(Posted 7 a.m., June 21)
Orleans Older Players have fun with John Cook script in 'Bugface and the Princess'
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

Queen Insectella, played by Céline Nadon, is confronted by her nemesis Baron Bugface, played by Tina Chan, during the Orleans Older Players production of 'Bugface and the Princess'. Fred Sherwin/Photo

The Orleans Older Players are at it again. This weekend the rag tag group of amateur thespians will wrap up their spring class with a production written by local playwrite John Cook entitled "Bugface and the Princess".

Shakespeare it's not, but it is a great deal of fun with a mix of OOPS veterans and a couple of fresh faces, one who's never been on stage before and another who hasn't been on stage in 50 years..

Céline Nadon, Tina Chan, Sue Ashton, André Lacasse, Lynne Shackleton, Ian McGregor, Pam Ryan and David Shackleton are the returnees, while Mark Edwards and Muriel Lobban, at 87 years young, are the newbies. Accompanist Marc Leguerrier, who plays guitar, is also new to the stage.

Nadon plays the insect princess, while Chan is wonderfully cast as the villain Baron Bugface who is bent on avenging the teasing his great-great-great-great grandfather endured at the hands of the insects after he lost his leg in a horrible accident.

Bugface's plan is to trick a couple of exterminators into fumigating the Princess Insectella's palace. The pricess, however, has other plans.

Protaganist and antagonist both have a special formula that allows them to take human form which the use to try and manipulate the exterminators. Fortunately for the insects, one of the exterminators have a soft spot for tiny creatures. Instead of exterminating them, he catches them in a pickle jar an sets them free. This almost gets him fired by his boss, played by Edwards, who sings a wonderfully campy version of "I'm a lumberjack", to the words "I'm an extermnator".

Bugface is assisted in his dastardly scheme by a pair of cockroaches played by Lynne Shackleton an Lacasse. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on whose side your on, the bugs are no match for the Princess' bumble bee assistants, Lady Flobee and Lady Clobee played by Ryan and Ashton.

They save the day with a pair of pepper shakers, which, when liberally shaken over the antagonists three times, turns them to stone.

While the "Bugface and the Priness" is not exactly Broadway material, or even off off Broadway, it is tremendously entertaining. Although it's probably a lot more fun for the cast than it is for the audience, it still beats staying at home and watching reality TV, or blowing $20 bucks on a movie that inevitably fails to live up to its trailer.

You can see "Bugface and the Princess" later today and tonight (Saturday, March 4 ) at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

(This story was made possible thanks to their generous support of our local business partners.)

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