Contains a number of nice touches

Waterloo Stage Theatre is celebrating its first anniversary with The Affections of May. Since opening last May 14, the Waterloo-based theatre has attracted 20,000 patrons from 104 different communities for nearly 200 performances. Make no mistake, this is a worthy feat and congratulations are certainly in order.

However, if the theatre is going to survive over the long haul, it might want to consider putting a little distance between itself and community theatre. A case in point is Norm Foster's popular comedy, which opened Thursday. Simply stated, The Affections of May has been played to death. Reminiscent of the tiresome ubiquity of Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs a few years ago, the comedy would benefit from a moratorium preventing theatres from staging it until well into the next millennium.

Now to the production at hand. There is a theory about presenting a Norm Foster comedy - in fact, it applies to most character-driven comedies - that if you pay close attention to the characters, then the comedy takes care of itself. Surprisingly, this production, directed by Dale Meiske, proves that paying close attention to the characters is not enough. It's obvious Mieske has worked hard with his cast to flesh out characters who are borderline stereotypes: the attractive and resourceful woman (May), the jerk-ass husband (Brian), the misunderstood stranger (Quinn) and the nerd (Hank).

However, the production fails to take advantage of what might well be the funniest scene in all of Canadian theatre.

The scene begins with May returning home from a costume dance with Hank in tow. She is Little Bo Peep and he is a large bunny, equipped with a gigantic carrot which dangles down between his legs. Both are under the influence and Hank tries unsuccessfully to have his way with May. The scene ends with a delightfully amorous Scrabble game between May and Quinn. The scene, which is the climax of a long first act, requires the precision timing of a British farce to produce the maximum comedic effect. However, the scene just didn't rise to the occasion Thursday night. In fact the second act was much better than the first act, perhaps the result of opening night jitters being relaxed.

The production's two greatest strengths are Rose Ryan as May and Martin Illingworth as Quinn. Ryan is an attractive and altogether persuasive May. Although she has been acting for only four years, Ryan has the talent and ability of a veteran actor. The Affections of May is set in a small resort town that could be anywhere in North America. However, the fact that Foster lives in Fredericton comfortably places the comedy in the Maritimes. Whether or not it's deliberate, Illingworth conveys the temperament and the demeanor of a rural Maritimer. A nice touch.

Brian Otto prevents Hank from degenerating into caricature by fleshing out the character with genuine feelings. And Tim Seabrook invests Brian with a sufficient dose of smug arrogance. However, Seabrook seemed a little stiff in the first act when he veered perilously close to reciting lines rather than engaging in conversation. Stephen Degenstein's set evocatively brings to mind a Victorian Bed & Breakfast and, if the large cuffs on Hank's pants are deliberate, it's a brilliant touch that tells us a great deal about the nerdish bank manager.