It’s the age old story of Helena, Demetrius, Lysander and Hermia — or is it?
A hilarious new play from a young promising local playwright is set to open at the Langley Playhouse June 3.
From the same young artists who brought last year’s award-winning production of Miss Somewhere to the stage in Langley, Such A Heart As Yours remixes the story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to the modern day with a group of millennials instead of Elizabethans.
The show will run for nine performances, closing June 12.
“I have always been haunted by Helena in Midsummer and how the life she’s being set up for at the end of the play is entirely outside of her control,” said playwright Cait Archer.
“I realized that the format of the play could be used to examine modern relationships in a fun, supernatural way by planting four Canadian millennials in Shakespeare’s mythical forest.”
Such A Heart As Yours centres on Holly, an academic, and her decidedly non-academic friends who decide to take a camping trip to the real-life Forest of Arden to discover the truth about Shakespeare’s play.
When night falls, the four friends realize that they might not be alone. Faced with challenges that go far beyond the academic, their lives will never be the same. As the magic makes one fall in love with another in unexpected ways, what will daylight bring?
Full of humour and heart, the show stars Langley’s own Geneva Perkins as Holly.
Perkins, who studied at Langley Fine Arts and the University of the Fraser Valley Theatre, is already making a name for herself in the professional theatre world in Vancouver. Rounding out the cast are Russell Blower, Amelia Ross, Josh Tompke, Thomas Smith and Ashley Gonzalez-Rivas.
“The show is about the ephemeral nature of love,” said Archer.
“The something chemical that leads us away from people who are actually perfect for us on paper and into the orbits of others.”
Tickets to the show are $15 for all ages or $13 each when bought in groups of 5 or more. There are also VIP tickets with priority seating available. Visit suchaheartasyours.ca to buy online or email suchaheartasyours@gmail.com for tickets.
