Lunchbox Theatre kicks off its 51st season with the very funny and heartfelt Beyond the Sea by Kristen Da Silva running from October 14th to November 2nd. Playpasses and tickets are available online at lunchboxtheatre.com or by calling the box office at 403-221-3708.
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Every stranger we meet has the potential of influencing our lives in a deep, meaningful, and powerful way. Of course, that does require a level of vulnerability and often I would suggest the sharing of pain. The painful aspects of life. The struggles. And those struggles can be individual short falls or life’s unfair circumstances. No life is without its challenges.
How’s that for a comic premise?
It’s a pretty darn good one actually.
And playwright Kristen Da Silva has crafted a genuinely funny, heartfelt, and deeply moving play that follows the evolving and deepening relationship between two strangers who by the end of the story have transformed from strangers to friends.
The play is brought to life with wonderful performances by Meg Farhall and Mike Tan. Mike portrays Theo as a man whose personal shortcomings and approach to life have forced a reckoning from which he is trying to emerge a better person. He’s been working on himself – let’s say. And the new Theo has arrived at the pier where he has arranged to meet a woman he met online for a first date. Needless to say, he’s nervous and vulnerable and the pressure is on because he wants to do better and be better and not mess things up like he has in the past.
Meg Farhall, always a joy to watch on stage, plays Gwen who on a very hot day dressed in heavy wool clothing of the 1800s and is the ticket seller for the lake’s ghost tour which features the story of The Woman in White seems to be a free spirit who approaches life with a smile and humour. There’s an immediate fun and playful chemistry between Gwen and Theo as they chat and joke and get to know each other on a deeper level. But of course, there’s more to the story than we first realize as secrets are revealed and intentions uncovered.
Personally, I like the intimacy of a small theatre. I like to be close to the performers. I love a theatre where the actors can be more natural and their voices more nuanced because they don’t have to project to the back of the second balcony. Not to say I haven’t enjoyed some big, bold, beautiful plays on the larger stage but when it comes to an intimate two-hander like Beyond the Sea the play works best when presented in an intimate space. And so, the play is ideally suited for the Studio at Vertigo Theatre which makes the play all that more compelling.
Beyond the Sea is a wonderfully intimate and funny play brought to life with tenderness and humour by director Bronwyn Steinberg who has a talent for these deeply human and evolving relationship stories. This is the perfect play for an afternoon or night out with friends. Or a great idea for a first date. Or a terrific option for a date night for any couple looking for an entertaining and heartwarming story about second chances that will have you leaving the theatre feeling good about life and the future.
Beyond the Sea by Kristen Da Silva runs from October 14th to November 2nd at Lunchbox Theatre. Performances are Tuesday to Saturday at 12:00 pm with evening performances on Friday at 7:00 pm and late Saturday afternoon at 4:00 pm and Sunday at 1:30 pm. Tickets are available at lunchboxtheatre.com or by calling the box office at 403-221-3708.
