Plenty of laughter and intrigue as part of LAHF Troupe’s eleventh annual drama production

Glinda the Good Witch (Hilda Grenier) and one of the Munchkins (Julie St. Laurent) offered ‘Poison Apple Punch’ to guests.

Mac Olsen
Express Staff
@SmokyRiverExprs
Who murdered Pig Winkle?

That was what guests of LAHF Troupe’s production, entitled ‘Once Upon a Time’, had to answer as they voted for the “murderer(s)” at the end.

The Local Actors Having Fun Troupe held their annual production at the Jean Cote community hall for two performances, the first on February 25 and the second on March 4.

It was their eleventh annual production and director Lise Poirier is pleased with the cast and crew for their efforts.

“It’s a team effort,” says Poirier. “For me, it’s gratifying to see the result. I’m very honoured to be here. It’s a great group.”

The ‘Once Upon a Time’ theme featured characters from various fairy tales such as ‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Snow White’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. These characters became part of the mystery dinner theatre that LAHF Troupe is known for.

It appears that ‘Sleeping Beauty’ is murdered, but she awakes and, instead, it is Pig Winkle who comes to a bad end later on.

Suspicion and intrigue are cast on each character, who tries to make it look like someone else was the culprit, or they try to deny their complicity.

Each performance was divided into three acts. At the start of each act, ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’, played by Brenda Moore, flew in on a rope and offered tales and jokes. Then ‘Puff’ returned to her lair high in the hills with the help of an assistant.

A three-course meal was also part of each performance. At the end of the first act, guests enjoyed soup.

Following the second act, they enjoyed a ham and chicken dinner. Carrot carrot cake was served at the end of the third act.

Some guests got into the spirit by wearing costumes. Prizes for best dressed male, female and couple were awarded. There were also draws for prizes.

These performances were a fundraiser for LAHF Troupe, with the money going into building improvements.

Look for more photos of the LAHF Troupe performances and the costume winners in next week’s Smoky River Express and on our website at smokyriverexpress.com

Also, look for several videos of the performances on our Facebook page.
Cast and crew

. Sandy Nolette as Snow White.
. Doris Drouin as Little Red Riding Hood.
. Normand Duval as Peter Pan.
. Hilda Grenier as Glinda the Witch.
. Alysia Sharpe as Little Bo Peep.
. J.P. Maure as Colin the Fuzz.
. Jordan Drouin as Mad Hatter.
. Marianne Chalifoux as Tinkerbell.
. Jacqui Melnyk as Elsa/Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty.
. Lynn Florence as Fairy Godmother.
. Gerald Nolette as Genie.
. Aidan Charest as Jay Z Gor.
. Helene Hausler as Big Bad Wolf.
. Paul Benoit as Woody.
. Carol Parker as Munchkin.
. Julie St. Laurent as Munchkin.
. Valerie Cote as Troll.
. Andy Denholm as the dragon assistant.
. Brenda Maure as Puff the Magic Dragon.
. Charlotte Kealy for curtains and lights.
. Denis Boucher for music.

Who had the motive for murder? Several fairy tale characters snoop on a computer for possible leads.
is this your tail, officer? Little Red Riding Hood, played by Doris Drouin, talks to Colin the Fuzz, played by J.P. Maure.
Puff the Magic Dragon, played by Brenda Moore, who flies in on a rope at the start of each act to tell tales and jokes. Then she returns to her lair to watch from afar.
The Big Bad Wolf (played by Helene Hausler) has the hots for Little Red Riding Hood (Doris Drouin). Is it true love, or an opportunity for dinner?
Is Sleeping Beauty dead or asleep? Colin the Fuzz sets up a crime scene perimeter around her, but it’s all for nothing, as she wakes up to everyone’s surprise. However, there’s a larger play here, as it’s Pig Winkle who will be murdered. At the end of each performance, guests voted for whom they thought the murderer(s) was/were.
Many guests were dressed for the occasion. In the photo above are ‘Snow White and the Nine Dorks’. In front, from left, are Darcy Boisvert as ‘Curly’, Pierrette Boisvert as ‘Show White’, Richard Boisvert as ‘Grumpy’ and Cliff Mikula as ‘Stinky’. In the back row, from left, are Whitney Dagg as ‘Snazzy’, Marc Boisvert as ‘Drunky’, Alexandre Lavoie as ‘Drunky’, Angela Lavoie as ‘Sleepy’, Sylvianne Frey as ‘Cranky’ and Lorraine Mikula as ‘Sleazy’.
In the photo above, a conversation takes place between the Mad Hatter (Jordan Drouin), JZ Gor (Aiden Charest) and the Fairy Godmother (Lynn Florence). Behind them, Puff the Magic Dragon (Brenda Moore) returns to her lair high in the hills, with some assistance. Look to the top right on the next page for a complete list of the cast and crew.
The Munchkins (Julie St. Laurent, left, and Carol Parker), are voted as the guilty party for murdering Pig Winkle. Guests voted for whom they thought murdered this character, for both performances.
Above, Donna Buchinski as ‘Thing One’ and Carrie Bartel as ‘Thing Two’ of ‘Dr. Seuss’ fame.
guest Kayla Bartel as the ‘Queen of Hearts’

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