Hockey rinks, tailgate parties and comedy face off at centre ice this month, as the Kelowna Sunplex becomes the stage for actors lacing up their skates in Erinara Studio’s hockey-themed production of the The Good Game.
Directed by Ray Mordan and Arlene Irwin, The Good Game is a locker-room yarn featuring four over-the-hill hockey players who reunite after 30 years for a charity game. A former radio reporter, a play-by-play announcer and his press box commentator from the team’s heyday round out the roster of off-ice characters portrayed by a local line-up of veteran actors including Frank Takacs, Brad Hull and Kim Fournier.
“The play is a slice of hockey Canadiana that everyone will enjoy,” explains Mordan, who also plays the part of Jim, the color commentator. “Anyone who has ever played the game will relate to this play. If your husband or boyfriend plays or used to play or wants to play hockey, you will certainly appreciate the humor and the characters in this production.”
Well-paced dialogue by Quesnel playwright Roy Teed produces laughs that echo throughout the locker room as bawdy banter gets passed between a flamboyant French-Canadian player , a goalie with too many pucks to the head, the former captain who’s NHL dream was dashed by injuries, and the team’s enforcer-turned-English-professor.
“The Good Game is Erinara Studio’s first production, and we want to create a hockey-themed event that is more than just a play,” explains Irwin, who also produces the show. “The tailgate party with beer and burgers before every performance allows patrons to get in the mood with a pre-game celebration before the curtain rises and the puck drops.”
“Bleachers have been arranged on the rink floor to create the atmosphere of a small-town hockey arena,” explains Mordan, who adds “the sound track is a trip down the memory lane using Canadian pop hits from the seventies.”
The Good Game can be seen at the Kelowna Sunplex, 1155 Ellis Street, across Clement Street from the Train Station Pub on November 14, 15 and 16. Prior to each performance, ticketed fans are invited to a pre-game Tailgate Party that begins at 6:30 PM in the Sunplex parking lot with a beer and a burger included in the ticket price. Shows begin at 8 PM. On Saturday, November 16, the tailgate party begins at noon ahead of a 1 pm matinee performance.
Tickets are available from Select Your Tickets, by phone at (250) 762-5050 and online at selectyourtickets.com. All tickets $35.
Please contact Arlene Irwin 250-212-3726 or Ray Mordan 250-215-7571 for further information.
