Imagination, curiosity and storytelling abound in Kanata Theatre’s production of Lettice & Lovage playing from Sept. 11–21.
At the job she always imagined would be her dream, Lettice Douffet works as a historical tour guide, but becomes disillusioned as daily activities are more boring than she first realized. As her creative mind gets the best of her, she embellishes the script of her historical workplace much to the anger of her manager, Lottie Schoen.
“Lettice and Lottie Schoen discover that they have a mutual love of English history, and they form a friendship,” says Tom Kobolak, the performances’ production manager. “They begin to reenact trials and executions of famous persons long ago.”
Lottie played by Susan Monaghan and Lettice played by Barbara Kobolak. Photo by Alex Henkelman.
Kobolak says the piece has Dame Maggie Smith to thank for its conception.
“She had apparently gone to Peter Schaffer, who is the playwright, and said to him, ‘Mr. Schaffer, you create fabulous parts for men—why don’t you do one for women?’” he says. “The play is a celebration of language, and it crackles with a dry, intelligent wit that many of us became used to from all those seasons of watching Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey.”
Strong, curious and theatrical women, played by strong, curious and theatrical women. Lettice & Lovage‘s focus on comedy through language is also something that Kobolak believes audiences will enjoy the most.
“We like being able to twist, to see how people use language,” he says. “We [Kanata Theatre] did Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and we sold the place out. So people in this city are willing to come and listen to language—I think that’s something they will enjoy in this way.”
Lottie played by Susan Monaghan and Lettice played by Barbara Kobolak. Photo by Alex Henkelman.
Kanata Theatre began in 1968 and has been running a fully community-based operation. This production consists of artists who have been with the Kanata Theatre for many years.
“We are blessed with a group of people who will come back season after season, play after play, and do the job because they love doing it,” says Kobolak.
With this sense of community in mind, Kobolak also wants audiences to feel like this community is accepting of all—especially those who are a little more quirky than others.
“This performance is a clever way of telling all of us to acknowledge the fact that we are, in some way or another, eccentric,” he says. “This play honours people who are eccentric.”
Lettice Douffet played by Barbara Kobolak and Tourists. Photo by Alex Henkelman.
Kobolak hopes that audiences take away that the relationships on stage are there to help acknowledge those little quirks and the creativity they bring within us.
“Lettice abounds in creativity,” he says. “And through her friendship with Lottie, also begins to find the creativity in herself.”
Lettice & Lovage is playing at the Kanata Theatre from Sept. 11–21 at 7:30pm on weekdays with a 2:30pm matinee on Sunday. For tickets, you can purchase them online, or call the box office at 613-831-4435. For more information about Kanata Theatre, visit their website.
.gif)
