Sidekick Players is presenting Jonas and Barry in the Home by Norm Foster to wrap up their Zoom Foster Fest on June 19.
Foster’s quick wit is strong in this lighthearted buddy comedy about living life to its fullest.
Barry is annoyed that he is already living in a seniors’ home at 67, but it’s worth it to live near his daughter, Rosie.
Rosie, who works at the home, brought him in so he would not be alone in case he has a heart attack like his father, brother, and uncle did before they were 65, so, Barry spends his time shuffling around in his slippers, taking naps, and having dinner with Rosie, and that is good enough for him.
But Barry doesn’t get to revel in the quiet for long. Enter the loquacious and flirtatious Jonas, who wrote one hit song 37 years ago. Jonas likes to indulge in the finer things in life, like decadent dates and nice clothes, and he sees Barry the curmudgeon as a fixer upper. As they bicker and bond over women, sports, and family values, Jonas and Barry must learn to open up and face how to keep living their lives.
Director Carroll Lefebvre has brought together three actors who have appeared in numerous Norm Foster plays in many theatres.
Pat McDermott (Barry) has appeared in Sidekick’s Opening Night a few seasons ago as well as Ned Durango Comes to Big Oak, Looking, Maggie’s Getting Married and Office Hours all Foster plays, with other Lower Mainland theatre groups.
Sarah Green (Rosie) appeared in Sidekick’s, The Ladies Foursome by Foster two seasons ago and has performed in Drinking Alone in White Rock. She has also appeared in The Dixie Swim Club by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope & Jamie Wooten, The Odd Couple female version by Neil Simon and Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling.
Ken Fynn is making his Sidekick debut as Jonas, but certainly not his theatrical debut.
Lefebvre and Fynn met when cast in the same play at Metro Theatre in 1996 (Ken’s first community theatre experience) and have remained friends ever since, but never had the opportunity to work together again. Since then, he has appeared in numerous productions throughout the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. In the past few years he has taken on the mantle of director for several productions.
“What’s so amazing about zooming is that we can connect with old friends who otherwise would find the commute too far to physically appear in our plays,” said Lefebvre. “Ken lives in Chilliwack and Pat is in Abbotsford, so, it’s really a treat to be able to work with these two guys in these very funny roles.
“Sarah is a bit closer as she is in White Rock and having worked with Sarah in The Ladies Foursome, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with her again.”
The other plus of zooming is that Sidekick is attracting huge audiences for these one-night plays. The last play, Halfway There (another Foster play) had 200 registrants, with people from across Canada, in Singapore and Saudi Arabia tuning in.
“We were absolutely thrilled with this response,” added Lefebvre. “As we have the video open pre-show, many people are seeing friends they haven’t seen for a while and it’s like having hundreds of people in the lobby of the theatre chatting and just having a good time.”
Sidekick was honoured to have Foster himself attend Halfway There.
“We were beyond ecstatic that he was joining us and extremely grateful that he stayed awake for the entire performance and stayed around for a while to answer questions from our actors and audience members,” Lefebvre added. “Mr. Foster lives in New Brunswick, so, the time difference had him up until the wee small hours of the morning.”
Jonas and Barry in the Home will be performed on Saturday, June 19 at 7:30 p.m. Pre-register by June 18 to gain admittance.
The cost is free. To register, email sidekickplayers@outlook.com.
