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Illustrious Chipman Players Pawsitively Shine in The Vile Veterinarian
Illustrious Chipman Players Pawsitively Shine in The Vile Veterinarian
Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser
The latest production of the Chipman Players pawsitively shone bright in the spotlight at the National Hall on March 9.
It was opening night of Rachel Davidson’s melodrama that was produced with special permission from Pioneer Drama Company, and cast members delivered the laughs and gaffes right on cue. Expecting the unexpected is one of the hallmarks of the local theatre company that has making audiences laugh for the past 15 years. This production was no different, and The Vile Veterinarian, played by Bruce McGregor had the audience in stitches with his off the cuff remarks.
Several cast members followed his lead, improvising with ease as things got wild and wacky on stage. Of course The Vile Veterinarian and his assistant Nurse Kitty Litter (Caren Cossey-Kwasnycia) had their evil scheme to strike it rich from Woof Creek’s gold mine foiled.
All of the cast members performed well, including Anastazia Engman, a local high school student who played Hugh Kandoit, Polly Purina’s love interest. Ironically, her dad Allan Engman was just reading a few lines to fill in one night during rehearsal and “got sucked into reading a part. He was the understudy for character Mort Gudge. It was the first time he had ever been on stage, and described it as an “amazing” experience.
Newcomers to the Chipman Players were: Warren Kelliher who played Charlie Horse, Ellen King who played Sheila Gree, Christal Remus who played Liza.
Keiron Willis, who played Polly Purina, stated, “I love the fact we have all these new people in the cast. Everyone adds a new spice to the soup, if you will.”
Commenting on the audience, Willis said, “I’ve got to say this crowd was different from what we usually have. I saw many new faces, which is wonderful to see.”
As to her assessment of the dinner theatre, Willis commented, “I think it went beautifully. Everyone had a good time. So that’s the most important thing. It was a lot of fun.” McGregor, who founded the Chipman Players, thanked the Village of Chipman for use of the hall, for Tom Hrehorets catering the meal and for everyone for coming out to the show that was another sold out success.
