A Sherlock Holmes-inspired farce and a doo-wop musical about women who’ve been dumped are among Arts Club On Tour shows in Surrey next season.
The Vancouver-based theatre company’s three offerings at Surrey Arts Centre in 2016-17 also include a mid-January run of “The (Post) Mistress,” the “small-town cabaret of sealed secrets” written by Tomson Highway.
In October, following a month-long run at Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage in Vancouver, Ken Ludwig’s “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” hits the boards at the Bear Creek Park venue. The production features five actors playing more than 40 comical characters, “filling the stage with suspects, allies, and heirs in this zany whodunit based on the Arthur Conan Doyle classic,” according to show promo.
“When the wealthy Henry Baskerville is threatened by the fable of a bloodthirsty hound on the moors, Holmes and Watson are on the case to sniff out the culprit. The game’s afoot in this hilarious thriller that’s anything but elementary.” John Murphy has been named as director.
Next up, “The (Post) Mistress” follows Marie-Louise, an effervescent, charismatic postal worker in the fictional town of Lovely “who seems to know everything about everyone – and is eager to share all the gossip with you.” The one-woman show, to be directed by John Cooper, is billed as “a uniquely Canadian cabaret full of music and charm.”
Arts centre dates in February and March are held for “Bittergirl,” a “cathartic and catchy musical (that) charts the romantic breakups of three women and the lively antics that ensue.” The Valerie Easton-directed show will feature songs by ’60s-era groups – “Be My Baby,” “And Then He Kissed Me,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and “Where Did Our Love Go?” among them.
Subscriptions for the three-show series are on sale via Tickets.surrey.ca, or call the box office at Surrey Arts Centre, 604-501-5566. “Early bird” pricing ends June 17.
Special performances include “Opening Night Wednesdays,” “First Fridays” and “Paint at the Play Art Camp” (meant for kids while their parents watch a matinée show).
In each show’s run, one Saturday-afternoon date will also feature VocalEye audio description, in which visually-impaired patrons use a headset to hear the show and the live description simultaneously. Once the show begins, the “describer,” speaking into a transmitter, relays the physical action and visual detail between the lines of dialogue.
More details are posted at Surrey.ca/culture-recreation/1688.aspx#sthash.YhwlGf2t.dpuf.
Other shows in Surrey Arts Centre’s annual “Surrey Spectacular” series for 2016-17 will be announced in early July.
tom.zillich@thenownewspaper.com
