{"id":105456,"date":"2024-06-26T12:26:52","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T16:26:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=105456"},"modified":"2024-06-26T17:00:25","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T21:00:25","slug":"preview-guild-festival-theatre-presents-adaptation-jeromes-classic-story-three-men-bike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/06\/26\/preview-guild-festival-theatre-presents-adaptation-jeromes-classic-story-three-men-bike\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | Guild Festival Theatre Presents An Adaptation of Jerome\u2019s Classic Story Three Men On A Bike"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"L:
L: Actors Jack Copland, Suchiththa Wickremesooriya & Azeem Nathoo in Three Men on a Bike; R: The Greek theatre at Guild park in Scarborough (Photos courtesy of the Guild Festival Theatre)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Scarborough\u2019s Guild Festival Theatre is presenting Three Men on a Bike, the follow up to last year\u2019s hit comedy, Three Men in a Boat. Based on the classic story by Jerome K. Jerome, the production opens July 18 and runs until August 4 at the outdoor venue.<\/p>\n

Guild Festival Theatre in Scarborough presents outdoor productions in a summer season of theatre in Guild Park & Gardens. Guild Park is home to the iconic Greek theatre, an amphitheatre built into the scenery. The location is atmospheric, and versatile enough to create and enact scenes of various types.<\/p>\n

We spoke to playwright Mark Brownell<\/strong>, who adapted the original novel, director Sue Miner<\/strong>, and arranger\/composer J. Rigzin Tute<\/strong> about the production.<\/p>\n

Three Men on a Bike<\/h2>\n

Toronto-based playwright and librettist Mark Brownell<\/strong> is the recipient of a Dora Mavor Moore award, a Governor General’s Award Nomination, the Maxim Mazumdar Play Competition Award and a Harold Independent Theatre Award. Selected credits include Dragon\u2019s Tale (Tapestry Opera\/Soundstreams\/Luminato), Iron Road (Tapestry Opera), The Weaving Maiden (Soundstreams) and Harmonious Interest (Victoria Symphony).<\/p>\n

Director Sue Miner<\/strong> is a native of Montreal. She studied and graduated from The National Theatre School Acting Section. Sue has directed productions at Young People\u2019s Theatre, Canadian Stage, Theatre Aquarius, and a Dora Award winning production of Alice in Wonderland for Bad Hats Theatre\/Soulpepper, among many others. She is the Program Coordinator of George Brown Theatre School.<\/p>\n

J. Rigzin Tute<\/strong> is a composer and music educator whose credits include productions a the Shaw Festival, and Resurgence Theatre. He taught music in the theatre school of George Brown College, and Toronto Metropolitan University, composing for and directing dozens of productions.<\/p>\n

\"L-R:
L-R: Composer\/arranger J. Rigzin Tute; playwright Mark Brownell; director Sue Miner (Photos courtesy of the artists)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three Men on a Bike: The Interview<\/h3>\n

The story involves the holiday adventures and misadventures of a trio of friends. Last year\u2019s adaptation of Three Men on a Boat was a hit, but it\u2019s a bit of an unusual choice for source material. What led to the idea?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think for both Sue and I,\u201d says Mark Brownell, \u201cwe really loved them, and it has a really weird lasting quality. Brits having bad experiences vacationing is very similar to Canadians having bad camping vacations.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a sense of familiarity that comes from the fact that English writer and humourist Jerome K. Jerome\u2019s work, and in fact Three Men on a Boat (published in 1889), influenced many writers who\u2019d come after him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJerome\u2019s characters are kind of proto Jeeves and Wooster,\u201d Mark explains, the kind of manic member of the rising middle class of the Victorian era. \u201cThere is a lot of British humour that came after that was influenced by Jerome,\u201d he adds. \u201c[You could call it] \u2018Three Berties without a Jeeves\u2019,\u201d he laughs. \u201cThere\u2019s no rational person in these shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lot of the humour comes from the idea of people who think they know much more than they actually do (a theme that resonates as much today). It\u2019s still accessible, and more than 130 years later, the humour still holds up.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things that I find universal about it is that we all want a vacation,\u201d says Sue. As she notes, our idealized visions of holidays are rarely actually fulfilled. The play lets us experience that dilemma vicariously. \u201cThey go on adventures that we don\u2019t have to go on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The universal nature of the humour, and the right playwright to adapt the book, were keys to getting it right.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Mark\u2019s a particularly amazing playwright,\u201d Sue says.<\/p>\n

Three Men on a bike takes up the story of the three characters on another holidays. \u201cIt was actually a lot easier than the first one because I was very familiar to the characters,\u201d Mark says.<\/p>\n

The outdoor venue of the Greek theatre suits the play\u2019s comedy. \u201cWe had nothing to concern ourselves in the end,\u201d Mark says, noting the Guild Festival\u2019s high quality sound system as a factor. \u201cThe show, because it\u2019s outside all the time, plays really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

A larger than life approach is necessary in an outdoor setting, a mode that matches the play\u2019s approach to humour. \u201cIt\u2019s rare that you get to revisit characters,\u201d Mark says. \u201cThe characters, I really love them, as goofy and stupid as they are.\u201d The humour draws on the essential absurdity of existence. \u201cIt\u2019s just fun. I\u2019ve done a number of historical adaptations. There\u2019s something about them that is really appealing. We call it The Idiots Abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n