Theatre Sarnia: Snippets of the 2010 — 2011 Season
A Sneak Peek at the Goodies
Tuesday April 20, 2010, Imperial Theatre, Sarnia, Ontario
by Brian Hay
This presentation had a more defined form than last year's 'Snippets' production. Tony Frangis from K106 FM was on hand to act as Master of Ceremonies. (He also took part in one of the "Snippets" and did a really good job of it). With the exception of one snippet each of the excerpts was introduced by the Director in charge of that particular production. As well, this years' presentation had a far better turnout than last years'. The people who came out had a great time. The idea may have taken a bit of time to gel but it was obviously a good one.
There was a surprise first though. The show began with a "teaser' from Theatre Sarnia's upcoming production of 'Cinderella'. It's close to its final stages of development so the sneak peek gave an idea of the appearance of the show. What was seen of the wardrobe is gorgeous. The young couple cast as "Cinderella' and the Prince looked like Royalty from a Fairy Tale. They were attractive, charming and cast a warm presence before them. The number they performed was an infectious one. This show promises to be a feast for the eyes as well as the ears.
How the Other Half Loves
This one is a picture of rich spectacle threaded together with marvellous subtlety. The action had a pair of scenes taking place together but apart from one another. The bit that was shown proved that writer Alan Aykbourn was up to the task of giving an ensemble material that could make it work. The group that performed this episode did a good job of it. They injected a strong degree of spontaneity into their performance even though they'd had only a little time to rehearse. This tale of suspicions and misunderstandings should be a comedy that leaves the audience thinking.
Forbidden Broadway
This production may be the most elaborate of the season. The musical numbers that were performed suggested there will be a lot of multi-part vocal arrangements with intricately choreographed dance segments woven in to their fabric. The songs that were performed all had familiar melodies but the lyrics were pure satire—they basically poked fun at everything to do with what they were about. This is a promise of musical hilarity.
Fallen Angels
Prim and proper meets chaos. This story of two elegant ladies coming face to face with a less than elegant episode from their pasts is a recipe for having people rolling in aisles. The two ladies who performed this segment had their audience in stitches, and they were reading their parts as they went along. That speaks volumes about the calibre of the material and the talent of the people who performed the clip.
The Foursome
It's from Norm Foster and it deals with an episode of male bonding that's destined to go awry for a while. The bit that was shown was hilarious. The dialogue was filled with Foster's caustic wry wit. The characters were all fleshed out really well in just that one scene. The sight gag that went down was a riot. Tony Frangis really did look as hung over as he was supposed to be.
Real Estate
How a divorce can go wrong. Or, is it going right? Who knows. This production promises love, lust, misunderstandings and plenty of sexual innuendo. The characters were (again) all fleshed out pretty well by just the short bit that was performed. There were plenty of situations that led to edge of seat moments over what was going to happen next. This is another one that looks as if the audiences will be laughing themselves silly.
With the exception of 'Cinderella' none of these shows has been cast. The performers who delivered the "snippets" were all volunteers from Theatre Sarnia. They didn't have much time to rehearse and many of them read from scripts to get through their scenes. This wasn't detrimental to the performance at all. Actually, it spoke volumes about the amount of theatre savvy the people in this ensemble have. Their timing was good. The flow of dialogue and the exchanges between characters generally sounded very natural.
It's only going to get better. The upcoming season will be a good one.
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Theatre Sarnia's 2010—2011 Playbill
