The 1942 movie Casablanca is iconic for many reasons.
The mystique of Humphrey Bogart in the central role of Café Americain owner Rick Blaine, for one. No other film better encapsulated his screen persona: a rumpled survivor of battles unknown; tough, yet caring, a man who masks his idealism with a veneer of world-weary cynicism – until the chips are down.
It's also one of the screen's immortal romances, the tale of Rick's star-crossed love affair with Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman); a relationship that ignited in a Paris on the brink of war – and might yet be rekindled in exotic Morocco.
And maybe – most of all – it's a symbol of resistance to fascism on the march (as personified by conquest-hungry Nazi Germany), a rallying cry for refugees seeking freedom while clinging to core human values; a call to reject the shabby, convenient hypocrisy of political isolationism and collaboration.
A message deeply rooted in the Second World War time period, perhaps – yet one that remains powerfully significant to this day, particularly in light of unfolding events in North America and across the globe.
Now Casablanca – in the live theatre adaptation created by late actor/director Scott Wheeler – returns to the stage of White Rock's original little theatre, now known as the Oceana PARC Playhouse.
The new White Rock Players Club version, helmed by noted director Alaina Holland (Pride and Prejudice, Peninsula Productions' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf) previews this Thursday (Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m.) and runs Feb. 14 to March 2 at the theatre (1532 Johnston Rd.).
Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with 2:30 p.m. Sunday matinees on Feb. 16, Feb. 23 and March 2.
In a play on one of the movie's many memorable lines, Holland has rounded up a cast of "usual suspects" – familiar faces from across Metro Vancouver’s local theatre community.
But it also bodes to be a very different Casablanca from what fans of the movie might expect. According to a Players Club media release, the director is also bringing "fresh energy" to the beloved classic.
This, apparently, extends to casting outside gender lines for two parts traditionally associated with male actors, Nazi emissary Major Strasser (Lori Tych) and envious rival club owner Ferrari (Rebekah MacEwan).
As the crucial central figures in Casablanca's celebrated romantic triangle are well-known veteran local and regional actor Ben Odberg as Rick, Janine Guy (also a familiar face from many local productions) as Ilsa, and film and TV actor Sean Lesko as Ilsa's husband, Victor Laszlo.
It's actually the third time this potent fable, from the screenplay by Julius and Philip Epstein and Howard Koch – based on an original play (Everybody Comes To Rick's) by Murray Burnett and Joan Allison – has appeared on the White Rock stage.
Adapted by former White Rock Players Club president Wheeler in 1983 for his independent ABC Theatre company (based on an earlier musical version) the play was revived by him as a club show in 2005, the year before his untimely passing.
For anyone who has never seen Casablanca in any of its incarnations, here's a brief summary.
The setting is 1941 in French Morocco, technically under the control of the Nazis, through conquered France's collaborationist Vichy government.
American expatriate Rick Blaine is the owner of a successful nightclub and casino in intrigue-filled Casablanca. It's a haven for refugees seeking passage to the U.S. by way of Lisbon; for shady dealers in false documents seeking to exploit the victims of persecution, as well as French and German troops and the dryly cynical French police commander Captain Renault (White Rock theatre veteran Fred Partridge, making his third appearance in the same role).
Rick seems to have settled into a comfortable routine of running the club with loyal employees Sacha (Alex Toth), Carl (Pat McDermott), plus his longtime sidekick, piano-playing entertainer Sam (Clive Ramroop), and his chanteuse (and sometime girlfriend) Yvonne (Eileen Rothe).
He also survives by maintaining a neutrality amidst the political turmoil and intrigue swirling through the streets of the city.
"I stick my neck out for nobody," he maintains.
But Rick's neutrality is shaken when his old flame, Ilsa, who had deserted him in Paris without warning, walks into his "gin joint."
And Rick must also come to terms with the bitter truth that Ilsa was married to Laszlo even at the time when she was involved with him.
In a further irony, Laszlo, who has become an important figure in anti-Nazi resistance in Europe, needs Rick's help to get himself and Ilsa to America, so that he can continue his work there.
Will Rick overcome his bitterness to help out? Will Major Strasser arrest Laszlo? Will Ilsa decide she wants to stay with Rick? Will Captain Renault round up the usual suspects? Will Sam play As Time Goes By?
Fans of Casablanca will, of course, know all the answers – but they and others who have never seen the movie may still be curious to see how it all plays out in the very different dynamic of a live theatre presentation.
For tickets, visit whiterockplayers.ca or call the box office at 604-536-7535.
