The Play’s the Thing - Segal Centre

From: October 30 to November 20, 2011

Tickets starting at $34

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Playing at: Segal Theatre

Directed by : Blair Williams

The Play's The Thing by Ferenc Molnár
Adapted from the Hungarian by P.G. Wodehouse

In this witty comedy, the real-life drama of theatre comes to life. Successful playwright Turai and his collaborator, Mansky, bring their friend Albert, a young composer, on a surprise visit to an Italian castle high above the Mediterranean. After Albert overhears his beloved fiancée, the prima donna Ilona, in a steamy exchange with an actor, he is completely distraught and vows he will never write another note of music. Turai is determined to save his play and his friend’s love affair. What follows is a hilarious and playful look at the art of life.
Watch the Opening Night video here:

Watch the latest Behind the scenes video with Dmitri Marine:

Blair Williams, Director

Blair Williams is an actor and director who has worked across Canada. His last appearance at the Segal Centre was in Blithe Spirit (2010) as Charles Condomine. Other recent stage credits include What the Butler Saw (Soulpepper); Betrayal (Theatre Calgary); Julius Caesar (Citadel Theatre); It’s a Wonderful Life (Canstage) and Macbeth (NAC/Citadel Theatre).

Directing credits include The President (2008, 2011); Ways of the Heart (Shaw Festival) and The Sugar Witch (Rep 21).

He has also appeared with the internationally acclaimed chamber orchestra Tafelmusik in the narrative concerts Chariots of Fire, King Arthur, The Grand Tour and The Quest for Arundo Donax, the recording of which won a Juno Award for Best Children’s Album of the Year.

Blair has seventeen seasons under his belt at the Shaw Festival, with credits including: Journey’s End (2005); The Return of the Prodigal (2002, 2001); Candida; Six Characters in Search of an Author (2001); The Doctor’s Dilemma, and many more. Most recently, Blair appeared in Heartbreak House.

Upcoming: Blair will direct Rope for Vertigo Theatre in Calgary and The Millionaires at Shaw.

Blair is a native of North Bay, Ontario and a graduate of the National Theatre School.

LEARN MORE!

Check out our Study Guide!
Ferenc Molnár

Ferenc Molnár (1878-1952) was a Hungarian-American playwright, director, novelist, short-story writer, and journalist born in Budapest, Hungary to a middle-class Jewish family. He began working as a journalist at 18, published his first novel at 22 and by 1907, The Devil had established him as an internationally-known playwright. He wrote over 40 plays, many of which were adapted for the screen, including Liliom (1909), which became the Rogers and Hammerstein musical Carousel (1944); The Swan (1920) and The Red Mill (1923). As a novelist, his most successful work is The Paul Street Boys (1907).
Molnár married several times, finally to actor Lili Darvas. In 1938 he immigrated to New York as a refugee. He died in New York in 1952.

P.G. Wodehouse

Pelham Granville (P.G.) Wodehouse (1881-1975) was an accomplished English humorist born in Surrey, U.K. whose work continues to be widely admired. He is best known for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, but produced more than a dozen plays and penned the lyrics for 30 musical comedies, for which he earned a place in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In the 1930s he worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood and became a US citizen in 1955.

He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1975 New Year Honours.
CAST

Paul Hopkins
Sandor Turai

Paul Hopkins is a Montreal-based actor who has enjoyed a diverse career in theatre, film and television. Segal Centre audiences might remember him from the 1993 hit production of Beau Jest. Since then, Hopkins has performed in theatres across Canada including the Stratford Festival, Theatre Calgary, and The Atlantic Theatre Festival. In 2006, after two years in Stratford, Hopkins was delighted to assume the role of Artistic Director of Repercussion Theatre, Montreal’s Shakespeare-in-the-Park. This past season, he performed the title role in its park tour of Macbeth. This February, he will be performing at the Centaur Theatre's In Absentia.

James Kidnie
Mansky

James will be known to Montreal audiences for his work at the Centaur Theatre in Copenhagen, Angels in America and Cheech. His work in television and film includes Smallville; Robocop; The Crossing; Wonderland; Stargate, Lonesome Dove and Upside Down, recently filmed in Montreal. He remembers discussing Molnár with Billy Wilder one time at a cocktail party in Beverly Hills.

Jessica B. Hill
Ilona Szabo

Jessica graduated with honors from Dawson’s professional theatre program and received a BA in English from McGill University. She has worked in theatre, voice, television and film in both English and French. Selected theatre credits include Petra in Enemy of the People (Segal Centre), Tamora in Titus Andronicus (MSTC), Joan of Arc in Jehanne of the Witches (Tableau d’Hôte) and Holly in The Lady Smith (Black Theatre Workshop), for which she won the Elsa Bolam award in 2006.

Michael Rudder
Almady

Michael last appeared at the Segal as Mr. Baumgarten in Lies My Father Told Me. Other Segal credits include Herr Schulz in Cabaret, Chip in The Heidi Chronicles, and as Jesus in Godspell. At the Centaur in On the Job, Woyzeck, The Dream Play, The Leonard Cohen Show, Les Canadiens, Have a Heart and Tiger's Heart. At the PDA as Paul Sheldon in Misery. A Genie-nominated film actor, Michael has appeared in dozens of seminal Canadian and American film and television productions, most recently performing en français in the TV movie Malenfant and the feature film Bo$$é, due out next spring. He continues his long career in Montreal recording studios as a voice actor, producer and studio director for original cartoons, video games and film and TV and cartoon re-voicing.

Chip Chuipka
Johann Dwornitschek

Born and raised in Northern Ontario, Chip has appeared in stage productions coast to coast, including: National Capitale Nationale (The National Arts Centre); Romeo et Juliet (The Harbourfront World Theatre Festival); The Tempest (The Ottawa Shakespeare Festival); The Lonely Cowboy (Pi Theatre); Warriors and Lion in the Streets (The Great Canadian Theatre Co.); Cruel Tears (Prairie Theatre Exchange); Waiting for Godot (Persephone Theatre); Richard III (The Globe Theatre); The Melville Boys (Theatre Newfoundland Labrador) and Gordon (SideMart Theatrical Grocery). For eight years, Chip produced and performed in two acclaimed Shakespeare festivals (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan and The Ottawa Shakespeare Festival). Chip teaches acting in Montreal at ASM Performing Arts.

Chris Barillaro
Albert Adam

Chris Barillaro is a musical director, pianist, actor, singer, and proud graduate of Dawson College’s Professional Theatre Program and of McGill University (B.A. in music and theatre). Selected musical direction credits include: Schwartz's: The Musical (Asst.MD); Cabaret; Chicago; and the Canadian premieres of both Rooms: A Rock Romance and Altar Boyz. Selected acting credits include: Schwartz's: The Musical (Centaur); Souvenir (CETM); Altar Boyz (CETM); The Jazz Singer (Segal Centre); and SING! (In Your Face Entertainment). Chris is currently the musical supervisor of In Your Face Entertainment's The Wild Party, and continues to play with his band, Lakes of Canada.

Jonathan Patterson
Mell

With a diverse background in opera, theatre and dance, Jonathan has traveled North America with such memorable productions as Il Trovatore (Opera Lyra Ottawa), The Mikado (JOC, USA) and West Side Story (Neptune). As a director/choreographer, Jonathan spent six seasons with the McGill Savoy Society and another two with Lakeshore Light Opera. Having studied classical voice at McGill University, Jonathan now wanders the halls as a member of the teaching staff. Jonathan has previously appeared at the Segal Centre in The Pirates of Penzance (Pirate King), Inherit the Wind and The Jazz Singer.

PRODUCTION

Peter Hartwell
Set & Costume Design

Peter Hartwell is a designer with a long and accomplished career. Selected Segal Centre credits include The Importance of Being Earnest (set only) and Enemy of the People. For the Stratford Festival credits include Richard III, Shakespeare's Will, King of Thieves, Fuente Ovejuna, The Glass Menagerie, Orpheus Descending, The Threepenny Opera, Good Mother, Inherit the Wind, Medea and the set for Twelfth Night.

For the Shaw Festival, he has designed Serious Money, The Cherry Orchard, The Entertainer, The Devil's Disciple, A Month in the Country, An Inspector Calls, Summer and Smoke (set only), Gypsy and Waste. Across Canada, he has designed for theatres including The Globe, Canadian Stage, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Neptune, Alberta Theatre Projects, the Centaur and Belfry. In England, he has designed for the Royal Court Theatre (Cloud Nine, Top Girls, Serious Money, Our Country's Good, Aunt Dan and Lemon and King Lear), the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the English National Opera, Joint Stock and in the West End. His designs in the U.S. include the New York Shakespeare Festival, Mark Taper Forum, Folger Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre and Guthrie Theater. Peter is a graduate of the Sadler's Wells Theatre Design School (now called Motley) in London.

Dmitri Marine
Composer

The Play’s the Thing is Dmitri’s fourth collaboration with the Segal, having previously composed the soundtracks for Blithe Spirit and Dangerous Liaisons, and created the sound design for Amadeus. Last season, Montreal audiences heard his original soundtracks in Vassa (Théâtre du Rideau Vert); Exécuteur 14 (Décalage/Usine C) and “…the itsy bitsy spider…” (Centaur’s Wildside), as well as the sound design in La noce (Groupe de la Veillée), a production that will be returning to Théâtre Prospero this January.

Kirsten Watt
Lighting Design

Kirsten’s past Segal Centre designs include: Blithe Spirit, The Pirates of Penzance and Over the River and Through the Woods. Past Montreal designs include: Michel & ti-Jean (Centaur); Un tramway nommé Désir (Rideau Vert); and Truth & Treason (Teesri Duniya). Recent designs elsewhere include: Heroes (Thousand Islands Playhouse); The 39 Steps (Lyndesfarne); Half an Hour and Star Chamber (Shaw Festival); and The (Post) Mistress and Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad (Magnus). Kirsten is a member of Associated Designers of Canada, and L’Association des professionnels des arts de la scène du Québec.

Todd Bricker
Stage Manager

Todd is celebrating his 20th year stage managing theatre in Canada and abroad. His past credits for the Segal Centre include: La Sagouine; Blithe Spirit; Inherit the Wind; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; I, Claudia; Shakespeare for My Father; A Doll House; The Tempest; Man of La Mancha; A Night in November and Major Barbara. Other recent productions include Heroes; Blood Brothers and The Blonde, The Brunette & The Vengeful Redhead for The 1000 Islands Playhouse; The Fly Fisher’s Companion for Hudson Village Theatre and The Comedy of Errors and With Bated Breath for the Centaur Theatre. He also stage managed Gareth Armstrong’s Shylock off-Broadway in New York City as well as in Hong Kong and Shanghai, China. This winter, Todd returns to Theatre New Brunswick to stage manage The Dollar Woman.

Sarah-Marie Langlois
Assistant Stage Manager

Selected credits include Haunted Hillbilly (SideMart Theatrical Grocery), Stones In His Pockets, Age of Arousal, Relative Good, and In Piazza San Domenico (Centaur Theatre), My Name Is Rachel Corrie (Teesri Duniya and Neworld Theatre), The Lady Smith (Black Theatre Workshop), That Woman (Talisman Theatre and Infinitheatre) and Gas, John & Beatrice, and Fatherland (Infinitheatre), The Odd Couple and A View From the Bridge (Segal Centre). Next up, Sarah-Marie will be stage managing Scientific Americans, a Segal Centre production in association with SideMart Theatrical Grocery.

Joyce Zogos
Apprentice Stage Manager

Joyce is a graduate of John Abbott College’s Professional Technical Theatre Program and has been stage managing theatre across Canada for the last 3 years. Selected credits include: La Sagouine and Blithe Spirit (Segal Centre); For Art’s Sake and (Geordie Productions); A View From the Bridge (Montreal Theatre Ensemble); The Little Years, Hosanna and Shakespeare’s Will (Stratford Shakespeare Festival); The Turn of the Screw (Banff Centre).