The Melville Boys, a light-hearted comedy by Canada’s preeminent comic playwright, Norm Foster, takes the stage at the Drayton Festival Theatre, with eight shows a week, from Aug. 15 to Sept. 1.
Audiences will join Owen and Lee Melville as they arrive at their uncle’s lakeside cabin for a relaxing guys’ getaway chock full of fishing, beer and football.
But their plans are thrown for a loop when they meet two attractive sisters who unwittingly change their weekend agenda – and life perspective.
“The Melville Boys is a genuinely compelling comedy about the ups and downs of sibling relationships,” said artistic director Alex Mustakas.
“It poignantly sheds light on the resilience of the human spirit and keeps us laughing all the way along.”
The play was originally produced at Theatre New Brunswick in 1984, as Foster’s second published play. It would go on to be produced across Canada and in the United States, including a well-received run off-Broadway in New York, becoming Foster’s signature play, and the one which would bring his name to the forefront of Canadian theatre.
Four Canadian actors have again been assembled for this production: Richard Quesnel as quiet and pensive Lee Melville, Brad Austin as his irrepressibly outgoing younger brother Owen, Anita La Selva as mature and reliable Mary and Shauna Black as Mary’s flirtatious younger sister Loretta.
Chris McHarge is the director. A well-known figure in Canadian theatre, McHarge has directed over 60 productions including the world premiere of Foster’s musical Sitting Pretty.
The Melville Boys plays eight shows a week from Aug. 15 through Sept. 1. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 519-638-5555 or toll free at 1-855-372-9866 or visiting draytonfestivaltheatre.com.
