Henry and Alice: Into the Wild
Theatre North West
Runs until May 8
Take an uptight middle-aged couple in the midst of a mid-life crisis and plop them down in the middle of woods and you have the story of Henry and Alice: Into the Wild.
The production of the sequel to Sexy Laundry finds the title couple embarking on an ill-advised camping trip - throw pillows and fancy blankets in the woods - while coping with issues many married couples can relate to like job loss and a desire for change but not knowing how to find it.
From the moment Henry with all the gear he bought from a local outdoors store arrives at the campsite, it's apparent he's not a typical outdoors man. But at least Henry is dressed the part, unlike Alice in her open-toed sandals and light-coloured slacks. Instead of a backpack, Alice has packed her camping gear into a rolling suitcase.
From that moment it's obvious to the audience that most of the humour from Henry and Alice will come from their environment.
The camping hijinks provide Henry and Alice the opportunity to talk about the real issues that have plagued them separately for weeks and months. Micheal Querin and Annabel Kershaw portray the title characters, while Karen Johnson-Diamond provides humour as Alice's motorcycle riding, Africa-bound sister Diana.
When Diana arrives on the scene it provides Kershaw's Alice with an opportunity to air her inner turmoil, which was locked inside as she played the supportive wife prior to her sister's arrival.
Kershaw steals the show with two wickedly creepy and fun scenes - the latter when the bored housewife contemplates taking a spin on her sister's motorcycle. She also shows a knack for physical comedy due to a stuck zipper on a sleeping bag and the motorcycle scene.
Querin's soliloquy in the end provides both introspective thought and humour. Some of the best moments of the production come from the humour provided by the sexually repressed Henry and his reactions to his very liberal sister-in-law. Until the end, it was Querin's job to play the straight man reacting to the differing personalities of the sisters.
While the title characters are fine, the play doesn't really take off until Johnson-Diamond, with fiery red hair, rides up as Alice on her motorcycle to spice up the tension with her ability to push Alice's buttons and get under Henry's skin.
Johnson-Diamond plays a supporting role that moves the plot along superbly and some of the life of the play leaves with her when she jumps back on her motorcycle and rides away before the end of the show.
Overall the second foray into the lives of Henry and Alice is an entertaining, if predictable, look into the lives of a married couple dealing with issues many people could relate to. Henry and Alice: Into the Wild is like an old, comfortable pair of slippers - it's time for a new pair but just can't part with the lovable old ones.
The play runs at Theatre North West until May 8.
The schedule is set for next season at Theatre North West with four productions ready to roll out beginning Oct. 2. The plays the nonprofit Prince George theatre will tackle next year are: Letter from Winfield Farm, Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, Where the Blood Mixes and Bemused.
