Interview: Lindsey Keene of 37 POSTCARDS at Ottawa Little Theatre
Ottawa Little Theatre's next play is Michael McKeever's 37 Postcards, a quirky comedy about what it means to come home. Lindsey Keene, who stars in the role of Gillian Moore, shared some information with me about the show as well as some audience takeaways.
Our season planning committee is the brain behind creating a season with a good mix of genres and target audiences. A lot of thought goes into what shows are produced and when — summertime lends itself well to comedy, for example, and it's always nice to bookend darker shows like And Then There Were None with more lighthearted productions. While it's not an exact science, planning always seeks to balance variety with audience trends and expectations.
Set in the vibrant home of the Sutton family, 37 Postcards follows Avery Sutton as he returns home after 8 years abroad. With his fiancée Gillian in tow, Avery is re-acquainted with his family and all their eccentricities – his mother Evelyn’s quirky forgetfulness, his father Stanford’s larger-than-life persona, and his homemaker aunt Esther’s new enterprise as a phone sex operator. His nana, despite being declared dead earlier that year, is alive and well, and to top it all off, the house is sinking into the ground. Their over-the-top lives are underscored by all-too-human concepts of life, love, and loss, which each family member grapples with in their own way.
37 Postcards doesn’t exactly fit perfectly into any one genre, but definitely has elements of a screwball comedy – it’s fast-paced, farcical, and a bit of a departure from a typical romantic comedy. Unlike a screwball, though, it lacks the traditional “battle of the sexes” trope and has a lot of soft, sensitive moments that one might not expect from the genre.
It’s hard to choose! Every character has their own quirks that make them so loveable (even the bitter and foul-mouthed Nana). While I do love Gillian–a total outsider trying to belong in a topsy-turvy family – I might be a little biased, since I play her. Evelyn and Esther are so brilliant and fun, especially together, and Avery is the perfect straight-man-character to balance out his family. But if I had to pick one, I’d have to go with Stanford, the boisterous man-of-the-house with a penchant for international adventure, night golf, and absurd outfits. He’s so ridiculous but also deeply relatable in his approach to life and family. But in a way, all of the characters are like that–there is something so universal and personable about these characters, despite their exuberant personas.
What message do you want audiences to take away from the show?
The thing about family is that it’s often wacky, eccentric, and a bit of a mess; but that’s what makes it beautiful. No matter where life takes you, you can always find your way back home. Even if it’s on a bit of a tilt.
See Lindsey and the rest of the cast of 37 Postcards from June 11th through June 28th at Ottawa Little Theatre . Ticket prices range from $16 to $32. Click here for more information and click the link below to buy tickets.
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