Stage West’s current production The Last Resort, wraps up a highly successful season. It was kicked off with the hilarious The Allergists Wife, continued with the great musical Grease, a classic Broadway play in The Odd Couple, and a fantastic musical revue in California Dreaming. The company brings the season to a close with a homegrown note – Leslie Arden and Norm Foster’s The Last Resort.
The show is set in a run down resort in Northern Saskatchewan, where Nick Galeazzo (David Leraney) has been brought by FBI agent Angela Miller (Natascha Girgis) after testifying against the mob in New York City. While Miller is confident that no one can find Galeazzo in the middle of nowhere, Nick is not so sure. Consequently he suspects that every new guest that walks through the door could be a hitman sent to take him out.
Directed by Di Nyland-Proctor, who directed this year’s production of Grease, the show is a musical murder-mystery comedy that lives up to the billing. Who knew that Saskatchewan could be the main part of a song and work? The songs are well written and performed. The characters are highly amusing, especially overwrought poet Trent Balfour (Don Noble) and resort owner Freda Heitz (Petra Hinschberger.) While those two characters provide a lot of the laughs, this is a very strong cast of talented actors who attack their roles with gusto, including married couple Sid and Liz Barzina (Lew Wetcherell and Katherine Kerbes), Inspector Closely (J. Sean Elliot) and twins Jessica and Julia Youngstead (Naria C. Babb and N. Catriona Babb), who you would swear they are the same person! Musically, everyone is a strong singer, and they are backed up by Brent Rock on piano, who adds his own humorous quirks to the show.
“The really nice thing is that the cast are all really smart actors. This show is quite a farce; if you don’t have smart actors, it can go the wrong way. The actors really understand what the show needs, and has been well cast. Working with them has been easy and delightful; it is something different every night,” Rock told GayCalgary.com. “Dy really tries to cast a show where all people get along. There isn’t any kind of ego problems and we all sit and have drinks after the show.”
Many of the shows at Stage West are popular and well-known musicals. Rock elaborated on how presenting a show with original music that isn’t well known provides unique challenges.
“It is such a short rehearsal period that, it is a little tough. The actors did their homework beforehand and were looking at the story and their characters. Some people in the cast can’t read music and they would come to the house to get down the musical parts before we went to rehearsals. They are such professionals, they want to be on top of it. The fact that they want to spend time on their own, learning things, speaks about the quality of the actors. It is a short period and it is more of a challenge when it’s not a show that people know really well.”
One of the fun things about Stage West is they will frequently have a unique dish or two that will pique your curiosity and cause you to try something that you might not normally try. In this case, I’m referring to the baby octopus salad with chipotle salsa - it’s not for everyone, but it is quite tasty and certainly worth a try. If you like your food to have a little less tentacle, try the Corn Flake Crusted Chicken Breast with Roasted Honey Plum Glaze, or the Broiled Atlantic Salmon Fillet Chimicurri, or even the Four Cheese Ravioli ala Rustica. The food is fantastic as always; it will leave you full and relaxed for when the curtain goes up.
But back to the plot - is someone really trying to take out Nicky Galeazzo? What is with that poet dude? What’s the story behind Freda Heitz? You’ll get all your answers by the end of the show, but you’ll go on quite the roller coaster of twists, turns, and surprises to get there. It is a great ride, so hop on, you won’t regret it!
Stage West Dinner Theatre Presents
The Last Resort
727 - 42 Avenue S.E.
Phone: (403) 243-6642
http://www.stagewestcalgary.com
