NO ONE LIKE HUGH Opens Tonight at MainLine Theatre

Hold on to your non-gender-specific hats because Playwright Hero Productions is presenting their second original show of their fourth season: No One Like Hugh, opening tonight, November 26 at MainLine Theatre. Written by Jimmy Karamanis, Travis Martin and Alexander Smith, No One Like Hugh is an homage to and parody of Shakespeare's mistaken-identity comedies. Cross-dressing, 'identical' twins, a misunderstood fool and dark sorcery are but some of the knavery you can expect.

No One Like Hugh transports the audience to an alternate medieval England, ruled by the eccentric but caring King Archontakis. In this land of mishaps, Hugh, a noble craftsman, pursues Lavender, the sultry princess. Disaster strikes when Hugh's evil 'identical' twin, also named Hugh, plots to steal his brother's bride and England's throne. Also at hand: Hubert, the austere Friar with a big secret; Lactacia, the lady in waiting with her own mysteries; Hugo, sycophantic manservant to the evil Hugh; and the wise-cracking Fool, the only character who can see the blatant physiological and verbal differences between the purported twins.

Consistent with Playwright Hero's past and with Shakespeare's form, No One Like Hugh contains a healthy mix of low-brow sex puns and intellectual witticisms. Also like Shakespeare, the action investigates themes of duplicity, gender identity, morality, and society's effect on individuals. Strong words come from strong feelings, and the three writers, Jimmy Karamanis, Travis Martin, and Alexander Smith, are no strangers to opinion. Martin observes, "We're at our best when we start with a silly idea and take it seriously." All the issues explored in the text are relevant today; Martin comments, "It's a period piece, sort of, but relationships and struggles with identity are eternal. Shakespeare is timeless because that's all he writes about."

Playwright Hero is a rising company of young theatre professionals. Over the years they have found their voice, with each play growing in mirth as well as sophistication of form and substance. Since 2011, they have been producing original material, and are starting to earn some notice. Their original rock opera, Johnny Legdick (written & performed with musical group, The Jem), sold out MainLine Theatre and the company then remounted it at the Montréal Fringe Festival this past summer. There, Playwright Hero earned the Segal Centre's award for Most Promising English Company, and Johnny Legdick was invited to play a third run at Centaur Theatre's Wildside Festival in January 2015.

It has always been difficult to raise money for theatre - no less so in English Montreal. To compensate, Playwright Hero has turned to a modern reimagining of an ancient tradition - that of patronage. Patreon, an online crowdfunding platform, connects artists with their audience in a positive and continuous way. Each time the artist posts a creation, patrons who donate will receive exclusive perks, and have their name on the product. In the case of Playwright Hero, a pledge as little as $20 will guarantee you a seat in the house, and other rewards such as t-shirts, signed programs and ad space is also available. "The support we already have is crazy." Karamanis says. He continues, "We're almost at $2,000 per show, and No One Like Hugh is our first Patreon entry. It's nowhere near a real theatre budget, but it's a start. We believe this kind of platform is where the future of arts funding lies." www.patreon.com/playwrighthero

For No One Like Hugh- Cast: Raph Grosz-Harvey, Morgan Nerenberg, Jonah Carson, Justin Johnson, Luca DiTecco, Stevie Pemberton, Steph Costa, Alex Lepanto and Travis Martin; set designer, Zak Thriepland; costume designer, Emelia Hellman; and lighting designer, Alexander Smith.

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