A Grand Time in the Rapids is ECHO Players’ new chaotic comedy, a hare-brained tale of a widow and her brand-new beau set in Grand Rapids, Mich. in the 1950s, directed to the height of hilarity by skilful director Ian Morton.
This fast-paced farce, by award-winning Canadian playwright Stewart Lemoine, opens July 10 at the Village Theatre in Qualicum.
Curtains open on a rather posh living room, where tea and cocktails flow freely, a credit to stage manager Julian Packer and his set design and props teams who have created a fitting backdrop for this comical summer play.
A fretting English widow, Thalia Cumberland eloquently played by Wendy Alexander returns to the scene of a “crime of the heart” in an attempt to correct a terrible mistake.
Desperately grasping for help to convey the delicate disclosure to her new beau, she engages popular etiquette expert Ted Todd, played by Jerrold Paetkau whose magnetic performance draws you in like a moth to a flame.
Morgan Gould plays Boyd Mayhew, Thalia’s new suitor who meets with unfortunate circumstances, but not before he wrangles to the ground with Ted Todd. The frantically funny cast effortlessly plays off one another like slapstick characters in a vintage screen movie.
Director Ian Morton sings his cast’s praises — and they actually do sing as part of their performance — declaring, “they are gifted, agile actors who come bearing charms aplenty.”
You may recognize Wendy Alexander from the 2022 ECHO Players hit production Blithe Spirit. Jerrold Paetkau is no stranger to mirth and mayhem, having played everything from a police sergeant to an inspector and now an etiquette expert. Twirling tassels in a vaudeville production to playing a corpse in a murder mystery comedy are among Morgan Gould’s credentials.
Things get off to a seemingly ideal start, but spiral into a surprising turn of events, leading to a major misunderstanding when all mayhem breaks loose. You may want to duck when doors slam, drinks get tossed and someone’s knocked out cold.
Director Ian Morton sums up this slapstick with his favourite quote by Wendy Alexander’s character: “Do you know when you take a really spectacularly wrong turn on the highway, you just have to go back to the place where it happened and start out again in what you hope will be the right direction? That’s what I’ve come here to do.”
But what will become of her best intentions?
This hilarious farce pushing the boundaries of comedy, produced by Tricia Browne, runs Wednesday, July 10 to Saturday, July 27.
Tickets are selling fast. So, you better walk, run, ride, or pedal on over to the box office fast — open Tuesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Or snap up tickets online at www.echoplayers.ca.
