Summer theatre is the new normal, and both Walterdale Theatre and Teatro Live are enticing audiences to view their offerings.
Walterdale Theatre
10322 – 83 Ave.
Shakespeare in Love, based on the mega-hit screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, runs July 9 to 19.
In this production, the promising new playwright William Shakespeare is plagued by debt and writer’s block. He searches for a muse but feels stumped until he meets Viola De Lesseps.
The young noblewoman dreams of adventure and performing onstage, an occupation denied to women in the 16th century. The couple’s forbidden love inspires the great love story, Romeo and Juliet, and attracts the attention of everyone, including Queen Elizabeth I.
“This play is more than a delightful romp into Elizabethan times," said director Anne Marie Szucs, a St. Albert resident. "It is about the love of theatre, how theatre can happen despite insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster, and how a community of people who create theatre can band together to capture and present magic to audiences."
Also from St. Albert are actor Matt Boisvert as Will Shakespeare and Gail Barrington-Moss playing Queen Elizabeth.
Tickets are $20 to $25. Visit walterdaletheatre.com
Teatro Live
10329 – 83 Ave.
One play that has never lost its comedic appeal across the generations is Neil Simon’s classic comedy, The Odd Couple.
Running from July 9 to 27, the play stars Andrew MacDonald Smith as the fastidious Felix Unger and Alexandre Ariate as Oscar Madison, a slob. Felix is kicked out of the marital home after 12 years of marriage and ends up at Oscar’s apartment. Oscar is a divorced dad with a penchant for slovenliness.
Their two opposing personalities create a battle that only escalates in intensity and comedic insanity. Matters hit a high point when a pair of British divorcees from upstairs, the Pigeon sisters, visit the apartment.
Former St. Albert resident Jenny McKillop, a Teatro regular, has nabbed the role of one of the sisters. In addition, St. Albert Children’s Theatre alumni Garett Ross plays the role of Oscar’s poker buddy.
Tickets are $25 to $42. Visit teatrolive.com.
