James and Jamesy are returning to Maple Ridge in an action-packed adventure to save the world from a catastrophic flooding of steeped tea.
Audience members of all ages will be delighted by this quirky holiday-themed comedy by award-winning duo Alastair Knowles, who plays Jamesy, and Aaron Malkin, who play James, in O Christmas Tea: A British Comedy.
This year is going to be a totally revamped show. In August, the pair attended the world’s biggest theatre festival in Scotland, the Edinburgh International Festival.
“We were really inspired by a bunch of shows that made phenomenal use of lighting and theatrical effects,” said Knowles.
“It really makes their shows which are one or two person shows really fill a big space. So we took some of the lessons from that and integrated them into our show,” he continued.
Audience members in Maple Ridge can expect to be immersed in a full-blown snow storm inside the ACT Theatre. Another element that has been added to the show is a candy cane confetti cannon that fills the entire stage in one instance with red and silver decorations.
“Our set is simple, it’s two chairs and a table. But with these effects we are really able to transform the space,” said Knowles who added that what they are really doing is assisting the audience’s imagination.
As the world fills with tea and James and Jamesy spill from the stage into the audience, “the audience will become not just witnesses to the show, but they get to be part of the experience,” said Knowles.
“What Aaron and I try to do is create an environment where the audience feels compelled to participate. We really value the spirit of play among everyone.”
This year there will be a lot more Christmas in the production and magical elements, “that spur the wonder.”
“So it’s both proper and absurd and a show that lights the spark of the child in all of us. It welcomes audiences into this whimsical world of imagination and play,” he added.
Last year Knowles and Malkin won their first Canadian Comedy award for their roles of James and Jamesy. They are also three-time winners of London’s Impresario Award.
