Separate Bedsby Mary Jane Cruise Performed by Mary Long & Ralph Small Directed by Walter Learning Victoria Playhouse/Theatre Orangeville Production Victoria Playhouse, Petrolia July 22 to August 9, 2008 Reviewed by Mary Alderson Author Cruise Takes Audience on a Cruise
At Victoria Playhouse In Petrolia, Separate Beds explores married life in a humourous comedy, sharing many of the same themes as I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,currently playing at Playhouse II in Grand Bend. This play, taking place on a cruise ship, tracks two middle-aged couples. In the first act, we meet Twink and Ernie, who own a hardware store, and are celebrating their 33rd anniversary. They discuss another couple they’ve met and make comparisons. Then in act two, we meet the other couple Beth and Blake. Mary Long and Ralph Small play both roles, showing their versatility in playing opposites. Mary Long was the tough cop and Ralph Small was the guy who only knew first lines of songs in the Norm Foster comedy Looking at VPP in 2005, so the pair have already established some chemistry. Small is also familiar to VPP audiences as the endearing slow-learner in Cheatin’ Hearts. Both Long and Small rise to the challenge of playing two very different roles in one play, and they do an excellent job of making each character distinct. There are clever one-liners throughout the production that both actors handle well, with good comedic timing. They are also heart-warming moments, leading to the predictable happy ending. Long and Small’s Sonny & Cher duet “I’ve Got You Babe” is a real crowd pleaser. While Separate Beds is very comparable to I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, it is also quite similar to Sexy Laundry, which ran at the Grand Theatre in London last winter. Separate Beds is better than Sexy Laundry at telling the story of couples trying to improve their love life. By using everyday dialogue and making the pair more believable, playwright Mary Jane Cruise has captured human nature very well. The talented author is also a St. Catharines’ area schoolteacher. This is good summer-stock theatre, offering a pleasant diversion – especially good for couples who just can’t find time for each other. Separate Beds continues with eight shows a week at Victoria Playhouse Petrolia until July 19. Call the box office at 1-800-717-7694 or (519) 882-1221 for tickets.
Mary Alderson offers her view of area theatre in this column on a regular basis. As well as being a fan of live theatre, she is a former journalist who is currently employed with the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations.
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