Sarah Latimer and Shannon English take the stage for the finale of Honky Tonk Laundry.-News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat Firehall Theatre never disappoints in its selections, and the latest choice of Honky Tonk Laundry is certainly no exception to the rule.
The show itself features a very small cast, many of the characters characterized solely by one half of a conversation, or increasingly by the presence of their clothes in the hamper.
The only characters seen on stage themselves are Lana Mae, as played by Shannon English, and Katie Lane, who alternates between two actresses for the run of the show but was portrayed by Sarah Laitmer for their final rehearsal the Medicine Hat News was invited to witness.
To call the pair talented would be an understatement; to be able to sell the world the play is set in, even if that world is as small as one laundromat and one off-screen saloon, with only two people at most on stage, takes a masterful stage presence that each actress brings without hesitation to both scenes and songs alike.
The pair balance each other out beautifully, from Katie Lane’s almost manic mannerisms to Lana Mae’s slow, classical drawl of a Southern queen truly at ease within her kingdom. Their friendship is refreshing and realistic, and only enhanced by the use of music by some of the greatest women in country as non-diegetic musical numbers.
The comedy of hearing Laitmer insist that she doesn’t sing in front of people not long after a powerful and enthusiastic rendition of Pam Tillis’ Queen of Denial is not a moment to miss.
Props have to be given, as well, to the props. So much of the story is told through the presence of specific pieces of laundry; it is impressive how much genuine dread a single pair of bright yellow briefs can draw out of the audience from the simple action of being pulled out of the wrong laundry bag, or from watching an iron get left on a shirt during an impromptu music break.
The set itself is the secret third star of the show, appearing solid, real and charmingly dated in the way one might expect a rural “washateria” to be.
It, alongside spot-on lighting and sound queues, make the space that allows for the characters to truly shine, as if one wall was simply chopped off of a real building and the rest of it was hauled into the Cypress Centre.
The story told in the space is a simple one, but that many, especially women in the arts, will find both cathartic and relatable as they see the two ladies go through struggles with love and personal ambition, and the bond they find along the way.
It is a selection that sits close to home, and just the right level of country for Medicine Hat.
Fortunately, tickets are still available for this one-act wonder through Firehall Theatre, including for some of the dinner shows, which could only enhance this latest love letter to the city’s ever-flourishing art scene.
Remaining dinner theatre shows run tonight and Oct. 4-5 at 6 p.m., while theatre-only shows run Saturday at 2 p.m. and Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at firehalltheatre.thundertix.com.
