Oct
20
By Mia Walker
Victoria dramaturge David Elendune has been busy. Recently his theatrical adaption of George Orwell's classic, One Nine Eight Four won widespread acclaim.
And now this month he's joining forces with fellow Victoria resident, Julian Cervello, to mount Cocktails With Stalin: an evening of intelligent entertainment offering not one, but two of the brightest and best one act plays to have premiered in our fair city.
Act One consists of Elendune's Good Night Uncle Joe - A cold war romantic thriller set in Moscow on the night of Joseph Stalin's death. With the world teetering on the edge of nuclear armageddon, the unexpected arrival of Anna (a pretty American journalist with a dangerous past) forces ruthless KGB enforcer, Lavrentii Beria, to choose between life, love and murder.
Act Two comprises Cervello's Canterbury Cocktails - Imagine a game of charades using purely the words of England's finest medieval poet. This one man tour de force stands not only as great theatre but as a splendid introduction to Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and deservedly won Pick of Victoria Fringe in 2011.
So what's Elendune's motivation behind remounting these works? The dramatist told me he's a firm believer in supporting local talent and pushing for wider audiences. He's always looking to offer something different to theatre goers.
"This is kind of like a good old-fashioned double feature, harking back to the golden age of cinema," said Elendune. "Thrills, spills, damsels in distress...all good fun and cheap at half the price!"
But how do you go about revisiting a project that was so successful? "It's about bringing [in] something new without getting rid of what came before just for the sake of being different," he explained. "You build on what worked, but you allow the new version to have a life of its own. A new cast brings a different dynamic, along with new ideas and possibilities. I'm therefore very excited for how this is going to play out."
Trained in theatre in England, Elendune won two national BBC awards for his writing. With many acting and directing credits to his name, Elendune has written numerous plays and is currently researching material for a new interpretation of the famous Gothic thriller, Frankenstein.
Cocktails With Stalin plays at Intrepid Theatre Club (2-1609 Blanshard Street at Fisgard) Oct. 22 -26 and Oct. 29 - Nov.1. All shows are at 8 p.m. Reservations can be made by leaving a message at 250-382-1948 (Ext 5), or by emailing davidelendune@yahoo.ca.