More theatre? Get outta town

Byron Toben

Centuries have come and gone, but the seasons remain and Montreal summer theatre has migrated to the countryside.

At Theatre Lac Brome in Knowlton, head honcho Nicholas Pynes has assembled a stimulating repertory program that ends September 4. The Brits dominate, with acts by John Mortimer and Noel Coward.

Playwright and lawyer Mortimer is famous for his Rumpole of the Bailey books and TV series. His plays dealing with the legal system and lunacy, The Dock Brief and Edwin, are playing in Knowlton.

John Mortimer’s The Dock Brief stars Alex Ivanovici and Brett Watson. Photo courtesy Theatre Lac Brome

Coward’s Shadows of the Evening and Come Into the Garden Maud are the last plays he wrote and were paired in London as his swan song.

The popular Mary Harvey rounds out the season with Shakespeare’s Will, which explores the life of his wife, Anne Hathaway.

Theatre Lac Brome also offers musical events and, on September 3 and 4, the latest Bowser & Blue presentation.

theatrelacbrome.ca, 450-242-2270 At Hudson Village Theatre, a trio of full-length plays chosen by Andrew Johnston run in sequence.

Mending Fences by perennial summer theatre playwright Norm Foster runs till July 11; Peter Quilter’s Celebrity, which deals with a fading TV game-show host, runs from July 15 to August 1; Snake in the Grass is the 61st play by England’s Alan Aykbourn, who has written 300 plays and had more plays performed in that isle than Shakespeare, runs August 5 to 22. For details on train outings, call 514-287-7866 or email escapadesentrain@amt.qc.ca villagetheatre.ca, 450-458-5361