Lunchbox is in limbo. Not in a bad way, but in a we-can’t-provide-any-quotes-on-our-season way. The company knows who the new artistic director will be, but the rest of us have to wait until September 9. And until then, I just have some guidance, but no sources to dissect the new season. Sigh.
Lunchbox starts the season with Power Lunch (Sept. 14 to Oct. 10), written by Alan Ball, well-known for penning the film American Beauty and as the creator of popular TV shows Six Feet Under and True Blood.
The play’s unique angle is that all of the actors switch genders throughout the play. The show is about male and female gender dynamics. It’s a comedy with a fair bit of music thrown into the mix.
For the second show of the season, Lunchbox commissioned a new piece from Norm Foster called Under the Bright Sun (Oct. 19 to Nov. 14). The audience finds four people at a bus stop wondering how the hell they got there and just where, exactly, they are anyway. The stage won’t give any hints to the audience either; it will be draped in black.
For the holiday season, Lunchbox will put on a musical, Dream Vacation (Nov. 23 to Dec. 23). It’s a new production written by Jonathan Monroe, who won a Betty for outstanding musical production two years ago for Twist.
Essentially, it tells the story of three ad agency employees who win a trip to Mexico, but nothing really goes right. Montezuma’s revenge makes an obligatory appearance and so does a hurricane.
After taking a vacation of its own so the High Performance Rodeo can commandeer the theatre, Lunchbox returns in February with the world première of Mr. Fix It (Feb. 1 to 27), written by Lunchbox Petro Canada Stage One literary manager Caroline Russell King.
It’s about an older gentleman who works at a repair shop, fixing small appliances, when his ex-wife appears. Apparently the papers they signed to finalize their divorce weren’t filed properly and they’re still technically married. He must figure out how to fix the relationship, or whether he wants to at all.
After watching a man deal with his life, Submarine (March 8 to April 3) introduces us to a strong young woman. She’s in Scotland searching for a lost submarine and dealing with a cantankerous Scot, whose deceased brother claimed to know the ship’s whereabouts.
Although funny, it’s the most dramatic play of the season. Apparently it requires a ton of scene changes and should be interesting for the technical aspect as much as the storyline.
And finally, another musical: This Could Be Love (April 12 to May 8). Written and composed by Brock Simpson, and trimmed for Lunchbox from a full-length production, this play follows a couple who met, married immediately, then decided to fall in love.
To find out who’s going to be guiding the good ship Lunchbox, check our website on Sept. 9.


Post the first comment: (Login or Register)