The thespians at Beacock Music Theater sure know their market: zany ladies of a certain age.
Last spring, Beacock watered the east Vancouver theater desert, a little, with its revival of “Nunsense,” a musical comedy about nutty sisters in habits who scheme, wisecrack, sing and dance their way into our hearts. The performance was staged in the second-floor recital room at Beacock Music, and it raised money for the Hough Foundation and a new after-school band program at Hough Elementary School.
This year, Beacock is back with another comedy that raises money for a serious cause — better musical instruments for the band students at Mountain View High School.
The show, “Queen of Bingo,” celebrates, and pokes fun at, unattached ladies looking for laughs, love and completed lines on their Bingo cards. Sis and Babe may be sisters, but they don’t seem to have much in common besides regular Bingo night attendance at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church (in Battle Creek, Mich., not Vancouver). The restrained, wizened Sis keeps busy with friends and their news, but the dynamic, boisterous but deeply insecure Babe finds it hard to strike a healthy balance. Hungry for attention, she also overeats, worries and withdraws.
If You Go
What: “The Queen of Bingo,” a comedy by Jeanne Michels and Phyllis Murphy, directed by Tony Bump.
When: 7 p.m. May 3-4, May 10-11; 2 p.m. May 5 and 12.
Where: Beacock Music, 1420 S.E. 163rd Ave., Vancouver.
Tickets: $17.
On the web: https://www.beacockmusic.com
“The Queen of Bingo” has gained fame over the last couple of decades as a friendly, whacky comedy in the tradition of those classic Tim Conway-Harvey Korman slow-burn sketches on “The Carol Burnett Show.” A successful touring version of “The Queen of Bingo” that ran for years compounded the silliness by featuring men in the women’s roles, but this version stars a couple of actresses from what’s turning into Beacock’s regular returning cast.
Business co-owner Gayle Beacock plays the calm and collected Sis, and Kimberly Dewey is the church’s Sister Robert Ann (a name borrowed for fun from “Nunsense.”) Jennifer Johnson plays the volatile Babe.
“It’s about all the things middle-aged people go through, empty nests and weight and loneliness, so it’s got a serious side — but it’s hilarious,” said Beacock.
“I played one of the sisters, 10 years ago at Slocum House Theater,” director Tony Bump said. “It’s fun to bring it back and see it from a different angle. We’re having a lot of fun with it.”
Roving benefits
Not so hilarious was the moment that inspired Beacock to want to stage another benefit show. She attended a Mountain View High School band concert and watched the student timpanist manage “gymnastics” while playing a century-old, falling-apart instrument.
Under the direction of Sam Ormson and Mark Claasen, she said, the instrumental music program at Mountain View “is a fantastic, overachieving group” that deserves better equipment. Mountain View Instrumental Music will be the beneficiary of all proceeds from this show, she said, and future shows will regularly benefit other local school music programs.
“‘Nunsense’ was a test run, but it went so well, we’re going to try two shows a year” from now on, she said. “We’re going to choose a different school to help out each time. We’ll go roving.”
Surprisingly, Beacock Music Theater has chosen a nonmusical comedy in “The Queen of Bingo,” but each performance will open with great local music — played by small student groups from the Mountain View instrumental program.
“My parents actually moved from the David Douglas school district in Portland to Vancouver so that I could attend” Mountain View and join its band program, said graduating senior Gabe Bradley, who is headed for The New School in New York City to major in saxophone performance.
Graduating senior Roger Vitek is also headed for The New School and its jazz program. Being in band has improved his social and leadership skills, he said, and working toward performance goals has taught him “the difference between instant and delayed gratification,” he said.
