There's a word for letting the devils loose in a church - hilarious. Just ask any of the audience members who took in Chorister's Chaos at Gibsons United Church over the past two weeks.
Quirky from the beginning, this modern morality tale provided opportunities aplenty to laugh. Bill Forst doing double duty as a choir member and the Judge BB Benevolent (think St. Peter in a nasty wig) set the tone for the production. Wanting nothing more than to get to the golf course, Benevolent first must deal with the mother of the soon-to-be dearly departed, Howard Little. Dawn Miller was spot on as the pleading Mother Little, bargaining for her son's soul to the distracted judge. We soon learn that getting Howard to heaven may be a monumental task - one the ravishing Georgia Pieatch, a blonde bombshell of an angel played deliciously by Niv Harris, takes on as her mission in life - make that death.
We quickly get the picture of the hapless Howard. He's more incompetent than malicious but nevertheless a great target for the dastardly devils, Viper and Cobra. This chill-producing duo was the hit of the play. The sinister Viper aka Rev. Terri Scallon and her sidekick, performer Dianna Barton had the audience in stitches every time they appeared. Barton managed to morph into an utterly believable Peter Lorrie, the perfect foil to the villainous Viper. Their laughs gave me the creeps. Another longtime Coast actor starred as Little. Ed White from his first scene to the last brought the stressed-out Howard to life. White, ever the professional, has a powerful voice well suited to the acoustics of the church hall. Accompanied by the effervescent Miss Berni G. White did a great job of belting out his lyrics. Some of the women didn't fare as well in the music department, their soft voices dissolved into the high ceiling. The one exception was Harris. I had no trouble hearing her beautiful voice. Other highlights in the play were Samantha Mills playing Little's voluptuous secretary Miss Beasley. Mills was marvelous; her mannerisms were a treat to behold. And another fun character was Howard's wife, Alice (Doraleen Stucky in real life). Stucky had some great lines and she had fun delivering them. Kudos to the behind the scenes folks, the costumes and makeup were amazing. The devils with their scary red faces and Cobra's little forked tail were a hoot. And Stucky's excess of canine themed clothing, right down to the cat's eyes glasses, reminded me of a before contestant on What Not to Wear.
Congratulations to director Linda Norris for another successful foray into the wonderful world of amateur theatre. She really got the most out of her cast. Watch for the next gem from this talented group of thespians.
