There were times during the recent production of The Boys from Syracuse, based on Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, when I wondered if we weren’t taking it too far over the top. I needn’t have worried. Bard on the Beach’s version of Comedy matched the Bellingham Theatre Guild production pratfall for pratfall, anachronism for anachronism and pop culture reference for pop culture reference. Boldly taking Shakespeare where no one has taken Shakespeare before requires a rather large codpiece and Bard’s got it. Got them. And they’re brass.

Appropriately enough, Bard Artistic Director Christopher Gaze set the tone by appearing in outlandish Elizabethan drag. He had the audience howling and got a round of applause before he ever said a word. For that, he can thank costume designer Mara Gottler who obviously had a field day with this production.

Bard veteran David Mackay directs this romp with tongue firmly planted in cheek and doesn’t miss a chance to exploit Shakespeare’s gift for bawdy humor. He sets the show in Elizabethan London rather than ancient Greece, complete with gap-toothed beggars and rats-on-a-stick. Don’t ask. You won’t believe what can emerge from exaggerated codpieces.

Those pop culture references range from Star Trek to Twilight Zone to The Doors. Kudos to Sound Designer Murray Price whose transformation of “Light My Fire” into a Gregorian chant is masterful. The technical wizardry in this show almost steals the show from the actors. They steal it right back.

The Dromio twins should own this show if cast correctly. Shawn Macdonald and Ryan Beil are up to the job and it doesn’t hurt that they both manage to channel Monty Python icon Eric Idle. Good choice.

Bob Frazer could probably portray Oprah Winfrey and make me believe it. He and Bard newcomer Kevin MacDonald play the Antipholus twins to perfection and provide a convincing argument that superb actors can portray twins even when they don’t look that much alike.

When I reviewed Othello a couple of weeks ago, I spotted Colleen Wheeler in the audience and it was obvious that she has a bun in the oven. She and director Mackay use that circumstance to great effect in her role as Adrianna and, as usual, Wheeler owns the stage. I don’t mind admitting that I think Jennifer Lines is one of Bard’s major assets. She plays Luciana with the sensitivity and verve that I have come to expect from her.

Jennifer Lines and Colleen Wheeler portray Luciana and Adrianna in the Bard on the Beach production of The Comedy of Errors.

The supporting actors are vital to this show and their superb performances are what make Bard on the Beach such a world-class treasure. One of them, Amber Lewis, as the Courtesan, not only gave a riveting performance, but flirted with me on the way up the aisle. Did she know I was a reviewer or does she just have phenomenal instincts? Way to go, Amber. It got you into the review.

The Comedy of Errors plays through September 26 at Bard on the Beach, Vanier Park, Vancouver, BC. Tickets are $18 - $34 and reservations are mandatory. Call 604-739-0559 or Toll Free (North America): 1-877-739-0559. For more information, go to http://www.bardonthebeach.org/.

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Last week’s record setting high temperatures inspired Bard on the Beach Artistic Director Christopher Gaze to remind the audience that they were huddling under blankets and he was wearing long woolies on opening night, 2008. Such is Junuary in Lower Mainland British Columbia. The cast and crew of Othello certainly did nothing to lower the temperature inside the Mainstage tent at Vancouver’s Vanier Park.

It was a stroke of genius to schedule this production after last year’s King Lear since the two tragedies have much in common: dysfunctional families, scheming politicians, lots of sex and violence. What’s not to like? Director Dean Paul Gibson has been with Bard for 18 of its 20 seasons and he knows how to get the most from an extraordinary cast.

Michael Blake makes an impressive Bard debut in the title role with a wrenching portrayal of a good man undone by jealousy. Othello, of course, is a Moor. Shakespeare used this device to score some telling points about racism and Gibson pointedly reminds us that real life is not about black and white, but shades of gray.

Bard veteran Bob Frazer should be charged with grand theatrical larceny in his role as Iago, the scheming ensign who concocts a convoluted plot to take revenge on Othello for passing him over for promotion. Complete with a “high-and-tight” military haircut, Frazer takes such boyish pleasure in his machinations that he almost becomes a sympathetic character. I don’t use the term tour-de-force lightly.

Othello’s paramour Desdemona is far too often portrayed as something of a naïf, caught up in maelstrom beyond her comprehension. I expect better from Bard on the Beach and was not disappointed in the least with Naomi Wright’s interpretation. She gives us a strong and sensual Desdemona that makes her ending that much more tragic.

Jennifer Lines, who was so enchanting in last season’s The Tempest, gives a late-blooming, but volcanic portrayal of Iago’s wife Emelia. Her towering outrage at what her husband has done is absolutely flawless.

As always, the entire cast is bulletproof. However, they were not immune to the hot weather, hotter lights and hottest costumes designed by Mara Gottler. Everyone endured the sauna with admirable aplomb and probably lost a few pounds in the process.

This year’s Mainstage set is elegantly simple and the muted colors fit perfectly with the ominous nature of Othello. It will be interesting to see how that works in this year’s other Mainstage production, The Comedy of Errors. That review will be forthcoming in a couple of weeks.

Othello plays in repertory with Comedy through September 25. Reservations are essential and can be made by calling the box office at (604) 739-0559 or by going to www.bardonthebeach.org. Prices range from $18 - $34 and are as big a theatrical bargain as you will find anywhere on the planet. Remember that you will need a passport or enhanced driver’s license at the border this year.

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The Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, directed by David Post is a talent extravaganza!

The eighty-six-member cast of very talented kids gives life to this production, which was first done as a highly successful animated feature. The songs and story will be very familiar to children who have seen the cartoon. But something very special happens when a cartoon comes to life. It has a pulse, it breathes, and it has a momentum that can only be experienced live.

Savanna Balfour is marvelous as Belle. Her talent shines throughout the performance. Brad Anderson is frightfully good as the Beast. His songs are beautifully sung and very moving. Jack Eiford is a riot as Gaston the conceited and nefarious rival for Belle’s affections. Candice Lundy (Mrs. Potts), Zoe Sheubkopf  (Cogsworth), Kaleb VanRijswijck  (Lumier) and Abrah Fridberg (Babette) are terrific as the enchanted and enchanting castle staff.  There are so many noteworthy supporting performances, from Gaston’s minions singing “No one looks like Gaston” to the entire silverware drawer’s rousing number “Be Our Guest”. Even the vaudeville style skits that are done during scene changes keep the audience entertained.

This isn’t just a “princess” story. There is an amazingly choreographed fight scene between The Beast and Gaston that will take your breath away. Certain elements of the play may be frightening to small children. But this production is so beautifully done that the scary moments serve to enliven the story all the more.

With its rich ornate décor, The Mount Baker Theatre is the ideal venue for this production. The elaborate set, designed by Steve Craig, transforms from village, to castle, to deep dark woods with the help of a top-notch stage crew, led by Stage Manager Lacey Oleson.

This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce children to live theater.

Beauty and the Beast runs for three show only. Friday, June 5, 2009 at 7:30 pm and Saturday June 6, 2009 at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm. Call 360-734-6080 or online at www.mauntbakertheatre.com for tickets.

Whatcom Community College’s Experimental Theatre Project has been combining some rather potent chemicals in the basement laboratory and is unleashing the results on an unsuspecting world this week. The scientific method, when applied to theatre, means that the director is testing hypotheses to see what works and what doesn’t. This can lead to mixed results, but the process is, as Mr. Spock would say, “Fascinating, Captain, but illogical.” Of course, anyone who tries to apply logic to theatre is probably a Vulcan and I think I’ve probably mixed that metaphor enough.

The current offering from the project is a sort of post-modern Chautauqua, with olio acts interspersed among three short plays. As the audience enters, four actors stand in the corners of a square, backed by four musicians. The actors move around and through square and as each moves, a specific instrument plays. The instruments consist of a snare drum, a cymbal, a cowbell and a didgiridoo. Seemingly moving at random, the actors test the abilities of the musicians to play or not depending on which actor is moving. At first, it is confusing until you clue into what is going on and then it becomes hypnotic and quite lovely.

Ubiquitous Nathan Dodge then delivers a raucous monologue that I will not spoil for you because the olio acts may change from night to night. I hope you see and hear Nathan’s

Next comes a piece directed by John Gonzales with the pithy title “Of Spiders and Snakes and Other Pestiferous Personages.” This consists of five actors reciting poetry about our multi-legged friends by Donne, Barton, Blake, Howitt, Whitman, Dickenson and others. Some of the actors in this piece are first-time performers and it showed. Nothing to be ashamed of. That is what the scientific, and theatrical, method is all about.

The second olio bit featured the delightful Alyssa Flaherty as a parochial school teacher trying to explain human reproduction to her class without violating any of her vows. It features a banana and a doughnut and was a very (re)productive experiment.

Sister Alyssa demonstrates the ins and outs of human reproduction to her class of innocents.

For those of us whose memories seem to be deteriorating rapidly, the second play was nothing short of frightening. It’s called “Zero Sum Mind,” written by Stephen Gregg and directed by the mad scientist Joel Simler. It’s an experiment in economics and psychology that will have you wishing you could have taken that last offramp from the information superhighway.

The third olio is set to a tune by Nathan Dodge called “Summer Girl” and features the dancing of a lovely and gifted woman whose name I can’t identify in the program. My apologies to you for succumbing to deadline pressures and not giving you the credit that is due. Mea maxima culpa.

The final experiment demonstrates that the luminous Shu-ling Zhao is as gifted a director as she is an actor. She has taken an August Strindberg piece called “The Stronger” that was written for two actors and expanded it to include five actors in a sort of Greek Chorus interpretation. It is a grand experiment that pays off very well.

Rather than try to sort out the actors and musicians by show, I will just say that they all are worthy of the experiment: Erika Almakaar, Madeline Engar, William Lowry, Lance Rogers, Brandon Stremlar, Trevor Van Houten, Todd Gibbs, Tim Greger, Evan Krause, Alice Despopoulos, Alyssa Flaherty, Todd Gibbs, Joel Simler, Cori Olmstead, and Bree Whinnery.

3 Plays 3 Directors plays June 4 – 6 at Whatcom Community College’s Syre Student Center Black Box Theatre. Tickets are $5 at the door. It’s a grand experiment.

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Jack Frymire spent much of his professional life under the bright lights of Broadway and Bellingham is blessed to have hosted his retirement. He has been associated with the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra for much of that time. Maestro Roger Briggs tried to pay tribute to the gifted impresario after the first half of tonight’s pops concert, but Frymire isn’t as impressed with himself as most showbiz folk.

“I think this may be a pit premature,” Frymire said in response to the tribute. “First, the show isn’t over and second, I’m not dead yet.”

He certainly isn’t and the second half of the concert was just as sensational as the first. “Something Wonderful: Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II” wrapped up the WSO season in fine style. Traditionally, the pops concert is one of the season’s most popular and, indeed, there were far fewer empty seats at the Mount Baker Theatre than there have been recently.

The audience was treated to a true showbiz spectacular that would have made ol’ Ockie’s eyes light up like a Broadway marquee. A quintet of extraordinary voices anchored the show. Aaron St. Clair Nicholson, Elizabeth Pojanowski, Gabriel Gargari, Erich Parce and Amber Sudduth-Bone all own voices that send shivers up the backbone. They are also a good deal better that most of the voices on Broadway. So are the voices of the Bellingham Chamber Chorale who provided rock-solid backup under the direction of Tim Fitzpatrick.

Legendary hambones Jeff Margolis and Robert Muzzy provided some delicious moments as “The Producers,” Maury and Manny. But the comic highlight of the evening came when four male members of the chorale performed “Nothing Like a Dame” from South Pacific. It may have been funnier than the scene from the play or the movie.

Narration to tie everything together was provided by master storyteller Rosemary Scott Vohs and the Bellingham Theatre Guild’s stylish Les Campbell. Another couple of local legends, Jim Lortz and Mark Kuntz, directed the affair. Mary Simler Evans contributed the stunning choreography and Shelly Muzzy designed the evocative costumes. The always-organized Pat Nelson served as Production Coordinator and Jim Zoehrer’s lighting design was perfect.

Hammerstein owned Broadway for many years and tonight’s cast and crew owned Hammerstein. This is the way these songs should be sung and rarely are.

If you’ve been reading these reviews after the fact and wishing you had attended the concert, now’s the time to do something about it. The WSO has just announced a stellar 2009-10 season. Details can be found at www.whatcomsymphony.com.

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The Boys from Syracuse is the final production of Bellingham Theatre Guild’s 80th season. It’s the perfect time for a riotous and racy romp in ancient Greece. From the opening number you know you’re in for a swinging musical comedy and what more could you want?

This is Christopher Key’s directing debut at Bellingham Theatre Guild. His joyful enthusiasm for this production is obvious and justified.

The story is (very loosely) based on Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, wherein two sets of twins lost at sea and living separate lives are finally reunited through a series of misadventures. This version, written by George Abbott with music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart, keeps a lively pace with punches, punch lines and pratfalls flying throughout. The music is beautiful and the lyrics are hysterical. You may want to see it twice just to hear what you missed while you were laughing so hard the first time.

The beautiful set, designed by Lacey Oleson and crafted by The Guild’s set building artists, is a clever blend of hard and soft surfaces. With a little stage magic it becomes the 33rd character in this show.

The talented cast is filled with many newcomers to the Guild stage along with a handful of superb veteran actors who keep the comedic confusion rolling. Christopher Ballou is outstanding as Antipholus of Syracuse. His interaction with the citizens of Ephesus is a scream. James Tweedale is highly entertaining as the randy twin Antipholus of Ephesus. Jen McQuaide is fabulous as the much-frustrated Luce. Both Henley Slepyan and Vanessa Mills sing like angels. Shelly Lyon is wonderfully cast as the lead courtesan and major rival for the affections of both Antipholi. There are so many special performances, from the sweetly sung “This Can’t Be Love” to a delightful all-male Rockettes number. But I must admit that those Dromios steal the show. Robin Stift (Dromio of Ephesus) and Kyle Henick (Dromio of Syracuse) are just plain hilarious.

Shelby Ford, Olivia Shrum, Becca Orlowski, Jana Gueck, Henley Slepyan, Vanessa Mills, Jen McQuaide, Robin Stift and Kyle Henick are among the many stars in The Boys from Syracuse.

Musical Director Alan Peet leads the three-piece jazz ensemble. The music is lively and upbeat and the musicians interact with the performance to the delight of the audience.

If you need a good laugh, and who doesn’t these days, escape to ancient Greece with The Boys from Syracuse. But do hurry because this one will sell out soon.

The Boys from Syracuse runs from May 29 - June 14 at the Bellingham Theatre Guild, 1600 H Street. Call the box office at 360-733-1811 for tickets and show information. Adults $12, Students/Seniors 62+ $10, Children $8. There is some material that may not be suitable for young children. It is a sex farce, after all.

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In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a big fan of both Shawn Fuller and the Whatcom Community College theatre program. The sly Ms. Fuller knows how to milk every last drop of humor from any show she directs and her current production of William (Bill to his friends) Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream demonstrates that she is, indeed, a good friend of Bill’s.

Bill’s plays tend to be categorized as either comedies or tragedies, but Midsummer, along with The Tempest deserve a separate category: fantasy. As a fantasist, The Bard has inspired everyone from Tolkein to Lovecraft and who better to steal from than the master thief himself. Midsummer is the lighter of Bill’s fantasies and offers the determined milkmaid some udderly magnificent opportunities for sheer silliness.

Fuller has an instinctive genius for casting the right people in the right roles and this show is no exception. Most of her actors play dual roles in this production, which is an enormous challenge. The actors rise to the occasion, without exception.

Todd Gibbs, who has a gift for understated performances, manages to bring that same subtlety to this generally over-the-top production as Theseus and Oberon. His paramour, in both his incarnations, is played by the delightful Ned Olmstead, who also knows a thing or two about subtlety.

Midsummer features two of Shakespeare’s consummate fools, Bottom and Puck. John Gonzales gives a definitive performance as Bottom and my assessment is based on having seen quite a few actors in this role. Trevor Van Houten brings his superb gifts for physicality and sheer lunacy to the role of Puck. It’s not easy being green.

Trevor Van Houten as Puck and Todd Gibbs as Oberon plot mischief in the Whatcom Community College production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The enchanting Alyssa Flaherty is blessed with extraordinary eyes and uses them to great effect in the roles of Helena and Snug. Riley Penaluna can channel Pythonesque characters better than anyone I know and uses that gift to great effect as Lysander and Flute.

The multi-talented Nathan Dodge not only plays Egeus and Mustardseed to perfection, but also designed the set, the lighting and composed the music. Ash Henning, whom I have not had the privilege of seeing before, gives an amazing performance as Hermia and Quince and displays a gift for vocalization that is dead-on.

As Demetrius and Snout, Mark Haan is the ultimate dweeb/dork/geek and that is no small achievement in a production wherein all the other participants get to overact. Christina Oldaker demonstrates her innate understanding of faerie in her dual roles of Peaseblossom and Philostrate as does Sarah Summit as Cobweb/Starveling.

Costumes and makeup play a vital role in this production and Lacey Oleson, the Energizer Bunny® of local theatre, deserves enormous credit for both. It’s not often that you hear an audience convulsed by laughter throughout a Shakespeare production, but there are no respites in this one. It is wonderfully comic from start to finish and what better way to forget the troublous economic times than an evening at the theatre.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream plays May 21 – 29 at the Whatcom Community College Black Box Theatre. Curtain time is 7:30. Tickets are $10, $5 for those with a student ID.
Would that all our dreams should be so amusing.

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If you look at it the way Tevye did, a tradition can be centuries old or as new as today. The Whatcom Symphony Orchestra made believers out of a lot of people this afternoon at the Mount Baker Theatre. The concert was entitled “The Grand Tradition” and the performances were grand, indeed. They ranged from Haydn to Rutschman with a couple of fascinating stops in between.

The concert got off to an entrancing start with Felix Mendelssohn’s The Fair Melusine Overture. The folktale from which it takes its name features a young man who is entranced by an alluring woman. The romance proceeds until he ignores her warnings and spies on her as she is bathing. Turns out she’s a fish from the waist down and she flees into her natural environment. Her paramour is so smitten that he follows her and dies in her arms. Mendelssohn’s music captures the aquatic adventure beautifully. Kudos to the brasses and woodwinds.

I’ve had occasion to mention percussionist Kay Riley once before when she dazzled everyone during the performance of Joseph Schwantner’s Chasing Light last fall. That time, she was surrounded by a forest of instruments and rather hard to see. Today, she was out front in Eric Ewazen’s Concerto for Marimba. Yes, you read that right. Ewazen likes to write for underappreciated instruments. Reilly, who teaches band to some very lucky kids at Squalicum High, delivered a virtuoso performance of this intriguing work and received a well-deserved standing ovation.

WSO percussionist Kay Reilly.

One of the best things about the WSO is the growing library of works commissioned in the Music by American Composers series. This afternoon saw the premiere of Dr. Edward Rutschman’s Renaissance Man: Portraits of Josquin des Prez. If the composer’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he provides the wonderful notes for the WSO programs and delivers pre-concert lectures. It takes a Renaissance Man to know one and Rutschman captures Josquin the way Leonardo captured Mona Lisa. The performance featured some very evocative work by tympanist Stephanie Straight .

If you’re going to talk tradition, what better way to wind up the concert that with Papa Haydn? He is known as the father of the symphony and the WSO gave a whimsical performance to one of his most famous children, Symphony No. 101 in D Major. This work has come to be known as “The Clock” because of the metronomic rhythms in the second movement. Haydn’s music is full of good humor and surprises, no doubt one of the reasons it remains popular 200 years after his death.

You have one more chance this season to enjoy this local treasure. The annual Pops Concert takes place Saturday, May 30, at the MBT. It features a plethora of local and regional performers paying homage to lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, who, along with composer Richard Rogers, ruled Broadway for many years. Tickets are available by calling the MBT box office at 734-6080 and pricing information is at www.mtbakertheatre.com.

Incidentally, the WSO has just announced its 2009 – 2010 season and it looks like a dandy. For a season brochure, send an e-mail with name, address and phone number to Marketing@WhatcomSymphony.com. The WSO deserves full houses and I urge you to do your part.

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There are probably a lot of jocks out there who would sneer at the idea of ballet being an athletic event. There are probably an equal number of ballet dancers who could seriously kick their butts and do it with grace and artistry. If there are any doubts in your mind, go see Northwest Ballet’s production of Aladdin, playing this weekend at McIntyre Hall in Mt. Vernon.

If there is anyone out there unfamiliar with the tale from One Thousand and One Nights (aka Arabian Nights), go look it up on Wikipedia. I’d rather devote the space to singing the praises of Northwest Ballet and the extraordinary cast of dancers they bring to the stage.

As a director of musicals, I have a passing familiarity with choreography. Meaning I recruit a choreographer to deal with that because my familiarity with the art is passing, indeed. I have, however, witnessed how many hours it takes to choreograph a two-minute number. The work involved in choreographing a major ballet like Aladdin is mind-boggling. Northwest Ballet Artistic Director John Bishop seems to be able to toss it off as easily as I mix metaphors. I hope he’s as in awe of my skills as I am of his.

Aladdin is all about magic, so it makes sense that Bishop recruited the multi-talented Sterling Dietz to play the evil Genie of the Ring. I’ve sung Sterling’s praises before (www.ennw.info/news/2009/01/18/a-sterling-performance/) and this production only adds to his luster. He also supervised the spectacular special effects that will leave you gasping.

The sheer number of dancers involved in this production is astounding and I obviously can’t mention them all here. Suffice it to say that they are all incredibly talented and poised beyond their years. Especially the little girls who reminded me of why it’s unwise to share the stage with a child. They captivate the audience every time they are on and almost make you forget that the adult dancers are supremely talented.

Words fail me when I try to describe how enchanting Miye Bishop is, not just in this role, but in every production I have seen. She truly owns the role of Jasmine with her ethereal beauty. Seth Weatherby plays the title role with enormous energy and admirable athleticism. He is small in stature, but lifts, tosses, and carries Bishop around with seeming ease.

Ballet has often been unfairly depicted as an esoteric art form that appeals only to elitists. Please don’t subscribe to that calumny. If you can’t appreciate ballet for its artistry, you can certainly appreciate it for its sheer athleticism. And, of course, it is supremely sensual. What’s not to like?

Aladdin performs at McIntyre Hall in Mt. Vernon on May 16 and 17. Tickets are $15 to $25, with discounts available to seniors, students and groups. Call 360-416-7727, ext. 2. For more information, see www.mcintyrehall.org or www.northwestballet.org.

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There seems to be an unending number of variations on this theatrical theme: a group of oddball characters stranded in a spooky old house during a storm and someone is snuffing them one by one. The reason this theme gets repeated is because it offers enormous potential for character exploration. Not to mention the opportunities for astonishingly astute alliteration. Apologies.

Claire vg Thomas Theatre in Lynden is offering one of the more virtuoso variations on this theme with its production of Something’s Afoot, opening this week. The originator of the genre has probably been lost to history, but the iconic Agatha Christie popularized it with her novel And Then There Were None, aka Ten Little Indians. Something’s Afoot was concocted by James McDonald, David Vos, and Robert Gerlach, with additional music by Ed Linderman.

One of the things that theatrical audiences have come to love about these shows is that they almost always feature ingenious sets with various murderous features that help to off the cast. In fact, the set is often the star of the show and this production furthers that tradition. Technical Director Marc Cutler’s ingenious creation may steal the show on occasion, but the cast is strong enough to steal it right back.

Leading the way is the rock-solid veteran Linda Telfer who gives Angela Lansbury a run for her money as the amateur sleuth, Miss Tweed. Larrin Weidenaar delivers another star turn as the veddy British veteran of the Indja campaigns, Col. Gillweather. The butler may not have done it, but Josh Henry seems to have some sort of structural fundament implanted in his spine as Clive.

Erin M. Kays and Cody Caseria are hysterically funny as the upstairs maid and the chauffeur, especially in their salacious song “A Tiny Little Dinghy.” Alan Birdsall, as the scheming nephew, builds on his well-deserved reputation for physical comedy and his singing voice is…ummmm…to die for.

There are, of course, the inevitable young lovers who meet by chance, across a crowded room and all that. They are played to perfection by Karen Pollack and Rossner Gideon. They have, perhaps, the two best singing voices in the show and are given ample opportunity to demonstrate their talent.

In all of these variations on a theme, there is usually a doctor and Dave Duncan fulfills that role with great panache. Speaking of French, Susan Duncan (is there a relationship here?) portrays the formidable Lady Manley-Prowe with eloquent distortions of la langue français.

Director Earl Reid, of Nearly-Stellar fame, has done an admirable job with both the staging and the coaching of accents. This story takes place in Old Blighty and the multitudinous accents of the Auld Sod are notoriously difficult for amateur actors to reproduce. The accents in this show are remarkably consistent and that’s unusual in community theatre.

Yeah, we’ve seen this show before in one incarnation or another. But we’ve enjoyed most of them and that’s the bottom line. Something’s Afoot is great fun.

Something’s Afoot opens April 29 and runs through May 23 at the Claire vg Thomas Theatre, 655 Front Street in Lynden. Tickets are $13 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. Make reservations at (360) 354-4425, Visa and MasterCard accepted. For more information: http://www.clairevgtheatre.org/.

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