Infinitheatre writes a prescription for local satire

And it only gets better from here. For every dollar the theatre raises within the next year, Placement Culture, a provincial endowment program, will double it, establishing an investment program that will ensure the troupe’s long-term survival.

Prescription for Murder, directed by Infinitheatre artistic director Guy Sprung, rounded up a one-of a-kind team of hard-working professionals and self-motivating amateur actors, aged 12 to 82 years, to perform in front of a packed theatre at the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts last week for an exclusive world premiere.

“It was an extremely interesting set and it was very well directed,� said Westmount resident Graham Nesbitt. “The movements were good, the timing was perfect and that it was an extremely amusing plot.�

The play is set up in a Westmount home clinic where a horrendous ice storm forces conflicting characters to one common room for an entire day—sparking romance, laughter and tragic, bloody murders. The highly-opinionated and flirtatious general practitioner Dr. Gerda Maysonne welcomes a variety of patients, including a 12-year-old Mayor of Westmount, feisty Royal Duchess of Westmount Rose Belmont and her punk nephew Justin, Mr. Phelan, an old man who loses his memory every 47 seconds, and his loveable niece, Mary.

As the body count starts to rise during the sporadic black-outs of the ice storm, a ‘bilingual’ francophone officer, Inspector Phyllis Luella McLeeks, shows up with her identical evil twin (oops, I gave it away!).

Prescription for Murder was especially entertaining to its Montreal audience because of its many references to local radio personalities and politicians, as well as timely issues such as the $2 billion over-budget mega-hospital and the public health care system.

“I’ve seen a couple of the actors in a few other pieces,� said audience member Linda Poirier, referring to Irene Smyth Simons, Gus O’Gorman and Heidi Luber Teller, who are all amateur actors who have donated their time and talent to Infinitheatre’s yearly benefits. “I see them develop and their work is always better than the one before.�

Smyth Simons, who played the leading role of Dr. Maysonne, explained the difficulty in balancing her real-life Westmount home clinic with her dedication to the theatre.

“I must admit my patients got a little bit neglected this week,� she said with a laugh.

Even director Guy Sprung admitted the production was no walk in the park. “It’s difficult to do because they’re doing it on their spare time,� said Sprung. “So it was hard to get an hour here and an hour there.�

Only in theatre would you see a 12-year-old Mayor of Westmount, played by Spencer Wuest, who visited the clinic for a flu shot and growth hormone pills. “I was nervous at the beginning, but when I came on, I had a great time,� said Wuest, whose role was also filled by Diana Nicholson, Kevin Tierney and Michael Shafter on a rotational basis.

Professional actors such as Stephanie Breton, Julien Elia, Vincent Hoss-Desmarais and Veronick Raymons worked side-by-side with amateur actors, including 82-year-old Pam Dunn.

“I hadn’t been on stage in over 40 years so it really gets the memories going,� said Dunn, who played Rose Belmont, the Royal Duchess of Westmount. “It was a very rewarding experience because a part of the cast was made up of professional actors and I learned a lot from them.�

Even though the cast was part professional and part amateur, it was difficult t to tell who was who—they were all at ease on stage. But how does an 82-year-old feel on stage in front of hundreds of people?

“It didn’t bother me at all—which

surprised me,� responded Dunn, who has over 30 years of experience in amateur theatre. “It just seemed to come right back.�

It took intense, hard work for Dunn to learn her lengthy lines, but she doesn’t regret it one bit. When asked whether or not she would do it again soon, she responded, “Yes I would, but not for a year or so... I don’t think I’d be ready to start another play tomorrow!�



• Infinitheatre launches its second production, The Elephant Song, on Jan. 18 at the Bain St-Michel, 5300 St-Dominique. General admission is $25, for Infinitheatre members, seniors and students it’s $15. For reservations, call 514-987-1774 ext. 3.