The Mercury Players present Beau Jest, a comedy they say is not just for the whole family but about the whole family.
Written by James Sherman and directed by Jim Cleough, it hits the boards at the Mercury Theatre on Brae Road for eight performances.
You can see it Thursday to Friday: May 23, 24, and 25 and again the following week on May 30, 31, and June 1 at 7:30 p.m. There are also matinees on Sunday, May 26 and Sunday, June 2 at 2:30 p.m.
According to Jennifer Cleough, who is looking after publicity for this projection, “The Mercury Players are proud to present their fourth production of the 2018/19 season. Following Deathtrap, Almost Maine and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Beau Jest takes a look at relationships and how difficult making everyone happy can be.
“Sarah Goldman (played by Robyn Fortunat) is a lovely young school teacher in Chicago who desperately wants to please her parents. Muriel and Abe (Jennifer Cleough and Michael Terides) are very concerned that their daughter marries well, unlike their son Joel (Carson Kemppi), who is divorced, much to mom’s distress.
“Although she already has a boyfriend (Aiden Holt), Sarah instead invents another boyfriend, whom she believes will be the man of her mother’s dreams. When her parents insist on meeting the man, Sarah hires Bob (Mitchell Page), an escort and actor, to pretend to be her ‘beau’. The masquerade works flawlessly for a time and brings comic situations, but in the end, their lives are irrevocably changed.”
Jim Cleough has done a good bit of directing productions for the Mercury Players, and has assembled a cast he believes has the chemistry required to pull off this lovable but dysfunctional family.
Tickets for Beau Jest are $20 for adults, or $15 for seniors/students and are available at Ten Old Books and First Chiropractic Clinic or online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beau-jest-by-james-sherman- tickets-60172627950?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete
Don’t wait. When the Mercury Players take on a project, it’s always worth watching, and many people are in on the secret.
lexi.bainas@cowichanvalleycitizen.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
