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ARTStME Phone: 905-845-3824 (ext. 55 59) Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: rjerred@haltonsearch.com Ashley Wessel · Special to the Oakville Beaver Actors (left to right) A ndrew P ark, Julie D onahue, Susan G las and B rian B anyard s ta r as Roger Nash, Lynn T ruem an, Abbey Nash and M ax T ruem an in the B url-Q ak T heatre C ro u p 's production of The Long Weekend. TheTong Weekend takes hilarious look at mid-life crises By Craig MacBride OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Long weekend getaways aren't always known for their life-changing events. For drinking, long conversations and hours of relaxing, perhaps, but not usually life-changing events. In Canadian playwright Norm Foster's play The Long Weekend, however, the most life-changing event thatjpould happen to a coupic happens, to two couples. Four friends, well, two friends whose husbands are forced to put up with each other, meet at a sum mer Muskoka-type getaway, and as the first act unfolds, the two couples split up and trade partners. It's not entirely surprising that they split up. The two couples are studies of opposites, and as the adage goes, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. The woman with the unsure, relatively unsuc cessful writer is amazed by the confidence, which is actually arrogance, of the other man, while that man's wife is intrigued by the inner-workings of the writer. Likewise, regarding the wives. One is a success ful psychiatrist with best-selling books about how to fix your life, while the other is a women's fashion store owner, who is capricious and scatter-brained. The casting for this was done well. Brian Banyard plays Max, the well-to-do lawyer who owns the weekend getaway, and he plays it with arrogance that doesn't seem entirely unnatural for the real-life wine merchant. Roger Nash is the character who. in act one, is the unconfident writer who. hasn't yet made it. He finally becomes professionally successful in the sec ond act. and he picks up a little arrogance of his own. Andrew Park plays it well, playing big while exposing how easily the character can be cut down, which he is, by his second wife. The women are also played nicely. Julie Donahue plays Wynn, who is originally married to the arrogant lawyer Max and is sick of her too-tidy life, and Susan Glas plays the whimsi cal Abby, sick of her struggling artist husband. "They're normal, natural people, taken a bit to the extreme," said Glas. "I think that's what I liked about the play, it's slightly exaggerated." She added, "Their insecurities, their desires, are very recognizable. There is a familiarity about their dilemmas that's easy to recognize." Director Micki Clemens had similar things to say about the play, which she first fell for when she saw it with her husband. Jim Clemens, who is producing the play alongside her. "As with all friendships, there are things, per haps, that we think or feel about another couple that we're not permitted to say," she said. "There's always some feeling we're comparing ourselves to the people we spend our time with." Beyond the message of the play, she said, "It's very humourous, but there are touching moments as people consider the choices they've made." That's really what the play is all about, choices that people have made in the past. Making choices about marriage, and about career, is not easy, and as life goes on, one can't help but wonder what life would be like had they chosen a different path, married a different person or stud ied something different in school. It's what all the characters in The Long Weekend are dealing with, these midlife crises, trying to fig ure out if they did the right thing, and, if they didn't, how to get back on the right track. Getting back on that track is easier said than done, though, and switching spouses may not be the best way to do it. It makes for big laughs, though, and a fun play with a brilliant final twist. The Burl-Oak Theatre Group's production of The Long Weekend will be on the stage of the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts, 130 Navy St., from Oct. 7 to 9 and Oct. 13 to 16. All shows start at 8 p.m. For tickets, call the box office at 905-815-2021. Tickets are $21. and $11 for seniors and students on Oct. 7. Male actors wanted for Grease A T H E N A Oakville presents 8th Annual ATHENA Award Gala Wednesday, October 6, 2004 D inner Keynote Address West End Studio Theatre (W.E.S.T.) is looking for men to fill roles in Grease, which will be performed at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts in February as part of the Oakville Drama Series. Audition dates are Oct. 1,2. and 3 .. Prepare a song (not from Grease), a monologue and be ready for cold reading and choreography. Actors must be a minimum of 13 years old to audition. Rehearsals will be Wednesday and Friday nights from 7-11 p.m. and Sunday afternoons from noon to 5 p.m., starting mid-October. Call 905-845-9378 to book an audition. Auditions and rehearsals at at West End Studio Theatre, 1109 North Service Rd. E. A n d y B arrie Metro Morning A ndy s broadcast career starte d at su m m er cam p, w hen h e w as nine, and he was assigned to wake u p at the cam pers every m o rn in g over the public address system . As host o f C B C R adio 9 9 .I s M etro M o rn in g , he's moved u p from th e loudspeaker s five w atts to fifty th o u san d , speaking now to over a q u a rte r-m illio n listeners a week. T h e in v itatio n to join th e C B C in 1996 opened u p a w hole new dim en sio n of A n d y s career. H e learned how io (0) get u p every m o rn in g at OPERA HAMILTON TWENTY-FIFTH ANN IVERSARY SEA SO N e .zV je /'te //c e o fte /x i Subscribe to 4 evenings from ju s t $79 ($ 7 9 Seniors. $ 9 0 for Adults. S eries B, Rear Gallery) fo u r to go to th e stu d io , b u t he also discovered w hat happens in that stu d io - d o in g as m any as 10 interview s a day covering a vast range of subjects, people an d m oods. Since 1996, M etro M o rn in g s audience has grow n; m ost recently, it w as nam ed the to p -rated radio show in T oronto. B u rlin g to n C o n v en tio n C en tre 1120 B u rlo ak D rive, B u rlin g to n O n ta rio C h am p ag n e R eception: 6 :0 0 p m , D in n er: 7 :0 0 p m T icket Cost $75 Don Pasquale D onizetti Popera Kick off the holidays with opera's greatest hits sung by the stars November 25, 27 8pm Hamilton Place M ozart Bizet Abduction from the Seraglio A Turkish delight filled with captives, rescue, escape and romance. February 12, 17, 19 8pm Hamilton Place Carmen Come and be seduced by the gypsy's call in one of the most popular operas of all time. April 16, 21, 23 8pm Hamilton Place Raffle w ith all proceeds g o in g to A T H E N A O a k v ille S c h o larsh ip F und. Tickets are available at: Bookers, 172 Lakeshore Rd. East and Julia Ristorante at 312 Lakeshore Rd. East, or can be ordered through ATHENA at 905.467.7919 or athenaoakville("'cogcco.ca A fun for all "Wild West" version of a lighthearted romantic gem. October 16, 21, 23 8pm Hamilton Place P lease ca ll o u r Box O ffice I RBC Royal B ank fjlD E X 905.526.6556 or 800.575.1381 Extended H ours and S aturdays 8 0 0 .2 6 5 .8 9 7 7 CAMAOA TH E II1MII.IL lit Util MUNOTON COMffNTlON CTNTW ? COGECO E< w w w .op eraham ilton.com Opera H am ilton a nd Kitchener Waterloo Opera are partners in Opera Ontario