Photo Flash: First Look at Tarragon Theatre's THE BEST BROTHERS, Opening Tonight

Tarragon Theatre launches its 2013-14 season with the Toronto premiere of The Best Brothers, written by award-winning playwright-in-residence Daniel MacIvor. MacIvor along with John Beale recreate the roles they originated in last season's hit Stratford Festival production of this heart-warming and hilarious two-hander. This bittersweet comedy previews opens tonight, September 25 and runs to October 27, 2013 in Tarragon's Mainspace. Tickets range from $21-$53 (inclusive of HST) and are available by calling the box office at 416.531.1827 or by visiting www.tarragontheatre.com.

Hamilton and Kyle Best lead two very different lives. Hamilton, the older brother, is a straight-laced architect with a wife and little apparent appetite for adventure. Kyle is a free spirited real-estate agent whose boyfriend is a sex worker (though "not my sex worker"). The sudden death of their mother Ardith "Bunny" Best - in a ludicrous accident involving a drag queen, a loud speaker and Toronto's Gay Pride Parade - brings the brothers together to sort out the details of the funeral. As they look to celebrate their mother, their relationship is tested while they plan the funeral, and wrestle with fundamental questions of love and family: who did mom love more and who gets the dog?

One of Canada's best known playwrights, and currently a playwright-in-residence at Tarragon, Cape Breton-born Daniel MacIvor has written and directed numerous award-winning shows since he began creating theatre in 1986. MacIvor's previous productions at Tarragon include Was Spring (2012-premiere), Communion (2010-premiere), A Beautiful View (2009), How It Works (2007) and Somewhere I Have Never Travelled (1988). In 2006, MacIvor received the Governor General's Literary Award for Drama for his collection of plays I Still Love You. In 2008, he was awarded the prestigious Siminovitch Prize in Theatre. His play Arigato, Tokyo premiered at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in 2013 and earned him a Dora Award nomination for Outstanding New Play while The Best Brothers premiered at the Stratford Festival in 2012. With Factory Theatre and Necessary Angel Theatre, he is currently developing a new solo play, Who Killed Spalding Gray? and a new work called Cake at Tarragon.
Tarragon brings together the same artistic team that premiered the piece at Stratford (save for the costume designer). MacIvor (Hamilton Best) is joined on stage by fellow Nova Scotian John Beale (Kyle Best), whose recent theatre credits include Daniel MacIvor's Bingo (Neptune Theatre) and The Crucible (Two Planks and a Passion), for which he received a Merritt Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Direction is provided by the award-winning Dean Gabourie, currently directing Judith Thompson's The Thrill for the Stratford Festival where he has been directing for a decade and was associate artistic director for a season in addition to his work as artistic director of ACME Theatre Co. Julie Fox, who earlier this year received three Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations (including one for Tarragon's The Little Years) winning for Outstanding Scenic Design for Buddies in Bad Times Theatre'sArigato, Tokyo (also by Daniel MacIvor), designs the set and costumes. The lighting designer is Itai Erdal, sound designer is Jesse Ash, and composer is Jonathan Monro. The stage manager is Robert Harding.

Tarragon Theatre presents the Toronto premiere of The Best Brothers by Daniel MacIvor, directed by Dean Gabourie and starring John Beale and Daniel MacIvor. Featuring: Set and Costume Designer: Julie Fox; Lighting Designer: Itai Erdal; Sound Designer: Jesse Ash; Composer: Jonathan Monro; and Stage Manager: Robert Harding.

Opens September 25 and runs to October 27, 2013 (previews from September 17) at Tarragon Theatre's Mainspace, 30 Bridgman Avenue, Toronto, M5R 1X3, Tuesday-Saturday at 8pm; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30pm starting September 22. Tickets range from $21-$53 (including discounts for students, seniors and groups) AND a Pay-What-You-Can 2:30pm matinee on Tuesday September 17. Tickets can be purchased through the box office at 416.531.1827 or visit www.tarragontheatre.com - $13 Rush Tickets at the door Fridays (on sale at 6pm) & Sundays (on sale at 1pm) starting September 27.

Tarragon Theatre is one of Canada's most important arts institutions. For more than 40 years, it has worked tirelessly to develop home-grown artists and contribute to Canadian culture. Tarragon's mission is to create, develop and produce new plays, and to provide the conditions for new work to thrive. Since its founding, over 190 works have premiered at Tarragon and over 500 scripts have been created and workshopped, receiving 33 nominations and 11 wins for the Governor General's Literary Award. Tarragon received the 2012 Premier's Award for Excellence in the Arts in recognition of producing and developing leading edge and thought-provoking Canadian Theatre, both nationally and on the world stage. Richard Rose has been the Artistic Director since 2002. For more information visit www.tarragontheatre.com.

Photo Credit: Cylla von Tiedemann