Geoffrey Davidson and Tia Niedjalski appear in the St. Luke’s Players latest production, Bedtime Stories, running March 7 to 18 at St. Luke’s Hall. Photo submitted

Geoffrey Davidson and Tia Niedjalski appear in the St. Luke’s Players latest production, Bedtime Stories, running March 7 to 18 at St. Luke’s Hall. Photo submitted

St. Luke’s brings Bedtime Stories to life

Players bring laughs to Saanich stage March 7 to 18

The St. Luke’s Players are heading back to the stage, this time bringing a few laughs to the bedroom.

Bedtime Stories is the latest production for the Saanich theatre company, running March 7 to 18 at St. Luke’s Hall.

The six-act comedy is the work of Canadian playwright Norm Foster, who is often compared to Neil Simon and has had more than 50 plays reach the professional stage.

“Why I love him is he writes about real people in peculiar situations, so we can all kind of identify with these characters,” said Merry Hallsor, who is directing St. Luke’s production of Bedtime Stories. “We all know someone like them or have done some of these silly things ourselves.”

Bedtime Stories follows six separate tales all taking place in a bedroom, with a radio announcer serving as the thread that weaves the stories together. From a teenage fan attempting to seduce an aging rocker and a no-nonsense nightclub owner who tries to fire an accident-prone exotic dancer, to an accountant who is a burglar in his spare time and a taxi driver with a penchant for getting lost, the 15-cast production is sure to have audiences rolling in the aisles.

“One of the actors said if you don’t laugh at this one then we’ll come to your wake because you must be dead,” said Hallsor, who is in her fifth year with St. Luke’s, previously directing two pantos and working backstage in another two.

“The pantos are like a traffic jam, you just move people around,” added Hallsor, who has been involved in the theatre since her childhood and worked all around the province.

She said even though the scenes all take place in a bedroom, the production is still good, family entertainment.

“There’s nothing dirty or no bad language, it’s just a good laugh.”

Bedtime Stories runs at St. Luke’s Hall, 3821 Cedar Hill X Rd. (at Cedar Hill Road), with shows at 7:30 p.m. on March 7-10 and 14-17, and 2 p.m. matinees on March 10, 11, 17 and 18. Tickets are available online through Eventbrite.ca (search Bedtime Stories), at The Papery, 669 Fort St. or at the door.

Oak Bay News