BY JAMIE BOURGET
Well, it’s just around the corner — Eat Your Heart Out, Theatre Cambrian’s opening show of the 2010-2011 season, runs Sept. 10, 11, and 16-18 at the Jubilee Centre on Applegrove Street.
Charlie, an out-of-work actor, spends his time between acting gigs waiting tables in various restaurants throughout New York City. Just seeing Charlie — played by Jeffrey Burton — transform one restaurant into another right before your eyes is worth the price of admission.
(Nick Hall’s) brand of humour is smart, witty, and tightly written. It is very, very entertaining.
Mark Mannisto,
executive director, Theatre Cambrian
And the audience will just love the patrons who frequent these restaurants. Sudbury actor Kirsten Zinkie tackles various roles — the frustrated wife who’s come to that point in her life when she needs a surprise, the Jewish astrologer who’s caught on the horns of a dilemma, the Manhattan neurotic who loves animal fats, and the high-powered talent agent who’s tired of faces.
Then there’s Frank Mahon, playing the husband who “likes being in a rut,” the timid nerd whose clapper’s gone, and the construction worker who’s, well, a construction worker.
Enter Lawrence Van Beek as Charlie’s antagonist in various incarnations — the arrogant metro-sexual, the sleazy punker, the young lover whose libido knows no bounds, the high-strung ad executive who pushes aspirin, and the cocky waiter/actor who’ll do “anything” to get a role.
Rounding out the cast is Samantha McLelland, who undergoes a few transformations of her own — the innocent Southern belle in the big city, the grunge chick who stumbles into stardom, and the young lover whose hormones get the best of her.
The way these characters interact with Charlie and each other makes for an evening of much hilarity and some pathos. Eat Your Heart Out is a show that’ll have you asking for seconds.
The production is described on Theatre Cambrian’s website as a sharp, stunning comedy by Nick Hall.
“This is the first time we have staged a Nick Hall comedy,” Mark Mannisto, executive director of Theatre Cambrian, said. “His brand of humour is smart, witty, and tightly written. It is very, very entertaining.”
Tickets, which include a dinner catered by Diana’s Catering, cost $45. New this season, Theatre Cambrian has centralized all of its ticket sales. Tickets for all of the productions can be purchased at the Theatre Cambrian office, located at 40 Eyre St. or by phoning 705-524-7317.
For more information on Eat Your Heart Out or on any upcoming Theatre Cambrian production, visit www.theatrecambrian.ca.
Jamie Bourget is the director for Theatre Cambrian’s production of Eat Your Heart Out.
