Lucas Myers' stage play may hit all the right superficial notes for both genders in his audience.
But, if truth be told, DECK (or How I Instigated Then Overcame an Existential Crisis Through Home Improvement) is more than just a display of partial nudity and power tools.
In fact, the comedy drills deep into the well of the human psyche.
"It's for anyone who has experienced not just a home-building project but also had psychological difficulties and managed to overcome them," the playwright/actor said. "It's about how we deal with things in our lives."
Myers penned the piece about five years ago after he and his wife bought a fixer-upper in their hometown of Nelson, B.C.
Being summer, Myers decided to tackle the deck first.
His father-in-law, a building inspector, came along for the ride.
The project became a life lesson as Myers not only had to build the patio before the season was over but also had to withstand the berating from his wife's dad.
Myers, a perfectionist, learned not to dwell in the details.
Around the same time, Myers said, he read an article in the national newspaper theww Globe and Mail about urban professionals leaving for the country to take on a simpler, live-off-the-land lifestyle.
Myers balked. Then wrote DECK.
In it, Myers portrays seven characters including Cliv, the uptight homeowner, and Corey, the free-spirited, permanent bachelor carpenter.
Needless to say, the two butt heads but also come to accept - and appreciate - each others' qualities.
A National Theatre School alumnus, Myers will be on the coast with his other comedy, Hello Baby!, at the Surrey Arts Centre on Friday and Saturday before hauling DECK to Coquitlam from Nov. 19 to 23.
He will conduct a pre-show chat on Nov. 19 at 7:15 p.m. and a talk-back after the Nov. 21 performance. As well, all wood (supplied by PoCo Building Supplies) will be raffled off on Nov. 25 (raffle tickets will be sold during the six performances).
DECK will run Nov. 19 to 23 at 8 p.m. (with a Nov. 23 matinee) at the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam). Tickets at $39/$30/$15 are available by calling the box office at 604-927-6555 or online at evergreenculturalcentre.ca. Because of its content and volume, DECK is not suitable for children.
