MORRISBURG — Looking to offer audiences “The Great Escape”, the Upper Canada Playhouse is set to raise the curtain on its 43rd season with a four-show summer series of comedies featuring some of the top playwrights in theatre.
“There’s a lot going on in the world. There always is,” said Donnie Bowes, UCP’s artistic director.” We’ve headlined our 43rd season as ‘The Great Escape’ and invites audiences to get away from the trials and tribulations of the day and escape to a world of laughter and music that our shows provide.”
Up first is Norm Foster’s new comedy, Danny and Delilah, about how friendships can be found in the unlikeliness of places. Danny is a retired widower and grumpy Maple Leafs fan, unsure of what to think when his daughter brings home a Pakistani student in need of a place to stay. At first, they have little in common, but they manage to connect. Meanwhile Muriel, a neighbour who has cast a romantic eye on Danny is added to the mix. The show opens June 4 and runs to June 28.
Barb Scheffler’s The Beaver Club follows July 2 to 26. One of the hottest new comedies to hit the theatre scene, join four ladies as they pile into an old car and head out on a cross-country trip from Toronto to Dildo, Newfoundland. This raucous trip is filled with chaos, confessions, and laughter.
Running from July 30 to August 23 is Michael Parker’s comedy Whose Wives Are They Anyway?
David and John take a golfing weekend at a hotel without their spouses. They run into their new boss who insists on meeting their wives. A panicked John convinces receptionist Tina to be his wife, and David forces John to be his. Chaos ensues when their real wives arrive.
The summer season wraps up with Norm Foster’s popular comedy The Long Weekend. Max and wife Wynn invite best friends Roger and Abby to their new home. What is meant as a relaxing weekend turns into a battle of wits as their past catches up with them. The gloves come off, scores are settled, and so-called best friends discover how they really feel about each other. The show is considered Foster at his best and funniest.
“Our season features a combination of theatre and music delivered, composed, written, directed and designed by some of the best artists in the country,” said Bowes. “It’s one of the chief reasons we also enjoy one of the largest and enthusiastic audiences in the country. We’re proud of that.”
In recent years, the UCP has expanded beyond its summer offerings, adding musical shows in the spring and fall. This year is no exception.
“It’s expanded our audience reach and has offered patrons a variety of entertainment options literally in all seasons of the year,” Bowes explained.
Already this year, audiences enjoyed The Doobie Brothers tribute, Listen to the Music, The Plowboys’ This is Country Music, and most recently, Leisa Way’s I Beg Your Parton.
Way and her Wayward Band return October 20-25 for a new concert of 70s hits, Get Down Tonight. The high-energy concert will feature the greatest hits from Folk to Disco to Rock.
The DuffleBag Theatre, having already performed their production of Robin Hood this spring, will return with their production of Peter Pan.
Closing out the 2026 season and just in time for the Christmas holidays are the public and school performances of Everything I Love About Christmas. College student Susan is stranded at a bus station on Christmas Eve in a snowstorm, unable to join her family for the holidays. But, miracles do happen when an active kindness, some elves, and a witty Santa set off a series of events that rescue her in a musical and magic filled Yuletide adventure for the season. Tickets are available at the box office or uppercanadaplayhouse.com.
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