Mike Uncorked: Travelling Trunk Stories and Murdered to Death at Centrestage

Mike Uncorked: Travelling Trunk Stories and Murdered to Death at Centrestage
By Mike Butler

CentreStage Theatre in Kentville is always busy! Between rehearsals for multiple shows, renovations, productions, and planning sessions, it’s a non-stop, full-throttle experience at 61 River Street. Just off the heels of a successful run of The Fox on the Fairway, CentreStage currently has two offerings for its audiences and I recommend you smile away the winter blues with both. Because the theatre boasts both an upper performance centre and a main stage area, CentreStage can offer more than one show at a time and that’s very lucky for audiences.

Let’s do the Main Stage first: for all of you Agatha Christie fans out there, CentreStage brings a delightful Miss Marple spoof to the stage with Peter Gordon’s Murdered to Death. The play introduces the inept and bungling Inspector Pratt, who battles against the odds and his own incompetence to solve a murder, while it soon becomes clear that the murderer isn’t finished yet. Will the killer be unmasked before everyone else has met their doom or will the audience die laughing first?

Murdered to Death is directed by an intrepid trio: Peter Booth, George Henry, and Nancy Henry, and the producer is none other than me, Mike Butler. The line-up of actors is stacked with talent, including Mindy Vinqvist-Tymchuk, Heidi Price, Bryen Stoddard, LeRoy Heffernan, Susan Monro, Caroline Leverett, Richard Richard, Allyson Higgins, Darrell Doucette, and Charley McBride. Performance dates are February 22, 23, and March 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 with matinee performances on March 10 and 24. Front of House opens at 6:45pm for the evening performances and 1:15pm for the matinee. Murdered to Death is a laugh-a-minute production you’ll love!

And now, let’s move upstairs:
I am so excited to tell you about this show… or shows, I should say, because there’s not one but TWO shows upstairs with only three performance dates. The Travelling Trunk Theatre Troupe, composed of CentreStage alum Sharon Churchill, Candy O’ Brien, Linda Levy-Fisk, Brian Smit, and yours truly, are back with more stories, fun, and an endless collection of props to perform their Storybook Theatre shows. On February 16 and 23 and March 2, at 11am and 2pm, you can catch TTTT showing off their versatile acting skills to tell you timeless classics like The Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, The Gingerbread Man, and many more. There will be lions, tigers, bears, and some familiar Robert Munsch stories, all brought to life with fun and flair, and just as much to see and love for the adults as there is for the kids. The 11am shows are called Pigs and Pals and the 2pm shows are called Dragons and Friends, so you get two different shows to enjoy. If you were lucky to catch The Grinch last fall, you know how quickly these shows sell out, so be sure to book your spot now! The Storybook Theatre shows are one of my favourite things to do, and what a great group to be a part of!

Tickets for main stage shows are: adults $15; seniors/students $12; children, age 12 and under, $5. Upper performance shows are only $5.00! CentreStage takes cash or cheques only and reservations are recommended and are held until 15 minutes before show time. You can call 902-678-8040 for reservations and please visit centrestagetheatre.ca to keep updated with shows, auditions and more!