (Anjali Ewing) are kept busy waiting on Mrs. Murphy (Jasmine Lothien) and her daughter, Minnie (Jesika Troughton), as well as Tom (Greg Benty) and Hubert (Axel Marini), who are desperately trying to sneak kisses — and not the chocolate kind, much to Taffy and Toffee’s annoyance.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with this cast,” said Lawrence. “Between then, there is so much talent and experience — they’ve all been in prior Footlighters productions — and it’s exciting to see them playing off one another.”
Tickets for Someone Save My Baby, Ruth, which runs at 7:30 p.m. July 20 and 21, are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors, available at Black Bear Books, Kingfisher Used Books and at the door.
Someone Save My Baby, Ruth is the first show of Footlighters’ 18th season, and will be followed by two one-act fractured fairy tales (Big Bad — featuring the Big Bad Wolf on trial — and a title to be announced) from Nov. 29-Dec. 1 and, in the spring, the Tony Award-winning musical Annie, a joint production with Adam Robertson Elementary School.
Among the productions being considered for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons are two melodramas, a concert featuring songs from Broadway and movie musicals, the farce Arsenic and Old Lace, a locally-written Cinderella and Walt Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
For more information, contact Brian Lawrence at editor@crestonvalleyadvance.ca or visit www.facebook.com/CrestonFootlighters.
—FOOTLIGHTERS THEATRE SOCIETY
