Alexander Browne’s The Adventures of Max Bennett - Detective (Saturday, Aug. 10 at White Rock First United Church, 15385 Semiahmoo Ave.) will be of particular interest to old-time radio fans, retro-mystery buffs and people who spend much of their time caring for parents or other ailing family members.
Non-profit group Family Caring For Family, which creates events as a much-needed respite for caregivers, will present the play in conjunction with the producer Katherine Siemens’ Dreaming Elephant Studio, and additional sponsor Tim Horton’s.
Featuring author/director Browne, and film, stage and TV actors Mike Roberds, Melia McClure, Marina Lazzarotto, Michael Broderick, Roger Currie, Tom Saunders, Russel Chartrand and Graham Hiscocks, the production recreates a 1932 live radio broadcast with two episodes of the exploits of Max Bennett, “an ace private investigator who finds adventure where the mysteries of the old world meet the mysteries of the new.”
“It’s an exercise in grand old-school pulp magazine hokum,” said Browne. “We’re playing it straight, but with an affectionate twinkle in the eye. Our aim is to present this in authentic style, with a stock company of versatile actors, script in hand, using a variety of different voices to create a myriad of characters.
“They’ll all be costumed in the clothes actors would have worn in the early 1930s, with live and pre-recorded sound effects and music just as they would have been at the time.”
“It’s a concept that’s been successful for groups across the U.S. and in Britain who present such shows regularly,” adds Siemens. “But it’s only done occasionally here. People can have fun watching the actors at work creating the atmosphere, or they can sit back and close their eyes and experience the story just as if they were hearing it on the radio.”
There will be a special 4:30 p.m. pre-show reception and nominal ticket price for caregivers ($2), but tickets will also be available to the general public ($12), with doors open for them at 5:30 p.m. (the show begins at 6 p.m.) Tickets are available at the door; for more information for caregivers, call Stephanie at 604-239-4376.