Lakeshore Players return with farce

“What struck me about the play is that it’s a bit different from his earlier works. It was first produced in 2002, and I think he has matured as a playwright,” said director Robert Verniks. “I like it because it’s a lot of fun, but there are also some tender and some serious moments, and elements of mystery as well. In a certain way it’s a take-off on self-help gurus,” said the Pointe Claire resident, who has directed over 20 plays for the community theatre company.

The production is one in a series by the prolific Canadian playwright that Lakeshore has mounted in recent years, including Foursome, Sinners, and Office Hours.. “Originally the selection committee had chosen another one of his plays, Bedtime Stories. But the rights weren’t available. So they asked me to find another one of his plays,” he explained. “The two lead characters (there are six seasoned LP actors in the cast) are Cindy and Hal Savage, a couple of struggling, second-rate actors who drive a 10-year-old car and live above a restaurant. Cindy reads a book on self-help, and they come up with the idea of becoming self-help gurus. They pull it off, and become rich and famous, but eventually they realize that money and glory are no substitutes for love,” Verniks said.

Complicating matters is the discovery of a dead body. “They can’t call police, because there would be questions. Most of the comic aspects of the play deal with how to get rid of the corpse.”

One interesting scene involves the couple coming down off stage to walk through the audience, preaching to them as if they were devotees. “It’s curious how audiences react; it will be fun to see the looks on their faces,” Verniks said.

Self Help will be presented at John Rennie High School theatre, 501 St. John’s Blvd. in Pointe Claire. The dates of the show are Nov. 5 to 8 and from the 12th to the 15th . Curtain time is 8 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, call the box office at 514-631-8718.