Theatre Calgary’s latest production probably won’t be for everyone, but for fans of Steve Martin’s particular brand of absurdist but with heart humour, Meteor Shower is likely to touch on something not frequently seen on a Calgary stage.

The play, which is true to the original Broadway production, is by director Leslie Wade’s own account likely to be as polarizing as the initial run was in 2016—one that divided critics but also saw actress and comedian Amy Schumer nominated for the run’s sole Tony award.

Wade likens that polarization to a similar absurdist comedy production she directed in Stratford: Monty Python’s Spamalot.

“Some people didn’t like it, some people loved it. I think that it’s very important when you have a play and you’re doing a play, to commit to what the playwright’s intentions are, and then just kind of stick to your guns,” she said.

“I always hope that I’m doing it justice by not twisting it and turning it into something that will please everybody because you’re never going to do that anyway. I think by doing that, you’re just going to end up ruining what’s actually working in the show.”

What works in Meteor Shower is the very yin-and-yang aspects of characters Corky and Norm—played by Helen Knight in her Theatre Calgary debut, and Theatre Calgary veteran Nathan Schmidt—who are repressed and looking to find their true selves.

Opposite them are the insincere Gerald and Laura, who are played to bombastic effect by another pair of Theatre Calgary veterans Braden Griffiths and Bahareh Yaraghi.

All against the unravelling backdrop of the play’s eponymous name.

“I think audiences that are married will take a lot away from it. I mean, it’s so funny when you’re sitting in the house and you kind of know ‘oh, yeah, they’re married,’ because the show is so much,” laughed Wade.

“The play is a metaphor for the things that are coming towards your relationship, no matter how much you try to avoid them. They’re coming for you, it’s happening, and so it’s really about the parts of yourself that you pretend are okay and then the parts of yourself that you really know you you have to be honest about.”

The wit and sensibility of Steve Martin on stage

Although it’s not immediately obvious that the setting of the play is in 1993—the costume design by Jessica Poirier-Chang evokes the lounge culture of velour, sequins and leopard print of the ’70s versus the more sedate suburbanism of the ’80s—the language of the time is all there.

“It was all about getting things off your chest and talking about your feelings. This couple is doing everything that they can, but clearly they’re still not seeing what they’re supposed to say. They’re they’ve memorized the jargon, but they haven’t actually gotten in touch with what’s really their issues,” said Wade.

That sort of saying what you’re supposed to say, but not what you mean sets up the comedy and the growth for all of the characters throughout Meteor Shower, said Knight

“I just thought it was the funniest, weirdest script I had read in a long time. Like I was laughing out loud in my living room. I really like absurd, weird theatre, and I think theater is at its best when it gets to hang out in that little milieu,” she said.

Knight said that she thought audiences would be surprised by both the way the play transitions from what the usual expectations are for a theatre comedy, to one that “goes off the rails,” and in the amount of physical humour that backgrounds the fast-paced word play.

“There’s a line that one of the characters says, ‘I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m just gonna go with it.’ And we feel like that’s sort of the mantra we hope to embody with our audiences, even if you don’t know what’s going on, just go with it,” she said.

“I think they’re gonna just have a blast. This is not a show you’re going to come away with and discuss dinner afterwards. So love it or hate it, I think people will be talking about it, and that to me is just exciting art.”

Meteor Shower runs from Jan. 23 to Feb. 11, at the Max Bell Theatre in Arts Commons.

Tickets are on sale now, starting at $39, at www.theatrecalgary.com/shows/2023-2024-meteor-shower.

Photos from Meteor Shower