Left, David Sklar and Ben Francis in The Guardsman (Credit: Jam Hamidi, Times-colonist)

Last Thursday night I saw the opening night of Ferenc Molnar’s 1910 play The Guardsman. I had not heard of the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár, so found the play to be both entertaining and educational. Well-directed by Kevin McKendrick, the play centres on two celebrated actors, who have been married for only six months. The husband (well played by David Sklar) suspects the wife of infidelity, so decides to disguise himself as a royal guardsman, hoping to lure her into an affair. They meet at their home, then he visits her at the opera where they share a passionate kiss. He later confronts his wife to find her surprisingly nonplussed by the trickery. Instead, she claims that she knew all along he was in disguise. The truth of the matter? That’s up to the audience to decide. The play is witty and the performances strong throughout. The wife is played by Cherise Clarke, who imbues her role with the right amount of sexuality and keeps you guessing as to her true intent. Theatre critic friend Dr. Mazai (Ben Francis) serves to try to dissuade the Actor from his foolish path, only to get directly involved in the shenanigans. Jenn Griffin plays the Actress’s Mama (but not really her mother) and finds good comic moments throughout. The cast is rounded out with two smaller roles; recent UVIC theatre grad Sophie Redford plays the Maid with good comic instincts, and Andrea Lemus plays the Debt Collector, a role that would traditionally be played by a male. Overall, this was a pleasing production that provided plenty of chuckles and introduced me to a playwright whose work included the play Liliom that became the inspiration for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel. Recommended. Runs until July 16th. Tickets are available at

NOTE: I admit that I have fallen way behind with my reviews, sorry about that! Some good shows I’ve seen but did not post on include Sense and Sensibility at the Arts Club, shows at Theatre Inconnu, the Belfry and elsewhere. I’ll try to get back on track!