Everybody loves a wedding — as Say Yes to the Dress, A Wedding Story and a dozen other popular TV shows can attest.
Central Alberta Theatre’s final dinner theatre of the season, As Long As We Both Shall Live, written by U.S. playwright Sean Grennan, combines the excitement of a wedding with the thrills of a murder mystery.
The show’s director, Trysten Luck, admits that somebody will die before the marriage ceremony when this farce opens on Friday at the Black Knight Inn.
And when catastrophe strikes, it will throw the already pent-up wedding party into complete disarray.
Luck describes this farce as “a super fun, vibrant play, with high energy…. It’s pretty off the wall…”
The action begins after professional poker player Addison Ashe finally meets a man she can trust, the charming — and massively wealthy — Jamie Wilcox.
In marrying Jamie, Addison must take on his disapproving mother, as well as overwrought wedding planner Raul.
But when someone is poisoned at their rehearsal dinner, tensions between the bride and her future mother-in-law erupt, with Mrs. Wilcox pointing to Addison as the killer.
Can Addison solve the case? Or is she in for a honeymoon behind bars?
Luck said this play requires a ton of energy to pull off, so he makes his five-person cast run a couple of laps around the rehearsal hall to muster up the vitality needed to tackle scenes that turn on quick action and reaction.
One actor will have his slate full portraying six characters, including a police inspector, the pianist in the chapel, and two vengeful brothers.
Luck, a Red Deer College theatre and film studies graduate who’s acted with CAT before and is now directing his first production, hopes to make audience members laugh themselves silly with this farce.
Having recently gotten engaged himself, Luck said he can relate to the public’s ongoing interest in weddings — and he hopes to deliver an off-kilter Valentine’s treat with this play.
For more information about the production that runs to Feb. 29, contact the Black Knight Ticket Centre.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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