MORRISBURG – The Upper Canada Playhouse 2024 season of laughter and music continues with the debut of a delightful new comedy, ‘Leaving Marjorie Bliss’, by John Spurway, directed by Chris McHarge, popular creator of Playhouse hits like ‘Glory Days’, ‘Honky Tonk Angels’, and ‘Johnny and June.’
‘Leaving Marjorie Bliss’ opens August 1 and runs until August 25.
Three hilarious “and spunky ladies” from very different backgrounds, are in residence at the Marjorie Bliss Retirement Home. The brochure advertising the Residence made it sound like “retirement heaven.” Alas, the reality is far, far different: a skeleton staff, ill-equipped washrooms, dreadful food, and a ‘library’ which is a bookcase at the end of a dark hallway. This is not the setting that Maxine, Edythe and Audrey envisioned when they moved in. And in no time at all, the three are planning “The Great Escape.” Nothing will stand in their way. Nothing that is, unless it’s the handsome widower Reggie, who has just moved in!
Playwright John Spurway, author of hit plays like ‘Between Friends’, ‘Grounded’ and ‘The Numbers Game’ is at the Playhouse, working with director McHarge and the cast as they ready the show for its premiere. Spurway and McHarge have worked together over 15 years, know each other well, and feel that Upper Canada Playhouse is “a great setting for this show.” As they pointed out, “Rehearsals for a premiere are like a dance among the actors, the writer and the director. This production has been a great experience for everyone, with much, much laughter.”
John Spurway discussed where the idea for this play came from. “My older sister lived in a building like Marjorie Bliss, and she often shared stories from that stay. I thought, there could be a play in there somewhere. The three women – Edythe, Maxine and Audrey – were created out of my imagination: there may be elements of some people I have known in them, but they are not based on any specific person. And the arrival of Reggie sets off some very interesting events.”
As director Chris McHarge puts it, “These actors are creating characters who are very unique, very memorable. They are lifting those characters off the printed page and making them real.”
‘Leaving Marjorie Bliss’ has a wonderful cast.
Linda Goranson, Edythe, has appeared in many Playhouse productions, including ‘Steel Magnolias’, ‘Barefoot in the Park’ and ‘Drinking Alone’. As she laughingly says, “Edythe is the ringleader of the escape. She hates every damn thing about Marjorie Bliss, the food, the people, all the schedules.” Kathleen Egan Veinotte, who has performed in the Playhouse’s productions of ‘The Affections of May’, ‘Wally’s Cafe’, and ‘Bedtime Stories’ is Audrey. “Audrey,” she explains, “has come from luxury and at Marjorie Bliss she finds herself surrounded by people she is not accustomed to – the ‘common folk.’” Newcomer to the Playhouse is Sarah Menchin Gale, who has an impressive background from other theatres in shows like ‘Calendar Girls’, ‘A Christmas Story’, and ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ Sarah is Maxine, who “has been at Marjorie Bliss the longest. She’s a bit of a card shark, and she loves men – maybe she’s just a bit too affectionate.”
And playing Reggie, the spanner in the ladies’ escape plans, is Brian Young. Brian returns to the Playhouse where he is well known for his roles in ‘Sugar Road,’ ‘The Foursome’ and ‘Buying the Farm.’ His Reggie is a widower, a man who misses his late wife. “I love that he is very thoughtful, very devoted to his wife’s memory.”
“The audience is going to recognize these characters, and to love them,” the actors, playwright and director, all agree. “This is a fun show, and a great ensemble piece. It’s a play about friendship, about community, and about ‘surviving’ those twilight years. And there is lots and lots of laughter.”
‘Leaving Marjorie Bliss’ opens on August 1 at Upper Canada Playhouse. Don’t miss this touching and hilarious comedy.