(Posted
10:30 p.m., April 16)
Cairine Wilson student production a whimsical spin on the superhero
genre
By Fred Sherwin
Orleans Online
 |
The Cairine Wilson Secondary School production of 'May the Farce Be With You'
starred Miranda Tofflemire and Jeff Jackson in the lead roles as the intergalatic
villains Star Raider and Deprava. Fred Sherwin/Photo | |
Acrobat
Man. Albatross, H20 Girl, Tape Man, Miss Invisowrap, Electroman, Gadzooks... those
are just some of the members of the Elite Idealistic Earth Individuals Organization,
a super secret superhero society better known as E.I.E.I.O. The
group meets once a year at the O. MacDonald Farm health spa to recharge their
batteries and compare notes. On this particular occasion they are completely onlivious
to the fact that an evil intergalactic villain named Star Raider is determined
to steal their powers and enslave them all. "May
The Farce Be With You" is a cross between a super geek's version of the Justice
League and Defendor. When the Cairine Wilson Secondary School drama club
was looking for a lighthearted project for their annual theatre production, they
settled on David Rogers whimsical script pitting good against evil with the fate
of the world hanging in the balance. Star
Raider and his equally evil assistant Deprava, have discovered that the members
of E.I.E.I.O. are all insignificant earthlings who must change into their superhero
personas before they can use of their super powers. With
that knowledge in hand, they concoct a diabolic scheme to replace the kitchen
staff at O. MacDonald's Farm and place a special serum in the food which will
prevent the super heroes from changing into their super hero costumes, thus rendering
them defenceless. The
plan is foolproof except for one minor catch, Star Raider places the serum in
the cream chicken. If they eat anthing else after the main course the serum will
be reversed. The diabolical duo also didn't count on the presence of Super Brain
and Wizard Woman, who aside from being uber intelligent, don't possess any discernible
super powers which prevents them from being full-fledged members of E.I.E.I.O. When
Gadzooks only partially changes into her super hero persona. Super Brain and Wizard
Woman deduce that it is the food that has prevented the members of E.I.E.I.O.
from changing into their costumes because the young girl only picked at her cream
chicken during lunch. If
only they can get them to eat the tapioca pudding. But how can they, Deprava has
enslaved the would-be super heros in their change rooms with a super starch that
turns the change room curtains into a solid wall. If
only there was someone who could undo the super starch and free the members of
E.I.E.I.O. before it's too late. Fortunately, the health spa cleaning staff have
their own super powers which enables them to reverse the effects of the super
starch using their feather dusters. Once
freed, the members of E.I.E.I.O. transorm themselves into their super hero guises
and a standoff ensues. In the end the villains are vanquished, the world is saved
and order is restored. As
a script, "May the Farce Be With You" is a wonderful parody of the super
hero genre. It takes a talented ensemble of actors to bring it to life and enfuse
it with a level of humour that has the audience laughing out loud. Kudos to the
entire Cairine Wilson cast for doing just that, starting with Miranda Tofflemire
and Jeff Jackson who did an awesome job as Deprava and Star Raider. I
especially loved Jackson's portrayal of the intergalatic villain and Tofflemire
was solid as always in the dual role of Deprave and Miss Broom. Josh Lockahart
and Julia Elliott did a fantastic job as well as Super Brain and Wizard Woman
and their alter egos Byron Ceps and Dr. Vera Strong. The
rest of the cast embraced their roles with a level of commitment that really shone
through on stage. My personal favourites were Acrobat Man (Chris Hodgins), Albatross
(Sam Loveridge), Lt. Bullhorn (Carter Dalaire), H2O Girl (Kelsey Mcgruer) and
Gadzooks (Ryan James) who almost made me fall off my seat when his six-foot-three
frame emerged from behind the change room curtain dressed from head to toe in
bright yellow. Rounding
out the ensemble cast were Emily Cairns as Miss MacDonald, Arielle Rivet as Sparkle,
Cassandra Romain as Brilla, Bailee Pegden as Gleama, Caelly Edwards as Terry Secra,
Suzt Nicholson as Astarte, Jacob Hopps as Tape Man, Sam Pearson as Keexie, Matt
Wiley as Electro Man, Ashley Lambert as Miss Invisowrap, Courtney Pearson as KP3,
Hannah Witmer as Yuck the salad girl, Kevin Blais as Nerd, Brianna Allen as Mrs.
Onaze, Danica Tofflemire as Arid and Shorty Orders, Dylan Roy as Art Cuisine and
Sudsy, Serina Buttimer as Pat Isserie, Terah Carley-Labelle as May Onaze, and
Alexandria Carter and Emily Fetterley who both played Frenchy Cuisine.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
|
TAPROOM 260 presents Crooked Creek live from 8-11 p.m. at 260 Centrum Blvd. For more information visit 
MATT LULOFF W/ EDISON RUPERT performing at the Stray Dog Brewing Company, 501 Lacolle Way in the Taylor Creek Business Park. To register your team visit 
OTTAWA CARLETON MALE CHOIR in concert at the Navan-Vars United Church 1129 Smith Rd. in Navan at 2:30 p.m. Tickets $20 at the door.
THE ORLÉANS BREWING CO. presents Oyster Wednesdays every Wednesday. The Orléans Brewing Co. is located at 4380 Innes Rd. near McDonalds.
BLACKBURN HAMLET COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The entire community is invited…rain or shine! Please keep visiting blackburn.ca for more up-to-date information as it becomes available.
SANTÉ
CHIROPRACTIC & WELLNESS CENTRE: Where healthy
people go
180-FITNESS
CENTRE: Home of the Biggest Loser
