Larceny and Old Lace by Van Vandagriff
Staged October, 2009
Directed by Simon Wellman
Simon came to RRTC in the background for the last 3 plays, working on sound, lights and set. He figured why not try directing "with a little help from his friends"?
arold Peabody's sweet aunts, Millie and Gertie, are gambling in Las Vegas while Harold stays at their home to watch over his eccentric Uncle Charlie, who thinks he is a pirate. When Harold hears a bank has been robbed and finds a bag of money in the house, he declares that Charlie has buried his last treasure and decides he must go to a home for senior citizens. But Aunt Millie and Aunt Gertie can't imagine doing such a thing. After all, Charlie had nothing to do with the bag of money. How do they know? They stole it from a casino! They casually admit it was their thirteenth holdup of a gambling establishment, pleasantly reminiscing about their previous exploits. When Harold's jailbird cousin Mordred shows up with his own bundle of money and the FBI hot on his heels, the pandemonium multiplies. Join the madness as Harold attempts to keep his aunts out of jail, Mordred from killing them all, his fiancée from walking out on him and himself from going insane!
Cast
| Role | Description | Played by |
|---|---|---|
| Harold | Good-hearted but unsuspecting nephew of Millie and Gertie. | Ronald Gardner: Ron had his debut in "Something to Sing About" a musical performance in Calgary. He is now ready to entertain Eastern Canada with some Western talent. |
| Charlie | Harold's wacky, swashbuckling uncle who thinks he's a pirate. | Ian Glen : Fresh from directing “Bull in a China Shop”, Ian’s previous RRTC appearances were as boozy keyboardist Stan in “Cheatin’Hearts” , and Stationmaster /Mr Spencer in “Anne of Green Gables”. |
| Gertie | Harold's sweet but larcenous aunt. Casinos are her bread and butter. | Judith Waddell : Retired but has enjoyed a stupendous 44 year career in Medical Laboratory Technology. Has a passion for all sports – curling, golfing and all kinds of needlework. Previously starred in Anne of Green Gables as Marilla. As a founding member of RRT she still holds the position as Treasurer. |
| Millie | Harold's other just-as-sweet but just-as-larcenous aunt. Also likes casinos. | Karen Boese : Karen has performed in numerous plays: Caught in the Net, The Heiress, Area 51, Robin Hood, A Mid Summer Nights Scream. She also directed: Wizard of Oz, Anne of Green Gables, Annie, Once On This Island, Into the Woods, Honk. |
| Mordred | Harold's sinister, black-hearted thieving cousin. | Mike Brown : Mike Brown is a retired Naval Officer currently working as a Project Manager on contract to the Department of National Defense. This is Mike’s first stab at acting and he thinks it’s appropriate that it should be as a potential murderer. |
| Lester | Mordred's sinister, black-hearted but reluctant sidekick. | Stanley Bernard : This is Stan's first time on stage since school, when he acted to avoid classes. We're not sure what he's trying to avoid this time, but he sure is having fun! |
| Officer McNealy | A friendly beat cop who can't cover for Charlie's crazy antics anymore. | Bob DuPuis : Only previous stage appearance was in England (1976) representing Canada in the Unicorn World Masters Darts Competition. Bob didn't need to memorize any lines, just go through the actions. Big difference!!!!!!!! |
| Officer Larson | A new cop on the beat. | Amanda Sauve : Mandy greatly enjoys being part of the Rural Roots experience! She would like to thank everyone involved with putting this production together - it's been a great run. |
| Agent Klick | An FBI agent hot on Mordred's trail. | Bruce Buie : Rural Root original member, stage roles include Matthew in 'Anne of Green Gables' and Aarvid, the Karaoke Guy in 'Don't Hug Me'. Enjoy his arresting performance in 'Larceny... |
| Agent Klack | Klick's fellow agent. | Brian Thompson : Brian, turning accident into intent, is a newish member of RRT. Once happy to solve technical problems behind the scene, he has moved to the stage in this production. |
| Gloria | Harold's unwitting fiancée. | Jodi Leduc : Jodi enjoyed performing in a staged reading for the Women's Institute, so she decided to try her hand at acting without the script. Don't worry, she hasn't given up her day job! |
| Dr. Shortanoar | Proprietor of the local insane asylum. | Susan Henderson : After being the stand-in during rehearsals for all the roles in the last production, Susan has taken a small role in this play. |
| Nurse Widget | Hard-hosed nurse who does Shortanoar's dirty work. | Diane Brown : This will be my third production with the RRTC and I am enjoying it thoroughly. I presently reside in Dunrobin with my husband Mike who is also in this production. |
| Judge Taylor | Takes care of the legal matters of commitment. | Rheo Brunet : Rheo has previous comedic acting experience with a French Theatre amateur group. He played several roles in short plays "Les Fridolinades". The troupe raised funds for summer theatre student projects in the spring of 2003-04. |
| Taxi Driver | Doesn't mind waiting, but this is ridiculous. | Charlene Gardner : This is Charlene’s 1st performance since grade 6 where she played a munchkin in the "Wizard of Oz". After watching the cast members having fun rehearsing she feels fortunate that there was still a small role available for her to fill. |
| Dr. Pretorious | Signs papers to prove that Charlie's crazy. | Steve Duffield : Steve has been involved with RRTC building sets and has enjoyed being a member of this organization. He looks forward to taking on this small role of Dr. Pretorious. |