The Dewdney Players are back with a serving of colourful, somewhat troubled characters.
Cereal Offenders looks at mascots whose decades of hocking sugary cereals have left them a little dried out.
“The premise is there’s eight sort of washed-up, and stressed-out cereal mascots that decide to attend a group therapy session,” said director Mark Huolt.
The play will be dialogue-driven on a minimalist set, with a full serving of Dewdney regulars.
“We’ve got a super funny group of people, so expect a ton of laughter, a ton of great jokes that we’ve worked into the show,” said Huolt, who has been a Dewdney mainstay both on stage and in the director's chair.
“I think people will have a lot of fun.”
While the show is geared towards older audiences and falls within the PG range, Huolt said “there’s sufficient poop, butt and willy jokes to please our younger patrons.”
The show won’t be pure slapstick, however, as it looks at some of the decades-old characters through a somewhat updated lens.
“It’s not just a silly comedy, there’s going to be a few thought-provoking subjects that come up,” Huolt said. “There’s some interesting things to talk about along the way. It is a support group, after all.”
Marking his second performance with Dewdney is Blaine Schlechter, having performed under Huolt's direction in I Take This Man.
This time around, he’s playing Nigel, a sea captain who’s seen a few too many skirmishes protecting his cereal, Captain Crispy.
“He’s suffering from a little post-traumatic stress disorder, he’s been battling pirates at sea for the past 50 years,” Schlechter said. “He’s got some issues he has to deal with and he learns a little about himself along the way that he didn’t really realize.”
His and other characters, which will be familiar to audiences who grew up on sugary cereals, come to grips with their issues — and each other — over the two acts.
“It takes a lot of old characters and puts them in some real modern time situations,” Schlechter said. “It has them struggling and brings them all together into this support group to try and help each other and see if they can move on with their lives.”
Despite the sorry state of the characters, he feels the play should cover all the bases.
“It’s got some humour, some touching moments and surprises,” Schlechter said. “It’s got a little bit of everything that will keep people entertained for the night.”
The play runs Jan. 26-29 and Feb. 2-5 at 7:30 p.m. and on Jan. 29 and Feb. 5 at 2 p.m.
For tickets and information, visit dewdneyplayers.com.
