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Madcap comedy sure to be a stress buster by Dennis Smith Special to the Beaver Artscene 13 | Friday, January 10, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" M ike Mitton's character in Leading Ladies is uptight and money-hungry, and the actor prefers it that way. "I like playing characters that are a little off," he said. "I like characters that have a little character -- that are not cut and dried -- and they come on the quirky side." Mitton plays Rev. Duncan Wooley in the Burl-Oak Theatre Group's production, which opens Wednesday, Jan. 15. Directed by Lana Borsellino, Leading Ladies is described as a madcap comedy. The play is about an elderly lady on her deathbed, with others nearby plotting to lay hands on her fortune. "I like the timing and rhythm in comedies," said Mitton. "This is madcap because everything happens quickly." As Rev. Wooley, he's courting the woman slated to inherit all the money, until two rivals for the estate appear. "He's religious for the sake of being religious and he's very leery about certain people," said Mitton about his character. "He's kind of the villain in the show." Other cast members include Kate Park, Robert Laszcz, Peter Churey, Anthony Rella, Melissa Verwey, Lois Minard and Michael Pearson. Mitton has enjoyed working in the eightmember ensemble cast. "Everyone has a really good role and there's a lot of interaction with the characters," he said. "I've had a lot of fun going to this show. We have a really good cast and a really good director and it doesn't seem like work at all." For the Oakville resident, returning to theatre has been a tonic after he was seriously ill with meningitis. "A lot of the illness was from stress. I didn't have balance. Work was the priority," said Mitton. "When I was in the hospital for four months, I thought in my head, I need to do something I enjoy. One thing I always enjoyed was acting." The restaurant/bar owner is finding that playing a stressed, high-energy character is relieving his own stress. Leading Ladies stars, from left, Peter Churey as Leo Clark, and Anthony Rella as Jack Gable -- a.k.a. Maxine and Stephanie. This latest Burl-Oak Theatre offering in the form of a madcap comedy opens Jan. 15 at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. | photos courtesy of the Burl-Oak Theatre Group "It's a really good way of meeting people and having social interaction," added Mitton. "There's a real camaraderie because we're all in it together on stage." He grew up in Hamilton and went to theatre school at George Brown College in Toronto. But Mitton wound up running businesses in Vancouver for some years. "Life took me on a different path," he said. Since moving to Oakville, where his family lives, Mitton has been involved in a few local productions. He played the agent nephew in The Sunshine Boys, a comedy staged recently by BurlOak Theatre. "It was a very different style of show. It's a Neil Simon play and it's very stylistic," said the actor. "Leading Ladies is more physical. There's more movement." For Theatre Burlington, Mitton played the younger man, Mitch, in Tuesdays with Morrie and directed Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp. "It does help you become a better actor because you see the whole picture," he said about directing. "Sometimes when you're acting, you just see it as a singular performance." Leading Ladies runs from Jan. 15-18 at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts, 130 Navy St. Shows are at 8 p.m., with a matinée performance Sunday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. Call 905-815-2021 or visit www.oakvillecentre. ca. Auckland performs at Sheridan Theatresports makes return to QEPCCC Rd. at 8 p.m. Tickets for students cost $15 and $20 for their guests. The three bands will also be sharing the stage at McMaster University in Hamilton on Saturday (Jan. 11) and at Western University in London on Wednesday, Jan. 15. For tickets to the Oakville show, visit www. sheridanstudentunion.com. The Oakville Improv Theatre Company is bringing back its Theatresports event for the new year. The event, which takes place at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre (QEPCCC) tonight (Jan. 10) at 8 p.m., pits two newly-formed improv teams against one another in front of a voting audience that will decide which team can make them laugh harder. Additionally, there will be appearances by Lisa Merchant, a three-time Canadian Comedy Award winner; Herbie Barnes, the winner of a Dora Award; and Carmine Lucarelli. Cliff Murphy is host of the show. The centre is located at 2302 Bridge Rd. Tickets cost $5. Mississauga indie/folk rock band Aukland will be joining Tokyo Police Club and Hollerado when they drop by Sheridan College's Trafalgar Campus this Friday. They'll be opening for the Canadian indie rock bands from Newmarket and Ottawa respectively, as part of a mini all-ages university tour. Doors open at The Marquee, 1430 Trafalgar