Following its completely sold-out inaugural year, the Classic Dinner Theatre returns to Perth this summer with an additional lunchtime sitting at Michael’s Table (110 Gore Street East). Featuring Laurel Smith’s new adaptation of the Shaw comedy classic Androcles and the Lion ( a satire on life under the Roman Empire), the play, accompanied by a three-course home-cooked meal, will run June 4 to August 27, 11 am to 1 pm (show first, followed by lunch) and 5 to 7 pm (meal, then show). Directed by Joanna McAuley-Treffers and presented by talented up-and-coming performers from Ottawa, Lanark and Renfrew Counties – Mallory Brumm, Abigaile Gagnon, Tyler Street, Brooke Trealout and Connor Williamson – the second year of the project is part of a rural youth theatre training program run by the Classic Theatre Festival. “People had a great time at last year’s first show, and because it sold out so quickly, we have expanded the number of performances, but even with that, tickets are selling so fast that folks might want to reserve a seat now before they’re all gone,” enthuses Smith, who notes Androcles and the Lion‘s June 4 opening begins a summer-long celebration of the Festival’s 10th anniversary. While dinner theatres sprang up across North America after World War II and reached their heyday in the 1960s and 70s, they have been enjoying a resurgence as companies like the Classic Theatre Festival and Michael’s Table come together around shared values of artistic and culinary excellence. “It’s a great opportunity to tickle your funny bone, please your palette, and create a memory you’ll enjoy long after the final curtain,” Smith says. This year’s show features an elevated stage for improved sightlines as well as stunning backdrops that bring to life the Roman era. “There’s also quite a few comic surprises that will keep you laughing all the way home,” Smith says. To reserve dinner/lunch theatre seats, as well as learn more about the Festival’s 10th anniversary season, contact 1-877-283-1283 or visit ticketsplease.ca. Continue reading

The Classic Theatre Festival in Perth is planning to kick off a year-long party as it marks its 10th anniversary of producing award-winning classics from the golden age of Broadway and the London Stage. What began in 2010 with two mainstage shows playing 7 times a week has expanded to 17 shows a week, with three mainstage shows, a series of summertime heritage walking plays, and an expanded dinner theatre as well. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Festival is offering loyal audience members and newcomers alike the opportunity to save up to 25% off their 2019 season when they purchase a Season Flex Pass before December 31. Kicking off the mainstage season in 2019 will be The Voice of The Turtle (June 21-July 14), the 9th-longest running play in Broadway history. This remarkable comedy about the passions and excitement of World War II-era New York City is a reprise from their first season, when war brides and veterans alike were part of adoring audiences. The story follows young people from across the nation converging on the Big Apple, discovering new loves, sharing their dreams, and navigating the challenges of rapidly changing moral codes. Playwright John Van Druten is also the author of Bell, Book & Candle, I Am a Camera and There’s Always Juliet (part of the Festival’s 2018 summer season). Following is Pygmalion (July 19-August 12), George Bernard Shaw’s most popular play. When a bombastic professor of dialects tries to turn a working-class flower girl into an upper-class lady, comic sparks fly in this perfectly constructed story (the basis for the musical My Fair Lady). Full of unforgettable Shavian characters – Henry Higgins, Eliza Doolittle, Colonel Pickering, and Alfred Doolittle, among others – it’s a legendary satire on class, gender, and particularly British mannerisms all served up with gentle and loving humour. The annual season-closing mystery will be Ira Levin’s Deathtrap (August 16 -Sept 8), the longest-running comedy thriller in Broadway history. It follows a formerly successful playwright who engages in a deadly game to steal what he feels would be a “killer script.” Filled with ingenious plot twists and a string of bodies, the play is by the author of Rosemary’s Baby, The Boys from Brazil, and The Stepford Wives. While a heritage walking play on how residents of rural communities came together to survive the Great Depression will play five mornings and two evenings a week, the Festival’s Classic Dinner Theatre at Michael’s Table will return with a new play, Shaw’s classic satire on the Roman Empire, Androcles and the Lion. In response to audience demand (last year’s season was completely sold out), the dinner theatre is doubling its capacity, and will run Tuesdays from 5 to 7 pm, along with a lunchtime show from 11 am to 1 pm, beginning June 4. For discounted season passes and more, call 1-877-283-1283 or visit ticketsplease.ca.   Continue reading