Moonchild Productions latest original play

Move Over Santa!

This holiday season the faerie kingdom pairs up the

Burlesque Queen and the Improv King in

LA BELLA LUNA

December 4 - 13

MOONCHILD PRODUCTIONS presents La Bella Luna, an original musical fantasy that will run at Mainline Theatre from December 4th through to the 13^th. Holly Gauthier-Frankel, whose alter ego 'moonlights' as Miss Sugarpuss, plays The Moon with Uncalled For improv master, William Ward, (winner of the 2008 Fringe Festival Just for Laughs Best Comedy for Blastback Babyzap), as Thomas, the unwitting object of her affections.

In keeping with the season of sugarplum fairies, flying reindeer and magical nutcrackers, this quirky new extravaganza by Patrick de Moss (creator of Full Moon Fever and When I was Jesus) is a musical roller coaster ride that on the surface may appear mere whimsy, but on second inspection, sweeping aside the illusory veil of theatricality, is a multi-layered examination of what is 'real' and/or 'normal' in today's diversified society. Therein lies the genius of the production as the playwright lets the audience decide how deeply they want to fall down the rabbit hole to explore these universal concepts.

MOON: Disturbing the universe is always hard’Ķbut sometimes, it's worth it.

The Moon has fallen in love with Thomas, a young man already walking a razor sharp edge between reality and illusion, and though some in the Faerie community are pleased with this unorthodox union, darker forces are not. Though Thomas struggles to stay connected to the 'real' world through his waiting job at a local coffee shop, he appears to be following in the footsteps of his disturbed father more and more with each passing day and Ben and Ellen, his only two friends in the world, are at a loss as to what they can do to save him. They're not even sure that he wants to be saved. 1980s pop classics flood the air as Thom's new faerie friends pull him deeper and deeper into their world, where his growing fascination with the moon could destroy not only himself but also the delicate balance of that parallel universe.

THOMAS: I don't think my landlord will let me keep faeries.

With Elisabeth de Grandprˆ© at the helm as director, most of the actors play double roles; one in the 'real' world and another in the faerie realm, again highlighting the dichotomy of co-existing realities. In addition to Gauthier-Frankel and Ward, they include (in alphabetical order) Nathaniel Erik, Dawn Ford, Taylor Hayward, Talar Kalaidjian, Jonathan Marquis, and Vikki Wong. Set and lighting design are by Cara de Grandprˆ© (Saving Celine and 7 Stories), with out-of-this-world costumes by Noemi Poulin (One Night, Lion in the Streets and 7 Stories) and stage management by Emilie Zifkin.

Founded in 1999, MOONCHILD PRODUCTIONS focuses on the development and professional staging of new plays by up-and-coming playwrights. Their goal is to reach out to both traditional and non-traditional theatre-going audiences with annual dynamic productions that tell imaginative stories artfully and seek above all to evoke, engage and entertain.

DATES:

Wed. to Sun. Dec. 4 - 13 8:00 PM

Opening Night: December 4 8:00 PM

Sunday Matinee December 7 2:00 PM

Saturday Matinee December 13 2:00 PM

Mon. & Tues. DARK

VENUE:

Mainline Theatre

3997, boul. St-Laurent

BOX OFFICE:

(514) 481 ’Äì 8406

TICKETS PRICES:

Regular Admission: $17

Seniors & Students: $15

Faeries $14

w/Mainline's Fourplay Card $12

WEB SITE:

www.moonchildproductions.ca