Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Selby’s Lennox Community Theatre will wrap up its 2023-24 playbill with a production of Jonas and Barry in the Home, running April 5-20.
Evening shows run April 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees on April 7, 14 and 20.
Lorraine Ross will direct the comedy that was penned by Canadian playwright Norm Foster.
“Barry moves into a retirement home because his daughter Rosie is the activity director there,” Ross says of the plot. “He has a family history of some health issues and she wants to keep an eye on him. He’s not giving in very easily. He does not want to do it. The character of Jonas is new to the retirement home and he’s flashy and he’s full of life and he tries to help gloomy Eeyore Barry out of his kind of moodiness. A friendship endures for all three characters.”
Jonas enjoys the finer things in life, is outgoing and generally the polar opposite of Barry. Despite their differences, over time their bickering turns to friendship.
With the promise of several lines to keep audiences laughing, there’s also a very relatable element to the story.
“It’s got all the feels you want in a play,” said Ross, who saw the play with her husband Jim a few years ago in Port Hope and decided right there she had to bring it to Selby. “There’s the parent-daughter conversations that you never want to have with your parents. The ones where you plug your ears and go ‘la la la’. There’s some really funny lines between all of the characters but especially between Jonas and Barry. There’s all the things that take you through life. Families, sadness, losses and happiness. It’s a great play all around.”
The cast is made up of Lennox Community Theatre veterans Jim Ross, Andy Palmer and Meaghan Love.
Cathy Palmer will produce, Amy Mack is the stage manager and Patrick Mueller will look after the lighting and sound.
Following the April 5 opening night performance, the audience will have the chance to meet the cast and crew.
Tickets are $20 and available online at www.lennoxtheatre.ca/tickets or at door, cash only, if not sold out.
This production will wrap up a season that saw the local theatre stage The Ladies Foursome, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and The Community Variety Show. Following this run of Jonas and Barry in the Home, the theatre will break for the summer and return with a full slate of shows starting in the fall.
Lennox Community Theatre is located at 2219 County Rd 11 in Selby.