In a small town halfway between the North Pole and the equator, four friends who are at the halfway point of their lives meet daily for coffee.
Cow Patti Theatre is presenting Norm Foster’s comedy Halfway There at the Lacombe Golf and Country Club until April 7.
Set in Stewiacke, N.S., (which actually is known for being a quarter of the way down the globe), Janine, Vi, Rita and Mary-Ellen meet at Junior’s Cafe at 4 p.m. to gab about their partners, kids, work and life.
“There’s this ease and candour and natural sense of humour that these women share,” said guest director Jesse Collins. Of all the buddy comedies out there, he felt drawn to this one “because it has a lot of heart.”
Collins is the artistic director of the Orillia Opera House theatre and a friend of Foster’s. He says he was happy to fly out to Alberta to helm this production since he actually suggested this play to Cow Patti’s artistic director AnnaMarie Lea for her company’s season.
This is the second show with Cow Patti for Collins, who has cast Lea in the role of Janine, a waitress at Junior’s Cafe. After travelling the world as a retail buyer, Janine feels the need to put down roots so she returns to her hometown to see where the next chapter of life will lead.
Janine’s friends are: Vi, an accountant who’s dating a police officer; Mary-Ellen, a conservative hockey mom with hidden passions; and Rita, the “sparkplug” of the group, who works at the town bakery and sasses her buddies.
The catalyst in the story is Dr. Sean Merrit, newly dumped physician, who moves to town to leave his troubles behind. The first people he meets are four local women. Could there be a budding romance in sight?
“What follows is a month of lessons learned… through hilarity, tears and the bonds of unshakable friendship,” states the play’s synopsis.
Collins believes the audience will enjoy the Maritime humour that Foster has sprinkled throughout the script. He feels Halfway There delivers a feel-good theatrical experience by focusing on the importance of human connections.
“Wherever we are living in this country, we have the same kinds of stuff going on in our lives… as individuals, there’s a lot more that connects us than separates us.”
For more information about dates and tickets, visit www.cowpatti.com.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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