Tickets on sale now for Medicine Hat Musical Theatre’s next production, a one-woman comedy with relatability at its core

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on November 2, 2024.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

Tickets are officially on sale for Medicine Hat Musical Theatre’s latest production, Shirley Valentine.

The one-woman play was offered to MHMT by its lead and sole actress, Heather Macnab, and was picked up as a good refresher between two large productions, Jersey Boys and The Play That Goes Wrong.

“We just thought it would be the perfect show to go between the two,” said producer Carolyn Freeman. “It’s a very intriguing story, certainly very relevant still, so we were really excited when she brought it to the table.”

Macnab has done the show several times before in various different venues, to the point she says the titular character feels like “an old friend that you feel a little sorry for.”

“It’s about a very ordinary woman who is sort of trapped in her life, and her kids have grown up, and her life is essentially doing housework and looking after her husband, who is not particularly helpful around the house,” said Macnab. “Eventually, her friend gives her an opportunity to go on a trip to Greece.”

She explained that one of the draws of the play is that Valentine herself is an ordinary woman going through a very real and relatable period in her life of wondering if this is truly all there is out there for her. The play itself is a comedy, but contains a grounded and moving message that Macnab says often stays with viewers long after the fact, as well as many tearjerker moments.

The show opens toward the end of November, marking an incredibly tight turnaround for the production crew to get ready. Freeman points out there is a mere 17-day gap between the final showing of Jersey Boys and the media night for Shirley Valentine.

“The fact that it’s a one-woman show, and the fact that Heather has done it before, means we’re really lucky in terms of not having to have lots of in-house rehearsals,” said Freeman. “And actually, the crew is feeling really good about being ready. I was able to convince, or bribe, lots of very talented technicians to be part of this production. So as soon as Jersey Boys and we are going to be in the playhouse the next day to get to work.”

Macnab has been rehearsing in her home for a much longer period to prepare for the daunting task of carrying a full-length play as the only on-stage character, but she’s confident, saying she finds it easy to get into character.

Tickets are available via the Medicine Hat Musical Theatre website as of Friday, and are going quickly. The show will run Nov. 29 and 30, and Dec. 5, 6, 7, with doors opening at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. start. There is one matinee performance on Dec. 1, with doors opening at 1 p.m.

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