PREVIEW: Revival of aging comedy Lambs in Winter offers timely balm to the blues

Classical Theatre Company brings Fringe comedy show back for a limited run at Hamilton’s Staircase Theatre stage.

New play revivals are a rare occurrence in small theatre. More often, after a new script premieres, it tends to be forgotten in favour of the next new show.

That’s why Classical Theatre Company’s production of Lambs In Winter, a dramatic comedy last seen in Hamilton in 2009 and returning for a limited run at the Staircase Theatre, is a special occasion.

First staged in 2009 as part of Fringe Festivals in both Toronto and Hamilton, and written by Canadian Ray Rivers, Lambs of Winter follows the story of recent retirees Tony and Catherine, a pair of affluent hippies who must navigate the unwelcome waters of the 2008 financial crisis.

“It’s about old people behaving badly,” says co-producer Don Cudmore, “and facing a reckoning when their reality bears little resemblance to their youthful ideals.”

This version of the play, expanded by River from a one-act to full-length, follows Tony and Catherine, plus their best friend Richard, as they are forced to make some questionable decisions, perhaps rooted in their activist streak from the ’60s.

“When secrets come out, and hilarity ensues,” says Cudmore, the play offers audiences a glimpse of “a time in life when you should be acting maturely and wisely, but somehow can’t. So, it’s a bit like the Golden Girls meet the Big Chill.”

A former economist, Rivers has authored a number of other scripts, with last year seeing the premiere of the timely drama Never the 51st State, also produced by Classical Theatre Company.

“Given the current uncertainty in Canada’s economy and future,” says Cudmore, “Ray thought it would be timely to go back to a favourite past play from another recent period of major financial uncertainty, but also fun to do something more light hearted.”

In addition to writing, Rivers both directs and performs as Tony alongside his partner Ilene Elkaim as Catherine. Joining them is noted Hamilton performer Julian Nicholson as Richard. Both Rivers and Nicholson return to this latest incarnation of the play, having performed in the 2009 one-act.

With Classical Theatre Company returning as the producing company, audiences who saw Never the 51st State will recognize Ukrainian actress Mariia Zaichenko playing the couple’s daughter-in-law. She is joined by Hamilton musician Naseem Abdulahad in his first onstage role.

Both of River’s plays are largely contemporary stories featuring ordinary people. But they represent something of a new direction for the company. Founded in 2012 by Peter Anderson, the company has produced its take on classic dramas such as Macbeth, Hamlet, and Frankenstein. Most recently, Anderson co-wrote and starred in Brock & Sophia, a drama centred around 1812 and staged at the historic Battlefield House Park & Museum.

Cudmore notes that the company’s past shows have often been “well-received historical dramas” with “war-related themes” but also notes their “resonance to the present day.” Certainly, with political tensions and economic uncertainty, River’s most recent productions with the Classical Theatre Company seem to have their pulse on the
moment.

Also returning for this production is the use of video projections as an integrated aspect of the storytelling. Designed by Cudmore and James Paterson, the use of projections were first used in Never the 51st State. For Lambs in Winter, projected footage will feature Paterson in a supporting role.

Although branded a comedy, Cudmore admits the play deals with some mature themes. More than that, though, Lambs in Winter tackles issues around the generational divide. Though its target audience skews older, says Cudmore, “it appeals to anyone that has parents – as they can relate to looking at their parents and shaking their head at some of the decisions that their parents make.”

Ultimately, though, Lambs in Winter is a play that offers a ray of hope and the kind of theatre experience that audiences might be craving right now. “It is a positive reminder,” says Cudmore, “that even though there was a lot of fear in 2008, we were able to make it through to better days.”

NEED TO KNOW

Lambs in Winter
Classical Theatre Company
Sept. 18, 19 and 20
Staircase Studio Theatre
27 Dundurn St. N., Hamilton
905-746-3551
Tickets here