The Ultimate Road Trip
Reviewed by Mary Alderson
In these days of “Shop Canadian” and vacationing in Canada, The Beaver Club is the perfect play. Written by a Canadian it covers a road trip from Ontario to Newfoundland. All the references will be familiar. For example, there’s a debate as to which offers better coffee – Tim Hortons or Starbucks. And along with all that comfortable Canadiana, there are plenty of laughs!
The Beaver Club is now on stage at the Globus Theatre south of Bobcaygeon, and selling out fast. The famous dinners offered at the Globus are an attraction equal to the good theatre, making for a spectacular evening out.
Four women living in the same apartment building are just getting to know each other when they decide to drive from Ontario to Newfoundland. Of course, as they get to know each other better, there are spats along the way, but they also develop a supportive kinship.
What makes Globus’s production special is that the playwright, Barb Scheffler, is also playing one of the four women. So, we can assume that what we are seeing is what she envisioned for her play.
Globus’ Artistic Director Sarah Quick plays Karen, and perhaps that name was used for good reason. As the play opens, she is trying to organize a scrapbooking club for the group, and getting frustrated as no one is really following her directions. A lawyer, she likes to take charge and run the show. Quick handles the role perfectly, just bordering on annoying and remaining likeable.
Her opposite is Radiance, an aging hippie played by Anna Silvija Broks. Broks appears annually at the Globus; you’ll recognize her from last year’s Where You Are, Mending Fences in 2023 and Meet My Sister in 2022. She is delightful as Radiance, holding tight to her back-to-nature beliefs and displaying some signs of attention deficit disorder.
Linda Gorenson is Yvette, playing the role with a musical Quebecois accent. Her husband has died recently, and while the others try to distract her, they just end up putting their feet in their mouths.
Playwright Barb Scheffler plays Eunice, who is originally from Newfoundland. She has the rural Newfoundland accent down pat. She receives an invitation to her nephew’s wedding in Dildo, where she is originally from. The other three tell her she must go, and finally she reluctantly agrees. Thus, the road trip and ferry ride are necessary.
Dildo, of course, results in some laughs, and in fact, no topic is off limits if it can create a joke. There is some discussion about women’s personal vibrators, too! Of course, there is some ribald humour explaining the name, The Beaver Club.
They go skinny dipping at one point, even enticing the proper Karen to join them with zany results. Four women-of-a-certain age skinny dipping is innately hilarious. And Dildo isn’t the only funnily named town they visit – there is also a stop in Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, Quebec.
As the foursome travel across the provinces, a big screen shows the Google maps they are following, highway road signs, welcome signs for various towns, and scenery along the way.
Credit goes to director James Barrett for creating four very distinct personalities, yet ensuring they all mesh together. Each character has her chance to shine and be funny, without making them into caricatures.
Scheffler as the playwright did an excellent job of letting the characters point out each other’s foibles but at the same time they are not cruel.
While the comedy is excellent, there are also poignant moments. Eunice finally explains her reluctance to return to Dildo. She has a long-kept secret that I won’t reveal here.
I know I’ve said this before about other shows, but this play would be a perfect girls’ (read women of all ages) night out. Having said that, I know there were many men in the audience and all of them were enjoying a good laugh.
The Beaver Club continues at the Globus Theatre near Bobcaygeon, until October 4. Tickets are available by calling the Box Office at 705-738-2037 or 1-800-304-7897 or visit https://www.globustheatre.com/current-season
Dinner Theatre: For those interested in their delicious and generous menu items, they offer a full three- course dinner, with three choices in each of the three categories. I started with Caesar salad, my husband had the broccoli cheddar soup, and yes, we are that couple – we eat half and trade. For the main course, we both opted for the Oktoberfest style Bangers and Mash – huge delicious sausages (2 kinds), mashed potatoes and gravy with red cabbage. For dessert, I had pumpkin spice bread and butter pudding, while Victor had apple crumble, both with Kawartha Dairy ice cream. (We didn’t eat half and trade as we were each enjoying our own choice too much!)
Upper Photo: Linda Goranson as Yvette, Sarah Quick as Karen, Anna Silvija Broks as Radiance, and Bar Scheffler (the playwright) as Eunice. Photo by R.A. Bloom Creations & Photography.
The Beaver Club
By Barb Scheffler
Directed by James Barret
Performed by Linda Goranson, Anna Silvija Broks, Sarah Quick, Barb Scheffler.
Globus Theatre, Bobcaygeon
September 24 to October 4, 2025
Reviewed by Mary Alderson