White Rock actor Jeff Wyndham is one of the stars of a new production of Norm Foster’s The Melville Boys in New Westminster.
The Vagabond Players production, directed by Kayt Roth, will run from June 8 to 29 at the Bernie Legge Theatre in Queen’s Park.
The popular play, by Canada’s most-produced playwright, is described as “a tender comedy about brotherhood, full of vigour and the unexpected.”
Wyndham – who has appeared in productions of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and Beyond Therapy, and also assisted director Cathe Busswood with last year’s White Rock Players Club production of Harvey – was trained in comedic performance at Vancouver’s SchoolCreative, and was a co-creator of and performer in the improv troupe The New Thing.
In Foster’s bittersweet piece, he plays the role of Owen, younger of the two Melville brothers.
He and elder brother Lee (Richard Guenther) have plans for a weekend trip full of fishing, junk food and beer.
But there’s also a serious purpose behind the trip – both the rash Owen and the more level-headed Lee have to come to terms with the latter’s terminal illness.
Their plans are derailed, however, when two attractive sisters – Mary (Emma Greenhalgh) and Loretta (Arianna McGregor)– show up at the dock of their cottage.
Not only do the sisters inadvertently change the brothers’ weekend itinerary, they also have an impact on their future.
Through the brothers’ interactions with the sisters, the audience discovers the divergent character traits of the two men. But the sisters also allow each of the Melville Boys an opportunity to step outside himself. And that, in turn, has a significant impact on each of them, and on their relationship with each other.
For tickets ($17, $15 for seniors and youth), call 604-521-0412 or visit www.vagabondplayers.ca
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