Alberta Theatre Projects, in association with Western Canada Theatre, ends it’s 50th Anniversary season with the audience pleasing comedy Liars at a Funeral by Sophia Fabiilli.
Tyrell Crews fresh off his stint as Charles in the very funny Theatre Calgary production of Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward joins a terrific ensemble cast that includes Maureen Thomas as Mavis the Matron of the family who flutters around the chaos like a moth dancing around a flame.
Helen Knight takes on the role of Evelyn who is Grace’s daughter and the estranged mother of twin daughters Dee Dee and Mia. In the opening moments of the play we discover that Evelyn is concealing a secret from her family that she fears if revealed may further damage her relationship with her daughters. Knight also portrays the insatiable Leorah the owner of the funeral parlour who is always on the look out for a good time.
Grace Fedorchuk portrays Dee Dee and Mia, Evelyn’s twin daughters who haven’t spoken in over a decade and remain estranged due to lingering resentment over what can best be described as creative differences surrounding a production of Hamlet.
Completing the ensemble is Joel David Taylor who plays Dee Dee’s love interest and dedicated funeral parlour employee Quint, as well as Cam the energetic and always positive boyfriend of Mia.
Basically, the premise of the play is that Mavis has faked her own death and is now having a funeral in order to get everyone into the same room so that the family can come together and heal and put an end to what Mavis calls the family curse.
Of course, nothing ever goes according to plan, and it isn’t long before Mavis and her charade of a funeral goes off the rails. The setting for the shenanigans is the funeral parlour with the coffin front and centre. And with all the chaos going on Mavis isn’t the only one who ends up in the coffin as events unfold.
Having one actor play two or more characters is a fairly common troupe these days and it offers comic possibilities, but it also places limits on how a story can be told depending on the style of production.
A more farcical production might have an exchange between an actor playing two roles by simply using a hat to have the actor transition from one character to the other. But in Liars at a Funeral the actors never encounter their other selves and so while it’s fun to watch the quick changes and multiple characters coming and going through entrances and exits it means dramatically you can never have certain characters interact and confront each other.
But then I take it that was the intention of playwright Sophia Fabiilli to tell the story in this manner and to let the audience in on the joke and part of the fun for example is watching Tyrell disappear out one door as Wayne, Evelyn’s ex husband and Leorah’s love interest and reemerge moments later from another door as Frank Evelyn’s gay friend who is pretending to be her boyfriend.
Now combine Tyrell’s entrances and exits with all the other actors’ comings and goings and switching roles and hiding from each other and all of the characters having multiple secrets that could at any moment be revealed and you have the basic ingredients for an amusing and entertaining farce that is packed with misunderstandings and comic misadventures. The cast’s comedic timing, quick costume changes, and their ability to play off each other keeps the energy high and makes for a fun evening at the theatre.
Skillfully putting all of this farcical concoction together is director Clare Preuss who along with her talented cast and design team have created an amusing and entertaining evening filled with plenty of laughter and perfectly timed comedic chaos. Liars at a Funeral by Sophia Fabiilli runs at Alberta Theatre Projects until May 11th. Tickets are available from the Alberta Theatre Projects website or by calling the box office at 403.294.7402.
Alberta Theatre Projects has also announced their 2025-26 Season which includes a vibrant range of stories from classic folklore and reimagined fantasy to Canadian history and feminist myth making all brought together by larger-than-life characters who transcend the stage.
“This season is about legacy,” says Haysam Kadri, Artistic Director of ATP. “These are stories that have endured because they challenge, enchant, and inspire us – and now, they return to the stage with fresh eyes and fierce energy.”
Alberta Theatre Projects 2025/26 season begins with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow based on the story by Washington Irving and brought to life by the twisted genius of The Old Trout Puppet Workshop. The haunting tale of the headless horseman runs from October 22nd to November 9th, 2025.
This year ATP’s Christmas show is The Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum brought to the stage in association with Forte Musical Theatre. The production features all the iconic songs and the classic story which reminds us about the enduring power of friendship and the importance of home and runs from November 25th, 2025 to January 4th, 2026.
Next Alberta Theatre Projects in association with The Citadel Theatre brings us Casey and Diana by Nick Green. The play tells the story of when Princess Diana visited Casey House, Canada’s first free-standing AIDS hospice in October 1991, and how her compassion brought much-needed attention and understanding to the AIDS crisis. The show runs from February 24th to March 15th, 2026.
The season ends with the ATP production of Wildwoman by Kat Sandler in association with Gateway Theatre. The play is based on the shocking true story that inspired Beauty and the Beast and is a viciously bold and sexy comedy about what happens when we let the monster out. The show runs from April 21st to May 10th, 2026.
To explore Alberta Theatre Projects new season in greater depth or to buy subscriptions to the 2025/26 season visit albertatheatreprojects.com or call 403.294.7402.
