Let the laughter begin. Again!
In yet another zany, wacky, comical farce brought to Lethbridge audiences by the 88-year-old Playgoers of Lethbridge Theatre Company, the play, "Send Me No Flowers," opened  Oct. 26, playing at the Sandman Inn as a dinner theatre for a four-night run.

The local version of the comedy, made famous by the hilarious 1964 Norman Jewison film starring Rock Hudson, Doris Day and Tony Randall, substantially follows the original Broadway script written by Norman Barasch and Carroll Moore, which opened in New York in 1960 for a brief run.

The play comes on the heels of two other farcical comedies produced by Playgoers, “One for the Pot,” staged last October, and “The Importance of Being Ernest” running in February. In choosing this play for Lethbridge production, it seems  director Elaine Jagielski simply won't let us stop laughing. She has a point!

The play opens with the leading character, George, experiencing chest pains. A hopeless hypochondriac, George sees his doctor for a checkup and overhears his doctor discussing the diagnosis of a terminally ill patient with an associate.

Assuming he is the one dying, George asks his friend Arnold to help him find a new husband for his wife Judy so he'll
know she won't be alone once he's gone. He locates Judy's old college beau Bert, now a California oil baron.

Meanwhile, Judy mistakes her husband's machinations for an attempt to cover up an extramarital affair and begins steps to abandon the marriage.

If you want to laugh, check out  Playgoers of Lethbridge’s upcoming Dinner Theatre “Send Me No Flowers” which runs Oct. 25-29 at the Sandman Inn.
The 1960 Norman Barasch and Carroll Moore play was made into a 1964 movie starring Doris Day, Rock Hudson and  Tony Randall.
The  Playgoers of Lethbridge production features several new faces as well as some experienced veterans.

 “I just thought it  looked like an amusing play that seemed like a nice dinner theatre because it is a nice comedy,” said director Elaine Jagielski who couldn’t recall seeing the movie.

 “George Kimball is a hypochondriac with a vivid imagination,” Jagielski explained.
“He thinks he is going to die because he overhears the doctor talking about one of his other patients. In turn he decides to get his affairs in order and decides to find his wife another husband,” she said adding that’s when  shenanigans start to happen.

 Benton Neufeld is looking forward to being back on stage for the first time since Grade 8. He plays Dr. Morrissey, the fishing obsessed doctor George Kimball overhears, as well as Vito, the young man George imagines his wife going with after he passes on.

“ I decided to give it a shot. They are two different characters, a young boy about my age and a 50-year-old doctor, so it’s a lot more difficult,” he said, adding the biggest challenge is switching between the different mannerisms of the characters.

 Marty Blank, who often performs with Drama Nutz, makes his Playgoers of Lethbridge debut as George Kimball. He said it has been easy stepping into a lead role.

“When you have such a great supporting cast and such a great group of people, you can accomplish anything,” he said.
 He is enjoying playing George, especially with how seriously he believes he is actually dying and the trouble that ensues as he tries to prepare for the inevitable.

 Theatre Xtra is examining art in their latest production of  John Logan’s “Red,” which runs in the David Spinks Theatre, Oct. 27- 29.
 Taking place at the end of the ’50s, the 2010 Tony award winning two man play examines  a moment in the life of abstract impressionist artist  Mark Rothko who has just  earned a lucrative commission for the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York City, and his young apprentice, who is tuned into the burgeoning pop art movement.

“But you don’t need to know anything about art or Mark Rothko to enjoy the play,” said director Margaret Rodgers.

“John Logan has taken a very specific event in Mark Rothko’s life and created a compelling story around it,” she continued.

 She didn’t know a lot about Rothko until she read the play.

“ It is a very challenging play. There is a lot of music and props and very complex and interesting characters,” she said.

“We watch Rothko struggle with his mural and with the changing definitions of art,” she said.

 She has enjoyed watching actors  Mark Grayson Ogle, who plays Rothko and  Ryan Reese who plays Ken, the apprentice, explore their roles.