There’s lots of love and lots of laugh’s in Yellow Point Drama Group’s fall production.
The Queen of Bingo, written by Jeanne Michels and Phyllis Murphy, is the story of Sis and Babe, who are sisters and best friends.
They’ve been coming to St. Joseph’s Parish Hall to play bingo together for years because they love it. Sis is a good loser who just loves to play, while Babe is a player who always has to win and takes the game very seriously.
On this particular night, Babe and Sis each confess a secret and find redemption, bringing them closer together.
Directed by Pat Zogar, this two-act play features Jenny Harrison as Sis, Georgina Duval as Babe, Terry Whittaker as Father MacKenzie Muldoon and Torry Clark as the unseen Bingo Caller.
It’s a hilarious and heart-warming look at family, weight issues, loneliness and how these two sisters combat them.
From the very beginning, you feel like you’re part of the play. When you walk into the Cedar Community Hall, you’re greeted by a nun, as the hall has been transformed into St. Joseph’s Parish. I found it makes you feel invested in the play right from the beginning, and that feeling gets even stronger just before intermission, when the audience gets to play a game of bingo for a chance to win a turkey from 49th Parallel Grocery. It’s really fun and definitely memorable.
Harrison and Duval are great actors, and they do a great job of bringing their characters to life. Their physical touches and tone of voice add humour and keep the story rolling.
Very quickly, you feel like you know Sis and Babe well. The sisters are both very human, with their own problems and quirks, and they giggle and snap at each other in a way that only close sisters can.
Sis, a widower, has started playing bingo every night of the week, and she’s been hiding this from her children, while Babe, who is still looking for love, is distraught about her weight and her growing pants size. As Sis and Babe gossip about the other bingo players and lay their chips down, their insecurities come out, but so does their love for each other.
In this sweet play, sisters are more than sisters — they’re best friends and each other’s biggest support — and bingo is more than a game — it’s a refuge, a comfort and a place to come together as family and friends. Just like the theatre can be.
The Queen of Bingo, which opened Oct. 2, runs until Oct. 18 at Cedar Community Hall. Tickets are $17 or $12 for the matinee on Oct. 18 or for youth.
Call 250-753-9292 for reservations or visit www.yellowpointdramagroup.org for more information.