Entertaining Elgin - Article & Photos by Dave Fersuson

If laughing out loud until your stomach hurts and you cannot breathe were a crime, then the majority of the audience at Port Stanley’s Festival Theatre would be guilty as charged.
The fourth production on the PSFT stage for the 2014 season, The Fixer Upper, written by Lorne Elliot, is a meticulously crafted hilarious comedy set in Prince Edward Island. The entire laugh-riot of a play is propelled throughout the performance by a series of seven phone calls.
The fourth production on the PSFT stage for the 2014 season, The Fixer Upper, written by Lorne Elliot, is a meticulously crafted hilarious comedy set in Prince Edward Island. The entire laugh-riot of a play is propelled throughout the performance by a series of seven phone calls.
Bruno MacIntyre, played by Jamie Williams, is looking for some financial gain from a shack inherited from his Dad. According to Aunt Tilly, performed by Danielle Nicole, the building was a poor excuse for a cabin, thrown together by Bruno’s bumbling n’er-do-well father. She was in utter amazement that the mosquito-invested property is still standing.
Looking to seize an opportunity to make some money Bruno turns to Aunt Tillie for advice on renting the property. He pokes and prods her mind to come up with family members that attended a family wedding, hoping to find someone interested in renting the humble abode.
Looking to seize an opportunity to make some money Bruno turns to Aunt Tillie for advice on renting the property. He pokes and prods her mind to come up with family members that attended a family wedding, hoping to find someone interested in renting the humble abode.
What results is a collision of the cabin being double booked and a calamity of errors carefully crafted by the sly plans of Aunt Tillie. Visions of dollars signs quickly erode as family reconnects and the cabin becomes reconstructed.
Jamie’s facial expressions accompanied by his stellar performance certainly do playwright Lorne Elliot proud. Timely delivery of banter between Aunt Tillie (Danielle Nicole) and Bruno (Jamie Williams) with PEI accents completely sells the witty humor of The Fixer Upper.
Jamie’s facial expressions accompanied by his stellar performance certainly do playwright Lorne Elliot proud. Timely delivery of banter between Aunt Tillie (Danielle Nicole) and Bruno (Jamie Williams) with PEI accents completely sells the witty humor of The Fixer Upper.

Travis Hatt has done a phenomenal job creating the set design, which takes the cabin through various states of transition during the play.
Simon Joynes is once again outstanding in the Director’s chair for The Fixer Upper, and is likely to have enjoyed that role, working with two exceptional actors in Danielle and Jamie.
This is a standing ovation performance with spot-on timing and delivery by both actors and deserving of full-house audiences during its short run until August 16th.
Find out more at www.portstanleytheatre.ca.
Simon Joynes is once again outstanding in the Director’s chair for The Fixer Upper, and is likely to have enjoyed that role, working with two exceptional actors in Danielle and Jamie.
This is a standing ovation performance with spot-on timing and delivery by both actors and deserving of full-house audiences during its short run until August 16th.
Find out more at www.portstanleytheatre.ca.