Scarborough Players’ Screwball Comedy on stage until Oct. 26

Scarborough Players’ production of Screwball Comedy is now on stage at the Scarborough Village Theatre.

Canada’s premier playwright, Norm Foster, has created another theatrical tour de force with this play. The year is 1938 and star reporter, Jeff Kinkaid, competes against rookie Mary Hayes to cover the society wedding of the son of newspaper owner, Delores Diddle.

Throw in an embalmed dog stuffed with Delores’ husband’s ashes, Delores’ challenge to find dirt on her son’s sexy fiancé, add a delightfully sarcastic butler, and you have yourself a performance filled with hilarity and fun.

Foster’s play is a homage to the vintage screwball comedies of the 1930s and 1940s.

“The genre of screwball comedy first appeared in the 1930s. These plays and films questioned traditional male/female roles and satirized the romantic comedy,” said the play’s director James Quigley.

“Norm Foster’s play is a great attempt to copy that style. Funny, silly yet poignant, his play engages in the joyous battle of the sexes. Iconic characters like the grumpy boss and his witty secretary, the rich paper owner and her dimwitted son, the glamorous woman and the sarcastic butler, all interact with the two main characters competing for the top job at the paper.”

The talented cast bringing the screwball to comedy include Holm Bradwell as Jeff Kincaid (last seen as Marlowe in Shakespeare in Love), Meg Gibson as Mary Hayes (last seen as Judy in The Curious Incident), Chip Thompson as Reginald the Butler (last seen as Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol), Lynn Oldershaw as Delores Diddle (last seen as Rita in Halfway There), and Caleb Upshaw as Chauncey Diddle (last seen as Fred in A Christmas Carol).

For this production, Scarborough Players’ are also delighted to welcome the talented Ariana Figueroa as Gloria Fontana and Derek Barber as Bosco and Peter.

The talented set design team, headed by Julio Torres with Greg Nowlan, will take audiences back to the Art Deco era.

Quigley and stage manager Bodene Corbitt have assembled music to get everyone in the mood.

Chris Northey is lighting the stage, and Katherine Turner, as producer is also managing costumes and props.

Jamie Obregon with Summer Stevenson are recreating the hair and make-up of the era.

All this is held together by the watchful eye of stage manager, Bodene Corbitt with help from her assistant stage manager Joey McCormick and crew.

Quigley said everyone involved in the production is having a blast and he wants everyone to join the fun.
Screwball Comedy will take audiences back to another time, when comedies asked everyone to “forget your troubles, come on get happy”.

The production of Screwball Comedy is a first for local community theatres and will be on stage at Scarborough Village Theatre, 3600 Kingston Rd., until Oct. 26.

To order tickets, or for more information, visit https://theatrescarborough.godaddysites.com/ or call 416-267-9292.

This production of Screwball Comedy is recommended for audience members age 14 and up, and is produced by agreement with the Gary Goddard Agency.

The Scarborough Players are part of the Theatre Scarborough group. Theatre Scarborough’s three member organizations — Scarborough Players, Scarborough Music Theatre and Scarborough Theatre Guild— have been presenting high-caliber community theatre for a combined total of over 180 years.

Each season, the groups present 11 productions — dramas, thrillers, musicals, and comedies— at Scarborough Village Theatre.