Lethbridge Musical Theatre’s productions are not only a community event, but also a  family affair.
The long standing community musical theatre company’s production of Oliver, which opened Nov. 4 at the Yates Theatre, is no exception.

Dave Mikuliak and his daughters Mataya,11and Mikita,14, are just one of several families involved with the production, which runs Nov. 10-12 and  15-19 at the Yates Theatre.

“We have a lot of families involved,” said director Ed Bayly, noting it makes sense for a lot of parents, if they are going to be busy bringing their children to rehearsals and shows, for them to be get involved themselves.

 Dave Mikuliak, who plays Fagin in the production found out about  auditions through his daughter, Mataya, who heard about it at school and thought it would be a fun thing to do with both his daughters.

“I heard about it at school, and  I thought it was a great opportunity to do something with him,”  Mataya Mikuliak said.
“It’s been a lot of fun. The role of Fagin is a pretty enjoyable role to play,”  Dave Mikuliak said.

“ In Oliver Twist, he’s very, very, very, evil. He’s referred to as the devil and he has red hair, but in the musical, he’s depicted as far less evil,” Mikuliak said.
 He is has enjoyed  working with his daughters in the production. Mataya plays one of the orphans while Mikita is part of the adult chorus.

 Lethbridge Musical Theatre brings Oliver to the Yates Theatre beginning Nov. 4.
 This musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic book Oliver Twist features an extensive cast and crew and is sure to be a lot of fun.

“ It is based on  Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens’ story. It is about a boy in a workhouse who is apprenticed, actually sold, for five pounds, to a coffin maker. He escapes and runs away and gets mixed up with the artful dodger Fagin, the head of a band of young  robbers. He ends up getting adopted by his paternal grandfather and lives happily ever after,” said  director Bayly.

Ticket sales are going really well already.

“It’s coming together rather well,” Bayly continued.

“We have a week to go,” he said.

 There are over 60 cast members involved with the production and because the production has a long run, 12 performances running Nov. 4-19, and involves a lot of children, they are doing something a little different.

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.