Complicated, messy, tragic, beautiful and even at times absurd, a story about love is anything but black and white. With three shows on tap from February 12 to 14 at Grove Hall in Huntingdon, Counting the Ways, Counting the Songs – A Valentine’s Vaudeville offers a no holds barred look into a long-term relationship and the time-wrought evolution of love presented as a series of blackout sketches.
Co-produced by the Rural Arts Project and Ad-Hoc Theatre, the play stars husband-and-wife team Gordon Masten and Jude Beny, with musical accompaniment by Ari Snyder.
“It offers a different take on Valentine’s Day, relationships and romance,” says Tina Bye, the co-owner of Grove Hall. “It’s an interesting idea,” she muses, “watching how relationships change.” And the script, based on the Edward Albee play by the same name, does not hold back. From the good to the bad, “there is enough balance,” says Masten of the potent mix of fun and drama served up by the pair, who bring their own brand of colour to the characters.
Masten and Beny were inspired to take on the play by a colleague at Dawson College, where they both teach in the performing arts department. « We’d done T.V., a film and several radio spots; but never the real meal deal – theater, » he says. It was a serendipitous meeting with Mark Bye at the Ormstown Expo that eventually led them to Grove Hall as a venue. « We also wanted to give something back to the rural community, » he notes, adding he has family ties to the region.
The second half of the production features Julliard graduate, Ari Snyder, who will join Masten and Beny for a baker’s dozen songs reflecting the themes explored in Counting the Ways. Snyder will be making a long overdue return to Grove Hall, where he last played during the Project Renaissance days in Tally’s Folly
Showtimes are Friday and Saturday, February 12 and 13, at 8 pm, with a matinee performance on Sunday, February 14, at 2 pm. Tickets can be reserved by calling 514-791-5100, or purchased online at www.grovehall.ca.
