The Gulf Islands Community Radio Society is close to achieving a $50,000 fundraising goal and hopes an upcoming radio play fundraiser at ArtSpring will ensure the CHiR.fm radio station can become a reality.
The Adventures of Tom Thumb, Private Detective is written by Sid Filkow of Salt Spring Hysterical Society and The Geezers fame in a classic 1940s radio noir mystery style. It will run at ArtSpring on Friday-Saturday, July 21-22 at 7:30 p.m.
As the title suggests, the lead character is the Tom Thumb from English folk tales, who is trying to figure out “the case of the forbidden fruit.” Other cast members are well-known fairytale characters.
“It’s sort of like Boston Blackie meets fractured fairy tales meets the Goon Show,” explained Filkow.
“It’s very funny,” said radio society president and Tom Thumb director Damian Inwood. “We laugh our way through rehearsals and it’s still funny even though we’ve read it loads of times.”
The cast includes Carlo Locatelli as Announcer, Emcee and The Huntsman; Charlotte Mitchell as Snow White, The Mirror and Shep Wooly; Mark O’Neill as Boy Blue and Humpty Dumpty; Charley Miller as Jill and Red Riding Hood; Sue Newman as The Queen; Eric Pollins as Tom Thumb, Wendy Beatty as Rapunzel and David Crone as the Sound Man. Filkow also has a cameo part as the Newsboy.
Filkow is a radio society member, and he and Inwood worked together on a past Salt Spring Community Theatre production. Filkow had pretty much written the play, which was sitting in a drawer, when he contacted Inwood to suggest it be produced as a fundraiser for the radio society.
The Tom Thumb event has since evolved into a full evening of entertainment, with live musical interludes from The Myrtle Sisters and The Regulars.
“There’s entertainment, there’s a variety show, and it’s got a theme and a play,” said Filkow. “It’s kind of a moveable feast.”
The sound effects are also terrific and often humorous, said Inwood.
Tickets for the show are on sale through ArtSpring.