Edmonton’s A-list of theatre aficionados will be out in full force on June 2 to celebrate St. Albert actress Jenny McKillop’s birthday – sort of.
In what promises to become an unforgettable night, McKillop will enjoy her 34th birthday on stage launching Teatro La Quindicina’s premiere of For the Love of Cynthia.
“It’s fantastic. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” said the bubbly voiced McKillop. She is cast as the ladylike Rosalind Fine, a governess for 17-year-old Princess Minka.
What makes For the Love of Cynthia a history making play is that it was specifically commissioned for the official opening of the newly built, state-of-the-art Varscona Theatre.
After three years of hard-core planning and a $7.5 million budget, it is the first theatre in Edmonton in more than a decade built from a mix of new materials and salvaged brick, wood as well as the old building’s spirit.
Patrons can expect to see three brick walls and warm wooden beams, a raked 205-seat house and an elegant curvilinear stage with a traditional red velvet curtain.
The intimate design is perfectly in keeping with playwright/director Stewart Lemoine’s whimsical made-in-Alberta fairytale.
The thought of rustic royalty, courtiers, diplomats and peasants in Lemoine’s premiere has tongues wagging and curiosity at an all time high.
In Lemoine’s universe – a once upon a time land not too far away, there is a gentle, but wacky kingdom ruled by the magnanimous King Philo and his right-hand man, the devoted, but slightly manic Chancellor of the Interior.
It’s the 1950s and Alberta is in the throes of the first rush of oil discoveries. The topsy-turvy fun begins after a provincial census taker (Ben Stevens) stumbles upon a tiny independent kingdom located somewhere west of Drayton Valley and south of Lodgepole.
But the self-contained Kingdom of Cynthia is no ordinary patch of land. And the young census taker quickly realizes provincial rules don’t apply here as he is shuttled from one important person to the next.
Everyone from the King (Ron Pederson), the Chancellor of the Interior (Jeff Haslam), the Norwegian Consul (Mathew Hulshof) and the President of Cynthia (Michelle Diaz) weigh in with an opinion. Even the young Minka (Morgan Donald), the King’s sister, adds her voice to the fray.
“I tried to write the play with the same feeling as You Can’t Take It With You about a nutty family that should be allowed to endure,” Lemoine said.
You Can’t Take It With You was a 1938 romantic comedy film starring Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart and Edward Arnold. It is about a man from a well-heeled family of snobs who becomes engaged to a woman from a very eccentric family.
A seed of inspiration was planted in Lemoine’s brain after driving through Jasper and passing a road sign that read “Cynthia,” a hamlet in Brazeau County with a population of about 50.
“I wanted to write about something possible, a community of people collectively working together on something that shouldn’t be possible, but they believe in it and it works,” he said.
He is especially delighted that in addition to Teatro veterans Pederson and Haslam, and company regulars McKillop, Hulshof, and Mat Busby, the troupe is also showcasing young Teatro debutants – Paula Humby, Adam Houston, Stevens, Diaz and Donald.
At its heart McKillop says, “It’s a great story and it’s very funny. At the helm Ron and Jeff are absolutely hilarious.”
For The Love of Cynthia runs from June 2 to 18.
Preview
For the Love of Cynthia<br />Teatro La Quindicina<br />June 2 to 18<br />Varscona Theatre<br />10329 – 83 Ave.<br />Tickets: $20 to $34. Tuesday evening pay-what-you-can. Call 780-433-3399 or online at teatroq.com.
