Are you eager to join Minnesota Slim, Dirty Bob, Muskrat, Moonlight and The Kid as they tell of the wonders and woes of being a logger in love with songs like ‘The Bachelor’s Prayer’, ‘Stupid Love’ and ‘Could It Be Cabin Fever?’
Better contact the Chemainus Theatre right now at 1-800-565-7738 or visit chemainustheatre.ca and find out if there are any tickets left for their upcoming show, Lumberjacks in Love. According to publicist Michelle Vogelgesang, there’s been a land-office rush for seats, and more than a week before opening night, it looked as if the entire run might sell out before the curtain goes up on Oct. 18.
This slap-happy tale brings big belly laughs and pure silliness as we watch to see if romance will bloom where bath time is once a month and the only thing that brings these big, burly boys running is the sound of the dinner bell.
An instrumental lineup of banjo, upright bass, guitar and a washboard played with a wooden spoon lends to the warmth of the upbeat, folksy bluegrass tunes that help tell the story: ‘Someday I Will Be Clean’, ‘Buncha Naked Lumberjacks’ and ‘Stupid, Stupid Love’, among them.
Yep, with song titles like that this is a musical all right.
“The core of Lumberjacks in Love is a group of folks who are not your typical lumberjacks,” says Melissa Berger, director. “Whether they long for love, fear their mortality, or search for their true identity, all of these characters are multi-faceted and do not neatly fit into a set stereotype. They’re individuals and that’s OK. They learn to accept that about each other. It’s the heart of the piece.”
There are plenty of laughs, gags, slapstick, and a few jigs throughout the piece; all of the characters in Lumberjacks in Love are driven by their hearts. And singing?
Yep, she said, and dancing, too.
“All of our actors play instruments and sing and dance. It was a great challenge but they were up to it.”
There are catchy numbers you’ll be humming on the way home from the theatre but there are also some great ballads, too, she said, adding, “the heart of the show is quite lovely, there’s great character work in it.”
Berger directs Gaelan Beatty, Mark DuMez, Felix Leblanc, Andrew Legg, Alison MacDonald and Cate Richardson in this show and they’ve been fantastic to work with, she said.
With book and lyrics by Fred Ally and music by James Kaplan, Lumberjacks in Love the perfect antidote for the fall doldrums. Call the Box Office at 1-800-565-7738 or visit chemainustheatre.ca to book your tickets.
