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G.B. Shaw comedy hits the stage in Superior

Kathleen Woodford Mineral Independent | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 2 months AGO
by Kathleen Woodford Mineral Independent
| August 23, 2017 1:12 PM

George Bernard Shaw’s Comedy “You Never Can Tell” came to the stage at the Mineral County Fairgrounds on Wednesday evening. Jim Goss with the Mineral County Performing Arts said they were worried about holding the event outside because of the smoke from area wildfires. However, when show time came at 6 p.m., the afternoon breeze had cleared the air and people brought lawn chairs, blankets and sat on bleachers to enjoy the show.

The 1987 four-act play, directed by William Brown, is set in a seaside town and tells the story of Mrs. Clandon and her three children, Dolly, Phillip and Gloria, who have just returned to England after an 18-year stay in Madeira.

The children have no idea who their father is and, through a comedy of errors, end up inviting him to a family lunch. At the same time a dentist named Valentine has fallen in love with the eldest daughter, Gloria. However, Gloria considers herself a modern woman and claims to have no interest in love or marriage.

The play continues with a comedy of errors and confused identities, with the friendly and wise waiter, Walter (most commonly referred to by the characters as “William,” because Dolly thinks he resembles Shakespeare), dispensing his wisdom with the titular phrase “You Never Can Tell.”

For more than five years Montana Shakespeare in the Parks’ has entertained August audiences in Superior through the Mineral County Performing Arts Council. They are the only professional touring theatre program in Montana producing Shakespeare’s plays and the only Shakespeare company in the country to reach as extensively into rural areas.

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