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CEMETARY CLUB

By Tamara Kamermans

The Players’ Guild of Hamilton, Inc. presents The Cemetery Club.
Written by Ivan Menchell, directed by Tim Denis and produced by
Ariel Rogers, this production has all the right actors and all the
wrong moves.
Part of the challenge of this script is the distinct sitcom feel of
Menchell’s work. When the drama is cheesy, the laughs are cheap
and vice versa. Comedy/drama is always a delicate balance. As
Golda Meir said, “Those who don’t know how to weep with their
whole heart don’t know how to laugh either.” To rise to its
highest level, this production must make us believe in and care
for each character. If we do not accept them as real, we can not
fully feel their sorrow or laugh with any true investment. The
Players’ Guild production fails at this very fundamental level.
What follows is a smooth but rather uneventful evening of
theatre.
The set was nicely done, but not utilized to support the
necessary realism. While the outdoor scenery was painted to
perfection, it still set a phony scene. Every trip out of doors
presents the same time, the same day and the same season.
Again, if you expect an audience to laugh and cry along with the
characters, the suspension of disbelief needs a little more
support. While the concept of the graveyard was clever, the
blocking was so contrived and uncomfortable that all the outdoor
scenes seemed awkward; the actors always battling to justify their
movements. Unnecessary blackouts only heightened this
distraction, but despite these hindrances, the skills of the
performers shone through.
Every character in this show was on the mark. It was a nicely
cast production and in more settled scenes the potential was
obvious. Gladys Glass, as Ida and Al French as Sam had some
lovely courting moments. Judi Skinner has fantastic comic timing
and showed the best respect for the musicality, humor and

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