VICTORIA, P.E.I. — Allana Harkin’s comedy “Real Estate” premiered at Theatre Collingwood in Ontario in 2007 and has been produced across Canada and as far afield as New Zealand in the intervening years, but it has never played on an Atlantic Canadian stage, until now.
“Real Estate” makes it East Coast debut this month at Victoria Playhouse, under the direction of Charlotte Gowdy.
Harkin is a writer, performer and one-time member of the female comedy troupe The Atomic Fireballs. She is currently the producer of and a correspondent on the news satire program “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”. Coincidentally, Harkin spent her honeymoon in Victoria by the Sea and was delighted to learn that her sole stage play would be produced there.
If you go:
What: “Real Estate”, a comedy by Allana Harkin
Where: At the Victoria Playhouse
When: Previews are Aug. 6-7 and the show opens Aug. 8. It plays Tuesday through Sunday until Sept. 1.
For tickets: Call the box office at 1-800-925-2025 or order online at victoriaplayhouse.com.
“Real Estate” is the story of Joel, a mystery novelist with writer’s block and relationship troubles, living in limbo in the house he grew up in. When Joel realizes that house must be sold – and fast – the audience meets Emma, a realtor whose lack of experience is compensated by her huge enthusiasm for the task. Emma decides that both the house and its occupant could use a makeover.
In the middle of Emma feng shui-ing the house, Joel’s estranged wife, Estelle, walks in, wanting the divorce papers signed. She is accompanied by Ted, her new boyfriend, a man-purse-wearing, skin-care entrepreneur.
Working with a funny script, Gowdy puts her own stamp on “Real Estate” with her flair for physical comedy and comic timing.
The Victoria Playhouse production stars Newfoundland native Darryl Hopkins alongside Raquel Duffy and Ira Henderson, Maritimers currently living in the Toronto area. Melanie Piatocha, who starred in last summer’s Playhouse hit Myth of the Ostrich, rounds out the cast.
