A mix up at the airport kicks off an unlikely romantic comedy as Many Hats Theatre Company is set to debut their first performance of 2016, Baggage.
Phyllis and Bradley meet up after a baggage mix-up at JFK Airport, and as director Jamie Eberle said “unpleasant sparks begin to fly.”
“It goes from there. They sort of drag themselves kicking and screaming into something neither one of them professes to want,” Eberle said.
The single-set, four-character production is penned by Sam Bobrick, who also wrote last year’s Many Hats production of Getting Sara Married, and has written some classic television including Bewitched and The Andy Griffith Show.
A Many Hats favourite from last year, the comedy stylings of Getting Sara Married is what had Eberle eyeing up another Bobrick comedy.
“That’s what first attracted me to it, so we ordered it and looked at it,” Eberle said. “By golly, he’s once again put together what I regard as a charming little romantic comedy. Most of all, it’s really funny. It was a bit of a no-brainer picking that one.”
The cast features some familiar Many Hats faces along with some newcomers. Jane Stead (playing Mitzi Cartwright) and John Devitt (starring as Bradley Naughton) are heading into their first Many Hats production, though by far their first time on stage. Stead comes to Many Hats after years with Terrace Little Theatre and Devitt has received awards for his performances with the Revelstoke Players.
It doesn’t play out as predictably as one would think, Eberle said, having a romantic comedy with a cast of two men and two women. It’s more about the journey than anything else.
“You could say, alright, we’re going to have a double wedding at the end. Well, that’s close, but the predictability of the outcome is not critical. This is not a suspense thriller,” Eberle said. “The trick is getting there.”
Baggage opens Feb. 4 on the Cannery Stage in the Cannery Trade Centre and runs until Feb. 27, with performances Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. with Sunday Matinees at 2 p.m.
Reserved seats are $22 for adults and $19 for students. Tickets can be purchased at the Wine Country Visitor’s Centre or over the phone at 250-276-2170 or 1-800-663-5052.
