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Theatre by Jeff Goffin The Play’s The Thing Theatre Junction Runs until April 22 Betty Mitchell Theatre Theatre Junction is about to finish their millennial season with a play artistic director Mark Lawes calls "A real celebration of theatre." Billed as a classic farce, The Play’s The Thing by Ferenc Molnar is a delightful comedy that is as much about theatre as it is about love and relationships. Set in the 1920s, The Play’s The Thing is a step away from the traditional farce. For one thing, it doesn’t have a lot of slapstick or people running in and out of doors. This is comedy based on complication. A young man in love overhears a conversation not intended for his ears. He is shocked! Has his lover betrayed him? No, they tell him he merely overheard a rehearsal for a new play. To preserve reputation and cover a moment of weakness, a small group of actors are then forced to write, rehearse and perform a brand new play in record time. What begins as a love triangle becomes the framework for a wealth of biting satire on the world of the theatre and those who live there. A last-minute addition to Theatre Junction’s season, The Play’s The Thing was chosen by Lawes as the final offering this year. Following a trip to Hungary last fall during which he worked on this play with Hungarian director Laszlo Marton, Lawes was inspired to present his own production in Calgary. "The charm of the play is really in the characters," says Lawes, and looking at the cast list it is easy to see that these characters will be well served. The Play’s The Thing features two of Calgary’s best-known actors: Stephen Hair and Wes Tritter. Hair is a veteran of more than 200 productions over the past 27 years, including the coveted role of Scrooge in Theatre Calgary’s A Christmas Carol. The Chaplinesque Wes Tritter is a born comedian with an equally long resumé, last seen in Theatre Calgary’s A Fitting Confusion. If you’ve seen much theatre in town you’ve probably seen these fine performers – and an opportunity to see them both in the same play shouldn’t be missed. The rest of the cast features some familiar faces to Theatre Junction audiences, like Grant Paterson, Tom Sarsons and Ravonna Dow as well as newcomers Ches Lorincz and Frank Zotter. When asked about rehearsals with such a dynamic bunch of actors, Lawes laughs, "This is one of the most pleasant, fun times I’ve had with a cast."

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