By Erin Knutson

Cranbrook Community Theatre’s (CCT) rendition of Ivan Menchell’s The Cemetery Club, its latest and final production of the season at Studio Stage Door, proves authentic, funny, and profoundly moving in Director Patrick Baranowski’s version.

In his director’s notes, Baranowski writes about the privilege of showing his new play as part of a reenvisioned take on a classic featured at CCT in 2005 to celebrate the 60th year of the theatre’s existence.

“Every play this season has been a reimagining and tribute to productions presented in the past. When I read the wonderfully crafted script by Ivan Menchell, I understood why it was so loved. It will make you laugh and cry, and in theatre – what else can you ask for,” he said.

The cast delivers a stellar combined performance, skillfully conveying the nuances of Menchell’s witty, comic, tragic, and highly relatable play about love, loss, marriage and getting older.

Seasoned actors Michelle McCue as Ida, Brenda Burley as Lucille and Jennifer Inglis as Doris broach the topic of death in the form of their dead spouses and a ritual they started as widows to visit their husbands’ graves routinely and with all the colours of human emotion.

The characters in Menchell’s play are memorable, vibrant, and heartbreakingly relatable. Their charming quirks ring true, as do their misadventures, misunderstandings, and a friendship that binds them together through delightful scenarios, hardship, revelation, intrigue, and resolve.

Lucille (Burley), the more outrageous and outspoken of the trio, loudly states in one scene with her striking Jewish New York accent to the more demure characters of Ida and Doris – “I mean it. I’ve had it up to here with the goddamn cemetery. I refuse to be in a club in which half the members are dead.”

A solid cast, both principal and supporting, including Michael Grossman as Sam and Leslie Molnar as Mildred, carries The Cemetery Club to believable highs and lows.

Baranowski, cast, and crew convey the message of this comedy-drama through genuine performances and effective stage management (Matthew Van Boeyen) backed by a talented and proficient ensemble of a production team in this absolute gem produced by Nikki Van Boeyen.

Catch the May 1 -4 and May  8-10 showings at the Studio Stage Door and celebrate the best of the 60th season of Cranbrook Community Theatre.

Purchase tickets.

Above photos: Cast members Michelle McCue as Ida, Brenda Burley as Lucille, Jennifer Inglis as Doris and Michael Grossman as Sam delight in CCT’s production of The Cemetery Club. Photos Submitted

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