Nakuspians both young and old had the chance to experience true love at the Bonnington as Mirror Theatre held its performance of The Princess Bride over the weekend.
The theatre version of hit book turned hit film was slightly different. Instead of a man reading the book to his sick grandson, the story takes place at bedtime, with three young girls asking their grandmother to read them the story.
The inspiration to do The Princess Bride came about as Anji Jones, the play’s director, was searching for something online one day.
“I came across the movie dialogue for The Princess Bride, and I went ‘Oh my god.’,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to do The Princess Bride, so I decided to write an adaptation.”
It’s taken about six months for the play to come together, though because of work, some months were quieter than others.
You couldn’t have asked for a better cast. Every member of the group was perfectly suited to the role they played. Some cast members actually played two, sometimes three roles. For example, not only was Jones playing the role of Vizzini, she also had the task of playing the queen, along with Valerie, the wife of Miracle Max. Miracle Max, in turn, was played by Connor Scambler, who also had the role of Count Rugen.
There were subtle nods to pop culture throughout the play. In one scene, where the kidnapped Princess Buttercup is on a boat with Vizzini, Fezzik, and Inigo Montoya, two lifesavers bore the names of the SS Minow, from Gilligan’s Island and Nakusp’s very own “SS Minto”.
Audience members had a wonderful time.
“It was really good. They put a lot of effort into it, they had a lot of fun doing it.” said Barbara Pedro.
This was Pedro’s first time seeing a Mirror Theatre performance.
“You can tell they really enjoyed it, and that just made it much better,” she said.
There were some unintended gaffes throughout the evening, but they only made audience members laugh harder. One such moment was when Andreea Myhal, playing Inigo Montoya, lost both her false eyebrows and mustache after having her face dunked in water.
Jones is happy the play was able to come to fruition, and is very thankful for her players.
“It was an exceptional ensemble, we have a lot of talent in this town,” she said. “I’m very happy.”