Having left the Valley to pursue an interest in the arts, Jeff Deglow has returned to Canmore to find himself not so much up a creek without a paddle, as afloat in an emotionally charged boat.
Deglow, along with George Smith and Andrew Legg, make up the cast of Cornerstone Theatre and Restaurant’s latest comedy offering, Gone Fishin’, which runs March 25 to April 2.
Gone Fishin’ features Harrison Bachman (Deglow), a caffeine-addicted, big-city stockbroker. Peter (Smith) is a farmer, a man of heavy judgments and limited patience. Paul (Legg) is a jokester with a child-like (or is it childish?) love of the absurd.
The two-act comedy itself, written by Todd McGinnis, takes place entirely in an aluminum fishing boat where the three brothers, who ordinarily would have nothing in common, spend a day fishing as a condition of their late father’s will.
They learn a lot about each other as they wait to open a mysterious package.
For Deglow, who grew up in Canmore through his high school years, then studied drama in New York before working off Broadway, Gone Fishin’ is his first production in Canmore.
Now living in Vancouver where he has worked in TV and film, Deglow said Gone Fishin’ is, “three actors, two acts, one brilliant show. I’d never heard of it before, but it’s a coming together of siblings, a coming of age.
“I’ve never done a show with so few actors and so few entrances and exits. I’ve done more large shows, so this one is interesting because I just sit in one end of the boat.”
In the play, Deglow describes himself as, “the city slicker son and the day of fishing is very inconvenient in my life. It’s a waste of time and that’s where conflict ensues.”
Set on a lake that could be found anywhere in Canada, Deglow’s city character is balanced by the more homespun Peter and Paul.
Peter, played by Calgarian Smith, is the older, responsible brother, a farmer. The play, he said, is something of a, Fiddler on the Roof, on the water. I think a lot of people could relate to being trapped in a small space with siblings.
“It’s kind of a voyeuristic play. You wonder about the dynamic between the brothers.”
Smith said he’s the ideal actor to round out the cast. “I got into theatre later in life,” he joked, “after making and losing my first million. They needed someone for a low budget show and actually, when J.P. (director Thibodeau) found me, I was sitting in the back of a boat.
“Still, working with these guys is like going to Disneyland all over again.”
The brothers’ story in the play, said Legg, a Lethbridge native who now works out of Edmonton, is “their father’s last wish is that they can’t open the package until they spend the day in a boat fishing. When I saw the premise, I thought it’d be fun. It’s a Canadian work for Canadian theatre.
The father’s wish forces the brothers together. Their dad loved fishing and it’s a good way to have a wake. Their father forces them to deal with each other.
“As the middle brother, I push and pull the other two to get along.”
“It’s a real character-driven play,” said Deglow, “which helps to keep the energy up.”
In the end, Gone Fishin’ leaves you wondering what is in the package, if the brothers will make it until the opening of the package and whether they’ll actually survive a day in a boat with each other.
Tickets are available from Cornerstone by visiting atthecorner.ca or calling 403-609-0004.
