Adam Prudhomme
Editor
What happens when whimsical joke of a request made by a wealthy man to a store owner during the holidays is misunderstood as a serious one?
The result is The Rented Christmas, a family-friendly comedic yuletide play that will have showings Nov. 22-Dec. 7 at Selby’s Lennox Community Theatre.
Making her directorial debut is Michelle Dorey Forestell, who is no stranger to being on Selby’s stage but now takes a turn in the director’s chair.
“(Main character John Dale) is wandering downtown on his way home from work one day and passes the little rent shop,” explains Dorey Forestell of the plot. “He walks in and as a joke says he’d like to rent a Christmas, and she takes it as serious. He’s rich so he puts some money down and it just kind of spirals out from there.”
Not content with just a few decorations, Dale wants to rent the whole thing, complete with actors to play his family. When the child actors suddenly become unavailable, the store owner turns to the local orphanage to play the role of the kids-and unexpectedly finds herself playing the role of the mother.
One of the reasons Lennox Theatre’s board chose Rented Christmas is because it features roles for kids as young as seven, as well as a children’s choir.
“It’s so much fun working with the kids because they’re all just learning,” said Dorey Forestell.
The play was originally written by Norman C Ahern Jr. and Yvonne Ahern in 1979, which can make it a bit dated.
“I modernized it a little bit, I changed around a few scenes,” said Dorey Forestell. “I made it a little more feminist and just made it a little more modern.”
Opening night is Nov. 22 with shows Nov. 23, 28, 29, 30, Dec. 5, 6 and 7 at 7:30 p.m. as well as a pair of 2 p.m. matinees on Nov. 24 and Dec. 1.
Tickets are $18 regular admission, $15 for seniors on Sundays and $12 for kids under 12. They’re available online at www.Lennoxtheatre.ca/tickets or cash only at the door.
The theatre is located at 2219 Community Rd 11 in Selby.