St Thomas' Community Theatre Guild is the first to perform the updated Heart's Desire
by Stratford playwright Rick Whelan. Originally written in the 1980s, never fully
happy with the play, Whelan rewrote the play last year. His rewrite comes to the
stage in St Thomas, Ontario at the Princess Avenue Playhouse, premiering February
28, 2013.
Directed by Rob Faust, Heart's Desire is a story of old friends reuniting. Back
in the day, when they were all a lot younger, Delmon "Buck" Short (played by Ross
Hepburn), Harry Smiley (played by Rob Verkest) and May Ludlow (played by Judy Cormiel)
were in a local bar-band called The Country Cousins. Buck and May fell in love,
eloped and cut a record that became a modest hit.
But May soon tired of a life on the road. She quickly became fed up with the limelight
(and also of Buck's love affair with the bottle) and returned home, eventually falling
in love with Harry and marrying him. Buck meanwhile has parlayed his solo act into
a pretty decent career as a country rocker.
Now, 25 years later, May and Harry are the parents of two teenagers, Alyson (played
by Marina Silic) and Jake (played by Alex Pickersgill), and Harry is managing May's
family's funeral home. Then one night, Buck Short reappears out of the blue, burned
out and needing refuge (and a few other things).
As these old friends reunite, they all question the individual paths they have taken.
May is happy in her role as a wife and mother. Buck, now broke, has found a way
to perhaps recoup some of the money he has blown over the years. And Harry, whose
dream of making music for a living has never left him, seriously contemplates a
radical career move. For these three former band mates, this reunion is littered
with heart-warming memories, some painful regrets and perhaps a chance at something
wonderful ... and perhaps even dangerous.
The show is also introduces a new song Sittin' on a Rainbow, written specifically
for Heart's Desire, by award-winning Canadian Christian Contemporary singer
songwriter Ali Matthews.
You can enjoy Heart's Desire starting on Thursday February 28th at 8pm, at
the Princess Avenue Playhouse
located at 40 Princess Avenue, St. Thomas, ON. Evening shows follow on March 1,2,
7, 8 and 9, with all shows starting at 8 pm. There will be two matinee performances
on March 3 and 10th, starting at 2 pm. Tickets are $15. To reserve tickets, call
519-633-8530.
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