The 23rd season is nearly over, and Footlighters Theatre Society is planning for its 24th, with auditions for the season-opening production of Some Fools and Their Money being held at 7 p.m. March 12 and 26 at the Prince Charles Theatre.
The play will run July 5-7 and is locally written by Jason Smith and Suzanne Chubb, who previously wrote last year’s Nasookin and the award-winning Almost Golden, which was named best production at Theatre BC’s Kootenay Zone festival in 2014.
“This is a complete departure from our previous work,” says Smith, who will co-direct with Gillian Wells. “Almost Golden had humour but dealt with a very serious aspect of aging, and Nasookin was, more or less, a light historical comedy. Some Fools and Their Money is also a comedy, a madcap one, but with an edgier comedic style.”
In 1906, on the verge of bankruptcy, the wealthy Newport, Rhode Island, Howforth family rushes their daughter into an arranged marriage with the curmudgeonly and even wealthier 97-year-old neighbour, Thurston Waddlesworth. They must overcome scandalous secrets, keep the servant class in line, battle the in-laws and even fend off the groom’s beloved and decrepit house cat, Napoleon Cataparte. Sound easy? We left out the vengeful show pony.
“These families have had so much money for so long that it has given them a very distorted view of the real world and the working class,” says Smith. “The comparison between our characters and the famously wealthy families of today makes for a hilarious story.”
Some Fools isn’t a musical and includes no music, and auditions will be by cold readings from the script. Prospective cast members are encouraged not to hold back when they try out.
“These roles are really larger than life, so there’s no way you can play them too big,” says Wells. “If you’re willing to be a bit zany and a bit smarmy — and perhaps irredeemably nasty to the servants — then you’ll be a strong contender.”
To learn more about Some Fools and Their Money, contact Jason Smith at 250-428-9553.