BAKERSFIELD MIST to Explore Authenticity of Art & People at Centaur Theatre

In Bakersfield Mist, playing January 31st to February 26th, Centaur Theatre explores the topic of authenticity and its value-in both art and people-for its first production of 2017.

A hit both in London's West End and in Los Angeles, the comedic two-hander inspired by true events reunites Canadian gem, Nicola Cavendish, (Shirley Valentine, The Goodnight Bird, For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again) with her Glorious! co-star of ten years ago, the multi-talented composer, pianist, lyricist, writer and actor, Jonathan Monro, making his Centaur debut in his newly adopted hometown.

In a kitsch-infested trailer park in Bakersfield, California, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, down-and-out, Maude Gutman, is convinced she bought an unknown Jackson Pollock masterpiece worth millions at a junk shop for a measly three bucks! The question is whether Lionel Percy, the highbrow art expert she's invited to authenticate it, will agree. He's about to get a crash course on what makes art, and people, truly authentic in a hilarious clash of cultures and classes.

MAUDE: You care more about your reputation than the truth.

Director, Roy Surette, said, "The play is very funny because these two people are so different from one another; they're like the red and white clown icons. Through these two polar opposites, Stephen Sach's deceptively simple script explores the much deeper issue of authenticity."

Actor Jonathan Monro added that, "Maude is a force you can't ignore as she's making some very important points about the value of art and people. In the course of the play, she causes Lionel to seriously question something which, at the beginning of the play, he believed to be intrinsically true."

Nicola Cavendish agreed. "It's very easy to make a quick judgement of someone based on something as insignificant as bad language-and Maude swears like a trooper-but then you run the risk of throwing the baby out with the bath water and missing out on someone who might have the power to change your entire perception of life!"

Production Dates:
Previews: Jan. 31 & Feb. 1 8:00 PM
Opening: February 2 8:00 PM
Evenings: Tues. through Sat. 8:00 PM
Matinées: Sat. and Sun. 2:00 PM
Wed. Feb. 8 1:00 PM
Dark: Mondays
Closing: Sun. Feb. 26 2:00 PM

Sunday Chat-up: February 5th at 12:30pm prior to the matinée performance. Presented in collaboration with the Montreal Gazette, join Editor in Chief, Lucinda Chodan, in conversation with Alan Klinkhoff of Alan Klinkhoff Gallery, which specializes in classic Canadian art, and has been advising collectors for more than 60 years. Together Ms. Chodan and Mr. Klinkhoff will explore how likely it is to find a lost Riopelle in one's basement and how to authenticate an oeuvre from the Canadian master of abstraction. Complimentary coffee and biscotti will be served, courtesy of Centaur Theatre's Season Sponsor, Bonaparte Restaurant. Admission is FREE!

Talk Backs: Go behind the curtain with Bakersfield Mist's director, Roy Surette, actors Nicola Cavendish and Jonathan Monro, following the evening performance on Thursday February 9th and the matinée presentation on Sunday February 12th.

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