As the holiday season approaches, Post Productions is experimenting with a couple of things they haven’t tried before. For the first time the theatre company known primarily for disturbing and violent stories is staging a romantic comedy. But there’s more! This isn’t just any romantic comedy; it’s a holiday themed romantic comedy that will leave audiences with a sense of renewal and hope. In conjunction with this play the company will release a holiday album to raise money for Abode Respite Services, a local nonprofit that Post Productions became involved with last year.
First the play. First Night by Jack Neary is about two people who, whether they know it or not, are ready to reevaluate their lives and give them up for something new. Danny Fleming (played by Michael K. Potter) is a romantic cynic who owns and operates a video rental store. Remember those? The play takes place in 1995. Video stores were a big deal. It was never Danny’s dream to own a video store, but dreams are for suckers and besides – he does love movies. Holiday movies most of all. In fact, despite his sometimes caustic demeanour, Danny loves everything about the holidays. He loves the music, the decorations, the mood, but most of all the movies. And if movies represent what we yearn for then classic Christmas movies, especially, tells us about the life Danny wishes he had.
One day Meredith O’Connor (played by Fay Lynn) walks into his store. Although they knew each other as children, even secretly harboured crushes on each other in middle school, Danny hasn’t seen her since high school because that’s when she left to become a nun. Whereas Danny didn’t even try to follow his dreams, opting instead to settle for what was easy, Meredith worked hard to follow her dreams. But she’s reached a point in her life where she believes that might have been a mistake – or maybe the problem is that she followed the wrong dream.
As Meredith and Danny become reacquainted, the story pays homage to the rhythms and conflicts and styles of classic Christmas movies from the 1940s and 50s. Meredith and Danny try to figure each other out. They try to one-up each other. They try to outsmart each other. At times they seem to be battling more than flirting. That’s the style of romantic dance featured so prominently in those classic movies. Here it’s enacted with both sincere and ironic passion, as was the stylistic norm among the most memorable entertainment of the 1990s.
Will Meredith and Danny find a way to reconcile their differences and rekindle their affections this New Year’s Eve, often called “First Night” in New England? Of course they will. That’s how these stories work. That’s what we want to happen. The fun is in learning how they get there.
Like water with wine, First Night is paired with something complimentary, something that highlights its flavours and textures – and vice versa. The companion to this nostalgic and romantic holiday play is an album of Christmas music that will have you recalling the sweetest memories of holidays past through a new lens. Wassailing in a Windsor Wonderland by Sketchy Jésus and the Questionables brings together more than a dozen Windsor-based musicians and vocalists in a collection of brand-new arrangements of classic Christmas and holiday songs, from the traditional and sacred to the modern and whimsical. Each artist was invited to not only contribute their musical talents but also to bring their creativity to bear on new takes and arrangements so that songs we’ve all heard thousands of times sound fresh again. The result is delightfully eclectic, showcasing musical genres and approaches that range from jazz to polka, acapella to thrash metal – and everything in between.
The project is led by musical directors Shane Trowbridge and Adrian Deschamps, who collaborated with Post Productions in 2022 when they created the musical score for Stuck by Jonathan Tessier. Though young, these accomplished musicians have been working tirelessly to bring this project to life for the public’s entertainment and most importantly for the benefit of the nonprofit that they and Post Productions hold dear: Abode Respite Services.
For those who haven’t yet had the pleasure of learning about Abode Respite Services (https://www.aboderespite.ca/), it is a non-profit organization that provides out-of-home respite services and inclusive community programming opportunities to help adults with disabilities live as independently and freely as possible. The core values of Abode’s work – dignity and compassion – are an ideal fit for the values and traditions of all of the holidays typically celebrated at this time of year.
Wassailing in a Windsor Wonderland will be released physically and digitally at the end of November for a limited time for $30 – or $20 if purchased with a ticket to see First Night. All revenue from sales of the album, every dollar, will be donated to Abode Respite Services before 23 December 2023.
First Night by Jack Neary is directed by Michael K. Potter, produced by Fay Lynn and Michael K. Potter. This play is presented by Post Productions at The Shadowbox Theatre (1501 Howard Ave, corner of Howard and Shepherd) December 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 & 16. Showtime 8:00 PM (doors open 7:30). Tickets can be purchased for $25 through postproductionswindsor.ca or at the door (cash, debit, or credit card) if seats are still available. Presented in association with Windsor Feminist Theatre.
