The Affections of May

Postcard Review by Caroline Russell-King

Show – The Affections of May

Playwright/s – Norm Foster

Production Company/Theatre space – Community, Scorpio Theatre, Joyce Doolittle Theatre, Pumphouse Theatres.

Length – 2 acts, 2 hours 15 minutes (one intermission)

Genre/s – Rom Com

Premise – On top of her husband leaving her to return to the city for his mistress with half her money, May has deal with a besotted banker and a homeless handyman.

Why this play? Why now? – Scorpio theatre’s identity has morphed. They started off producing shows called Cry Havoc 3 and Blood of the Red Queen, and rip-off scripts of Dr. Who and Tarantino. The sting in the tail of the scorpion was synonymous with sword fights, bone crushing, nazis, and brain eating zombies. After a five year break the theatre, is back with a Norm Foster rom com. The preshow projected logo onto the set is a bizarre contrast.

Curiosities – Stuart Bentley is the President of the Board, Producer, Set Designer, Sound Designer, Program Designer, and Box Office Manager, I was curious as to what makes this Scorpio Theatre? Of course it's easier to produce theatre with an established company than self produce. Mandate curiosities aside, good for him for bringing the company out of its hiatus after COVID.

Notable Moment – The 45 seconds of dead air due to a costume malfunction.

Notable writing – Norm Foster is Canada’s most produced playwright; his specialty is dinner theatre and summer season comedies. This was written in the 1980s and first produced in 1990.  35 years later the politics of dating and our awareness has naturally evolved. What once was seen as comedy i.e., taking advantage of a woman who has been drinking, is now labeled sexual assault. A character who poured liquor into his morning coffee used to be comedic; it’s now viewed as a red flag. Still, the small-town characters are recognizable, and romance and comedy ensue.

Notable performances – All four actors are well balanced and do the script proud, Meaghan Schultz has a lovely chemistry with fellow actor Leo Tucker, and we end up rooting for them. Hank, the socially inept mama’s boy, is played by Nick Wensrich who does some lovely work. The sleazy glib husband (AJ Pearce) tops and tails the play rounding out the cast as the de facto antagonist.

Notable design/Production – I’m a sucker for sunlight streaming through a window – kudos to Aj Musters for the lighting design.

Notable direction –Bently directed the show mentoring Nicole Dickinson a millennial who took the offer the day before auditions started. Despite some pacing issues it all goes really well.

One reason to see this show – A sweet, funny, 80s throwback, rom com, see it for the nostalgia.