Community theatre oft-times gets looked down upon because it’s “not professional”; and “volunteers don’t work as hard as paid pros”. This is a stigma that I’ve never liked and often have chastised people for being prejudiced and unusually harsh. I’ve acted in community plays; worked in paid gigs and have seen the same level of professionalism from both sides. The Scarborough Village Theatre associates are welcoming and incredibly hospitable; which I’ve found is something that doesn’t get showcased very often in the professional world to the degree a community theatre does. Tons of Money was professional, hilarious and a great way to spend an evening.
Normally, it is incredibly difficult to use accents in a show while keeping the audience engaged and suspending their disbelief. Playing the part of Aubrey Allington, Christopher Wakelin had impeccable comedic timing and kept his pseudo characters delightfully engaging using well articulated and specific accents to differentiate when he was “pretending” to be other people after his faked death. I was particularly impressed that he was able to intentionally transition within a split second from one to the other. Playing the part of his wife Louise, Konstance Koutoulakis has the art of swift emotional transition down to a “T”, swapping from her slightly-crazed married and scheming self to the mask of the calm housewife/widow taking life as it goes.
The costumes held up to their 1930’s theme, with flappers and vintage suits staying true to the era, thanks to Andra Bradish. Accented nicely by the immediate film-reel style opening to the show, by lighting coordinator and stage manager Jennifer Bakker.
Seeing people who are passionate about what they do, to the point where they do it for the sake of their community is heartwarming. More people need to be shown that passion is what we need in the theatre world, especially now when funding for arts programs is as slim as it is. I regard seeing theatre as the best way- as an audience member, to support the arts and get a great night of enjoyment… all at the same time. Tons of Money at the Scarborough Village Theatre brings that in spades.
Tons of money will be playing until April 22. Be sure to check out the rest of their 2017 and upcoming 2018 season.