Love, lust, bee-keeping and the artificial insemination of turkeys come together in a raucous, hilarious comedy with huge, honeyed heart in “The Birds and The Bees” by Mark Crawford, which is on stage at Sudbury Theatre Centre April 11-21.
A retired empty-nester, Gail (Karen Wood) has been quietly raising bees in solitude. Unexpectedly, her grown daughter Sarah (Julia Dyan) returns home; it seems 20 years of artificially inseminating turkeys has taken a toll on Sarah's love life and she and her husband are through.
As both women set about putting their lives back in order and reacquaint themselves with living under the same roof, they are visited by an eager your grad student named Ben (Wilex Ly) who has come to study the declining bee population.
Throw in a meddlesome neighbour Earl (William Vickers), a little internet dating and a pair of tickets to the last-ever Turkey Days Dance and you have a racy recipe for relentless laughter.
Playwright Mark Crawford has appeared at STC as an actor, playing George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life and LaFleche in The Miser.
His first play, Stag and Doe recently made its international premiere in Poland and his newest play, The New Canadian Curling Club, premiered at the Blyth Festival last year and recently enjoyed a successful run at Alberta Theatre Projects.
Wood is returning to STC after a 33-year absence. Her theatre career includes eight seasons at the Stratford Festival and 10 seasons at the Shaw Festival.
Vickers has enjoyed 37 years working across Canada at most of the major regional theatres including 23 years as a member of the Shaw Festival Acting Ensemble. This is Vickers' fourth appearance at STC. Dyan and Ly are both making their STC debuts.
“The Birds and The Bees” is being directed by STC's Artistic Director, John McHenry, who has recently directed “Here on the Flight Path,” “Plaid Tidings” and “A Christmas Story” at STC.
The performance is sponsored by Sudbury.com/Northern Life and the Quality Inn.
Visit sudburytheatre.ca for tickets.
