A light-hearted comedy that the whole family could enjoy was what the Kamsack Players Drama Club offered during their most recent dinner theatre production.
No Body like Jimmy, by Burton Bumgarner, is a comedy in two acts, with a strong cast of 11 actors.
The OCC Hall was transformed into a formal dining venue with seating for 150 people on both Friday and Saturday nights.
鈥淭he tickets for the dinner theatre sold out faster this year than any other,鈥� remarked Nancy Brunt, the play鈥檚 director.
In the world of theatre, it has been said that 鈥渉aving a good cast makes an already humorous comedy that much better.鈥�
This two-act play, 鈥渟et somewhere in the USA, just not in Texas,鈥� will long be remembered for the memorable characters so aptly played by members of the Drama Club; one could say they were 鈥渁 good cast.鈥�
In the play, guests start to arrive and there鈥檚 a body sitting on the sofa in the middle of the room.听 Everyone thinks that he's alive, and they end up having 鈥渙ne-sided鈥� conversations with him.
The role of the dead body 鈥淛immy,鈥� described as 鈥渁 strong, silent type鈥� who appears front and centre, was challenging and required a great deal of concentration, and was adroitly played by James Perry.
The role also included difficult 鈥渢iming gags鈥� with Jimmy falling over, and having to be picked up.
Perry is no stranger to the Kamsack stage, and has appeared in several roles in the past, most recently as Paul in the Player鈥檚 dinner theatre production of Drinking Habits in 2017. Having been involved in theatre for four decades, he was recently elected the Club鈥檚 president.
How did a body become positioned on the Vanlandingham鈥檚 sofa, just before an elegant dinner party? How does a dead body become the life of the party? It all begins when the doorbell rings鈥�
Ralph Vanlandingham, convincingly played byJack Koreluik, opens the door to find his old college roommate, Harold,played with enthusiasm by Adrian Hovrisko, standing there.
Hovrisko is a veteran of the Player鈥檚 Drama Club, who has appeared in many productions, including a few competition plays. Most recently, he appeared as Bobby in last year鈥檚 dinner theatre production of Exit Laughing where he took 鈥渢aking one for the team鈥� to a whole new level.
Harold is the type of friend that one might describe: 鈥淲ith friends like you, who needs enemies?鈥� He has a criminal record, but always has a 鈥済ood excuse鈥� for his 鈥渂ad behaviour,鈥� and right now he wants a favour; he has a dead body in his van, and he needs a temporary place to stash it.
For his good friend Ralph, the timing could not be worse, asRalph and his wife, Eloise Vanlandingham, played by Jack鈥檚 real-life spouse, Karen Koreluik, are set to host a political fundraising dinner for Eloise who is running for Congress.
Ralph justifiably believes that when hosting an elegant dinner for influential guests who may help get his wife elected to Congress, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not good for a candidate to be seen with a convicted felon.鈥�
Circumstance leads the two men to drag the body into the house, placing 鈥淛immy鈥� on the living room sofa. Harold tells Ralph he was 鈥渏ust doing his job like usual鈥� for Big Mike Delucciano, when the mob boss instructed him 鈥渢o take care of the mess in the garage,鈥� where he discovered a body! 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know part of my job description would be getting rid of dead guys!鈥�
Although Eloise wants Harold gone, Ralph is unable to let him leave until the trouble he has brought into the house is taken care of.
Jack is most notable for his work as a director with the Drama Club, having led the cast in Exit Laughing last year, Drinking Habits in 2017 and Death and Taxes in 2015. Also behind the scenes, he is involved in set design and construction, as well as technical aspects of lighting and sound effects. His last acting performance was in the Players鈥� production of Sadie Flynn Comes to Big Oak in June of 2017.
Karen, as Eloise, is less than happy that her husband is taking time to entertain his old college roommate who is 鈥渘othing but trouble,鈥� adding, 鈥淧lease get rid of Harold. He can come back tomorrow and ruin your life.鈥�
Karen is relatively new to the Kamsack Players, having portrayed the character of Millie in her debut performance last year in the play Exit Laughing.
The role of Nigel Hudson, a famous political speech writer, is played by Zennovia Duch, who is described as a 鈥渕ainstay with the Kamsack Players since its resurgence in 2006 when the group produced Murder by Indecision.鈥� She has appeared in many lead and supporting roles. Her past experiences onstage may very well have given her the insight to be able to fine tune her performance as Nigel, a role in which she totally immersed herself into character.
Nigel may be the best speechwriter in the business, but according to Diane Comstock, played by Maureen Humeniuk, 鈥渉e is an arrogant jerk. You know the word that best describes him? Smarmy! I don鈥檛 think that accent is even real.鈥� This role marks Humeniuk鈥檚 second stage performance with the Drama Club. Last year she played Leona in Exit Laughing.
Diane is 鈥渁 successful political campaign manager,鈥� and is spearheading Eloise鈥檚 campaign for Congress, so she wants the dinner party to go as smoothly as possible, because she is hoping to secure a large campaign donation from the 鈥渨ealthy Texans.鈥�
On stage, Kevin Sprong brought to life the character of Rick Pitman, marking his third performance with the Players, having last played Father Chenille in Drinking Habits. Pitman is a wealthy Texan looking to bribe a potential congress woman. His Texas drawl, made all the more humourous when mixed with Sprong鈥檚 real-life Afrikaans inflection, was mocked by his character wife Emma Pitman (Tanya Riabko) in the play when she says, 鈥淩ick doesn鈥檛 talk like the people in Texas, either. I honestly don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 wrong with him.鈥�
Riabko portrays Emma, the 鈥渂etter half鈥� of the wealthy couple, with style and flair in this, her fifth time on stage with the Drama Club. Her most recent performance was as Rachel Ann Harland in last year鈥檚 Exit Laughing.
Where there鈥檚 a body, most likely the police will show up, and when they do, they are most unwelcome. When the doorbell rings, and Ralph opens the door coming face-to-face with Officer Linda (Ellen Amundsen-Case) and Officer Cooper (Nicole Larson), the tension and comedy rise another notch.
Amundsen-Case as Officer Linda is no-nonsense and ready to crack the case, based on a report that a neighbor 鈥渟aw a man dragging another man鈥� into the Vanlandingham residence.
This is Amundsen-Case鈥檚 seventh role with the Players, and last year she appeared in two plays back-to-back. In the play Light, she appeared in Theatre Saskatchewan鈥檚 one-act festival, and was in last year鈥檚 dinner theatre production of Exit Laughing.
Larson as Cooper, a police trainee on her first day on the job, brings the character a complex dimension of eagerness but also contriteness. As the seasoned cop, Linda admonishes Cooper soundly, time and again. 鈥淥fficer Cooper, I鈥檒l handle this call. You pretend you鈥檙e an inanimate object,鈥� but Cooper鈥檚 enthusiasm is not diminished, only slightly dampened.
Larson has been very active with the Players throughout the years, playing a multitude of character roles. With the club executive, she holds the position of past president, and made her directorial debut in 2017 for Sadie Flynn Comes to Big Oak.
Ralph is anxious for the police to leave because, 鈥淢y wife is running for Congress and this little party, well, it wouldn鈥檛 look good for the police to be looking around.鈥�
Fearing that the police are looking for 鈥淢aria,鈥� an illegal alien employed by the wealthy Texans, and petrified that they will discover Jimmy, he says, 鈥淚鈥檓 willing to co-operate. I鈥檓 more than willing to co-operate. I鈥檓 dying to co-operate, that鈥檚 a bad choice of words. I really, really, really want to co-operate. But could I co-operate tomorrow?鈥�
Baxter (Casey Dix) is a server with an attitude and a drinking problem, working the Vanlandingham鈥檚 party, and is one of several characters who engage in deep one-sided conversations with the dead man.
In an ironic, comedic twist of the plot, as the different characters find themselves alone with Jimmy, they really open up to 鈥渢he man of few words鈥� and in so doing, portray who they really are.
For Dix, this was her third role with the Drama Club, having portrayed Sadie Flynn in Sadie Flynn Comes to Big Oak.
The comedy becomes hysterical when it is discovered that Jimmy is 鈥渁 dead guy on a sofa,鈥� and the plot begins to reveal that more than one person believes that they are responsible for Jimmy鈥檚 demise.
The Pitmans believe they have killed Jimmy when they tried to take him with them to their hotel room, and he fell and struck his head on the curb, so 鈥渉e kinda killed himself.鈥�
Nigel, the speech writer, believes he struck and killed Jimmy with his vehicle.
Baxter, the server, believes Jimmy died as a result of consuming the 鈥淗ang-Away鈥� drink she gave him as an antidote to all the alcohol which she believed he had earlier consumed, and Diane, the campaign manager, thinks she killed him when she accidently struck him with her umbrella.
When Officer Linda comes back on stage and determines that 鈥淛immy鈥� has been dead for quite some time, the identity of the 鈥渂ody鈥� is finally solved when she finds his identification in his suit pocket鈥ait for it鈥︹�淭his man鈥檚 name isn鈥檛 Jimmy.鈥�
The play had the audience 鈥渓aughing out loud,鈥� and the cast was rewarded with a standing ovation.
This was Nancy Brunt鈥檚 fifth opportunity to direct a Player鈥檚 production. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a tremendous amount of fun, and this is a terrific cast,鈥� she said. 鈥淓veryone has worked really hard since rehearsals began in September. There have been no issues or challenges in putting the dinner theatre together.
鈥淭he cast has been having fun on stage, and the headsets have been working really well.
鈥淎s a group, the Players appreciate the hair and makeup skills of Cyndal Gibb of Boggy Creek, who is Magnetic Makeup Artistry, and Lexie Koroluk of Kamsack. Both women have donated their time.
鈥淲e appreciate the volunteers who help with set-up and clean-up, Shelley Filipchuk who is the banquet co-ordinator, and Tyler Filipchuk who is in charge of lighting and sound for a second year,鈥� she concluded.
At age 14, Tyler is the youngest member of the Kamsack Players Drama Club, it was said.
鈥淐andace Doogan of Candy鈥檚 Catering in Canora provided the banquet meal this year,鈥� said Shelley. 鈥淭he Players acknowledge all the businesses and individuals who have donated to the rainbow auction.
鈥淲e did a 50/50 draw on both nights. Proceeds of $395 from one night is going to the Kamsack swimming pool Dive In Campaign, and an amount of $500 is going to the Assiniboine Valley Health and Wellness Foundation, Inc.
鈥淭he air cadets are volunteering their time to help, as are members of the Kamsack Volunteer Fire Department, and the Drama Club will be making donations to them as well.
Jack Koreluik designs the programs and Andrychuk鈥檚 Funeral home donates the printing. For this production, the cast was mainly responsible for their own costuming, but were assisted by Karen Tourangeau.
鈥淲e are blessed with a good complement of volunteers to help make this happen,鈥� she concluded.
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