'Tis the season to be filled with joyful moments, great company and plenty of laughter.
Those seasonal attributes can also be found in Innisfail Town Theatre's fall production of Social Security, a romantic comedy by Andrew Bergman.
Social Security opened on Broadway in 1986 and ran for two years, starring Marlow Thomas and Olympia Dukakis. It is a two-act comedy set in Manhattan, New York City in the mid-1980s.
The Innisfail production is being produced by Terri Hart and directed by Norma Hoppins with help from assistant director Pat Toyata.
“It's light-hearted, it makes people laugh and feel good,” said Hart. “It's festive. A lot of people come here for their Christmas parties, dinner dates or just to enjoy a night out.”
The play involves three couples, two of whom are married sisters and their spouses. The third includes their mother Sophia, a woman in her 80s who is introduced to a 98-year-old renowned artist.
“It's love at first sight and from there the play takes off,” said Hoppins. “Everyone in the audience will see themselves in at least one of the characters, if not all of them. It provides that kind of wisdom and laughter,” she added. “We need to laugh at ourselves to enjoy life and that's what this play does – it lets us have a chuckle but it's warm humour.”
The production involves a cast of six characters, three women and three men, ranging in age from their mid-40s to their late 90s. All are portrayed by local actors and actresses. They include Dona Edgar (Sophie Greengrass), Leah Adams (Barb Kahn), Paul Hoffman (David Kahn), Eugene Hanson (Maurice Koenig), Liz Bennett (Trudy Heymanm) and Robbin Edgar (Martin Heyman).
Hart said Innisfail Town Theatre's productions provide great entertainment for local residents thanks in part to many volunteers, including actors, technical and stage crew (such as audio and lighting), costume designers, front house and program personnel and tickets made available by The Leg Man.
“Every one is a volunteer,” said Hart. “It's a real community production.”
The play runs from Nov. 23 to Dec. 10 and includes one general performance on Nov. 23 and nine dinner theatre performances on Nov. 24, 25, 26, Dec. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10. Doors open at 6 p.m. with general performances at 7 p.m. and dinner theatre performances at 8 p.m.
To purchase tickets contact The Leg Man in Innisfail at (403) 227-5966.
Terri Hart, producer
"It's light-hearted, it makes people laugh and feel good."
