Despite financial woes earlier in the year, Carleton’s theatre company Sock ‘n’ Buskin ended their season with a success, a laugh, and a few sexual innuendos.
Originally, the company planned to put on Shakespeare’s Othello as their last performance of the season. But issues with casting caused them to switch to the playwright’s Love’s Labour’s Lost in December. Following closely on the heels of The Rocky Horror Show, Love’s Labour’s Lost followed in the vein of light humour and overt sexuality set by the musical.
The plot of Love’s Labour’s Lost’s surrounds the King of Navarre and his men, who decide to forego women in favour of scholarship.
Geoff Burnside, co-artistic director, said this was a nice change from previous years.
“I think it was good to have a whole season of positivity, whereas in the past we’ve had a happy show and then a tragedy,” he said.
“It’s been good to just be happy this year.”
And that positivity was necessary, after the company’s ‘rocky’ start.
“In October, we didn’t know if we were going to have a season next year because we were so far in the hole that we had very serious conversations about shutting down shop this year and just trying to come up with funds,” said John Ryan, the other co-artistic director.
Rocky Horror’s production was plagued every step of the way, Ryan said. Every purchase and every hour spent in the theatre was another minute spent worrying about funds.
“It was a constant elephant in the room—but an elephant in the room with cymbals on his feet,” Ryan said.
Fortunately, Rocky Horror’s success put the theatre back in the black, allowing them to focus on their next production.
While the financial issues were set aside, others cropped up. Switching from Othello to Love’s Labour’s Lost so late in the game meant the company had only three and a half weeks to put on the show.
“It was interesting,” stage manager Rachel Worton said.
“I came on, there was not a lot of production time, but in three weeks we kind of pulled it together and made it happen.”
Despite the time crunch, the lack of financial pressure is mirrored in the play’s levity. Of course, it’s hard not to be flippant when the play centres around men making a three-year celibacy pact before promptly falling in love.
Rest assured, sexual frustration, innuendo, and suggestions ensue.
“It’s very difficult coming off a musical and having to move into another show, particularly because musicals are such high energy,” Ryan said.
“So to move into this weekend and just listen to people make sex jokes for the whole time—but witty sex jokes because it’s Shakespeare—really shakes things up, which is nice.”
In spite of the prowess and the popularity that may have been brought by Othello, Love’s Labour’s Lost offers a uniquely perfect ending to Sock ‘n’ Buskin’s season.
“We have fun putting shows on, the actors have fun being in shows — everyone does it because it’s a labour of love that thankfully doesn’t get lost when people come out to see the show,” Ryan said.
“Thanks to everyone who came out to Rocky and Love’s Labour’s Lost, we’ll have a season next year.”
