Blyth serves up more than “Bed and Breakfast†in fast-paced, quirky comedy
By: Liz Dadson
September 14, 2019
Take a couple of city boys and put them in the country with plans to open a bed and breakfast and you have an unending crop of hilarity to harvest.
That's what the Blyth Festival Theatre is serving up with the final production of the season, “Bed and Breakfast,” which opened Friday night.
Written by Mark Crawford who also plays Brett in the show, with Paul Dunn as his partner, Drew, it's a fast-paced, quirky comedy that boasts a cast of thousands performed by these two actors.
The back-and-forth banter is incredible and happens at breath-taking speed, with Crawford portraying everything from a pregnant lesbian to Brett's mother to young Dustin, while Dunn portrays the handyman, Brett's dad, and a youth whose schtick is constantly saying, “I dunno.”
Crawford's story is the typical fodder about a couple that decides to leave the big city for the peace and quiet of a small town. In this case, Brett's Aunt Maggie dies and leaves him her stately Victorian home which he and Drew plan to turn into a bed and breakfast.
As in his other plays, including “The New Canadian Curling Club,” Crawford brilliantly shines a light on small-town prejudice. Only this time, Brett even struggles with the idea of returning to the tiny tourist town where he grew up, as an openly-gay man with his partner, Drew.
The struggle is real and at one point, it almost tears the couple apart. But, in the end, Brett and Drew find support in the strangest places, as neighbours gather round and prove that love is stronger than hate.
And if that's not enough, there's a huge plot twist at the end that you are not going to believe.
Praise to director Ashlie Corcoran for managing to stage this wild and zany show, and to the rest of the creative team for bringing a minimalist set that works beautifully.
After they overcome interminable obstacles to open “Aunt Maggie's House Bed and Breakfast,” will Brett and Drew stay in the small town and continue to operate their business, or will they return to the anonymity of the big city?
You'll have to purchase a ticket to find out.
“Bed and Breakfast” continues through to Sept. 28 at the Blyth Festival.
For tickets, call 1-877-862-5984 or on-line at blythfestival.com.
Paul Dunn (left) plays Drew, while playwright Mark Crawford is his partner, Brett, in the Blyth Festival production of "Bed and Breakfast," which runs through to Sept. 28; photos by Terry Manzo
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