Love Lost and Found at the Curling Club
Reviewed by Mary Alderson
We’ve gone from summer to winter at the Globus Theatre south of Bobcaygeon. The barn theatre has been turned into a curling arena for their current offering of Hurry Hard, a cute and funny curling rom com.
Terry is determined that his team will be regional champions this year, snatching the title away from their opponents down the highway. He has a strong team – his brother Bill, Johnny and Darrell. But Darrell’s been in a car accident and has lost his thumb. (Darrell’s in hospital to have his toe put on his hand for a thumb, and there are some surprise laughs about his inability to wear flip-flops in the future.)
In Darrell’s absence, Terry recruits Sandy, Bill’s ex-wife, making for some awkward moments in the curling room. Sandy’s friend Darlene, who isn’t a keen curler, is helping Sandy with the catering for the bonspiel. In the midst of the chaos, there is a sweet love story, and the dynamics between brothers and/or ex-spouses are revealed.
As you can imagine, it’s the game of the century for this last-minute team. But this play isn’t really about curling. It’s about the relationships and the comradery (or the lack of it) among the team members.
Kevin Sepaul as Terry and Dave Pearce as Bill are excellent as the arguing brothers. They are opposites: Terry is aggressive and disorganized, Bill is agreeable to a fault, and a planner, especially with money matters. The two actors portray the character differences and the banter between them is punctuated with many laughs.
Elena Post is charming as Sandy, the caterer who is drafted for the team. With her best friend Darlene, brilliantly played by the always-funny Sarah Quick, the two characters’ banter is hilarious and they play off each other very well. Alex Furber adds to the comedy as Johnny, the very good looking but not-so-bright young man. He has some of the funniest lines in the script.
These five cast members work well together which is evident when they actually mime the curling game in slow motion! Everyone in the audience is laughing as the tension builds when the last rock is thrown.
The set is an accurate portrayal of every curling club room in every small town in Ontario. Recreational curlers know that desire to beat the team from the next town over. This rivalry equals that of the old Corner Gas television show, when the residents of Dog River spit every time the competing town, Wullerton, is mentioned. There are lots of laughs in this play based on that small town recognition.
Canada has a trio of great curling plays – well, I know of three; perhaps there are more. There’s The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon, a Faustian tale where a curler sells his soul to the devil to win a bonspiel. Written by the late great Canadian author W. O. Mitchell as a radio play in 1951, it has been produced on stage at various theatres over the years. Fast forward to 2019, Mark Crawford writes The New Canadian Curling Club, a comedy where an Archie-Bunker-type character has to teach four new Canadians how to curl. A Chinese medical student, a Jamaican Tim Horton’s manager, an Indian father of three, and a 17-year-old Syrian refugee form a curling team. Now, this cute and clever comedy, Hurry Hard, can proudly take its place among this threesome. Only in Canada.
Hurry Hard continues at the Globus Theatre, Lakeview Arts Barn near Bobcaygeon, until August 26. Tickets are available by calling the Box Office at 705-738-2037 or 1-800-304-7897 or visit https://www.lakeviewartsbarn.com/globus-current-season
Photo: Sarah Quick, Kevin Sepaul, Elana Post, Alex Furber, Dave Pearce, at the curling arena in Hurry Hard.
Hurry Hard
By Kristen Da Silva
Directed by James Barrett
Performed by Alex Furber, Dave Pearce, Elana Post, Sarah Quick, Kevin Sepaul.
Globus Theatre at the Lakeview Arts Barn, Bobcaygeon
August 16 to 26, 2023
Reviewed by Mary Alderson