In last week’s Chronicle, we shared the goods on the Yellow Point Drama Group’s latest production, Dead Awake. I figured I was being mighty clever when I gave it the headline ‘Dead Awake comes Alive’, but the reality is, I didn’t realize how dead on the money I would be.
The production, which opened Fri., March 9, is an interactive spectacle filled with unimaginable plot twists, subtle wordplay and laugh-out-loud comedy.
Dead Awake begins with the funeral of Samantha Pennington, beloved patron of the arts. Audiences can opt to arrive in funeral attire and can expect to be greeted by mourners, such as dancer Constantine Leopold (played by Brian March), opera singer Loretta Vox (played by Inga Cathers) and Dr. Kenneth Sharpe, Samantha’s plastic surgeon (played by Michael Robinson).
During the funeral, we learn that Samantha was killed in a tragic fire that took place at the cottage where she often went to paint. We also learn that Samatha’s will has been suddenly changed and that all of her money is to be given to charity.
The plot thickens even further when Samantha’s sister Trish (Moira Steele) arrives at the funeral to claim Samantha’s death as a murder and everyone’s true colours come to light.
Constantine and Loretta, whose careers had been thriving under Samantha’s wealth and generosity, were also suffering under it. Constantine, a break dancer at heart, was becoming fatigued by being made to perform every night. Loretta, an opera star, has been wanting to break onto the pop scene for years.
Add to that a drug-smuggling funeral director who is afraid of the dead (Erik Tully), a seemingly dim-witted maid with a voracious appetite (Barbra Metcalf) and lovable but clueless RCMP officer Steve Van der Minee) and you have the makings of a classic, well written murder mystery.
The entire cast does a brilliant job of getting laughs and making the audience feel like a part of the action. Due to its suggestive nature and language, Dead Awake is best suited to older audiences and young adults.
There are only four more opportunities to catch this delightful and original production, on March 16, 17, 23 and 24. Tickets cost $15 ($10 for youth), and the show starts at 8 p.m. There will be a special dinner theatre performance on March 17; the cost for both the performance and dinner on that night will be $30.
To reserve your ticket, call 250-722-3067.