There can be no argument about Darkhorse Theatre’s latest project.

The local drama group has once again produced a first-rate production with their presentation of the comedy, “Squabbles.”
Darkhorse premiered the show with three terrific performances over the weekend.

The group will wind up its annual dinner theatre engagement with another three shows this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Nov. 24-26) at the Elks Hall.
The play is already gaining positive reviews from the appreciative crowds that attended the inaugural run last weekend. Both the Friday and Saturday night shows were near-sellouts and there was a good crowd on hand for Thursday’s performance as well.
“When I first read the script it made me laugh out loud and I felt from the beginning that this was a play that audiences would really enjoy,” said director Joanne Gregoire. “Fortunately, we were able to assemble a great cast who were able to come together and create a terrific show.”
The cast features Darren Johnston as Abe Dreyfus, Bernie Deobald as Mildred Sloan, Jacylyn Gibson as Alice Sloan, Gordon Brown as Jerry Sloan, Shaun Fritz as Abe’s friend, Sol Wasserman, Sean Heikkila as Hector Lopez and Terry Nicolson as Mrs. Fisher, the Nanny.
Gregoire directed the production with help from stage manager Debbie Widmer. Devon Carlson produced the play while Dianne Greenlay served as emcee. The play was written by Marshall Karp.
The hilarious comedy pits a father-in-law against a mother in a comedic succession of squabbles.
Jerry Sloan is a successful writer of advertising Jingles married to Alice, an equally successful attorney. Living with the happy couple is the not-so-happy Abe Dreyfus, Jerry’s wise-cracking curmudgeon of a father-in-law. Circumstances also force Jerry’s mother, Mildred, to move in with them.
But Abe and Mildred can't stand each other, and the play is one laugh-provoking confrontation after another between the two in-laws.
Complicating matters is the fact that Jerry and Alice are expecting the imminent birth of their first child.
“This play has been so much fun to be a part of,” said Bernie Deobald, who plays the sharp-tongued mother Mildred Sloan. “The entire cast has been totally dedicated to making this play come to life. Everyone knew their lines early which allowed us to work on the acting part of the play.”
Deobald says the play is a little different from past Darkhorse productions in that its humour comes from real-life situations that all audience members will recognize, as opposed to many of the slapstick comedies that Darkhorse has favoured in the past.
“I love this play because it is a great change from the farces that we have done in the past,” said Deobald. “It gives us the opportunity to laugh at a real life situation. We all know that real life is hilarious a lot of the time.”
Deobald is a Darkhorse veteran who has appeared in numerous plays with the local drama group, often playing characters that serve as foils to the zany antics of other actors.
In this production, however, Deobald gets to deliver her own fair share of witty dialogue.
Much of the show’s comedy comes from the banter between the characters played by Deobald and Darren Johnston, the “squabbling” in-laws who, at first glance at least, seem to despise each other.
“This is a great role for me,” laughed Deobald. “Mildred is a wonderful character which allows me to have ‘almost’as many funny lines as Darren.”
Gregoire has directed more than a dozen Darkhorse productions, but this is her first time in the directors chair since 2006. She says her experience this time around has been extremely rewarding.
“It has been fun returning to the director’–s chair after several years working in the catering department of the dinner theatre,” said Gregoire. “Although the director, stage manager and actors devote many hours to rehearsal time and working out the details of the play, our rewards are plentiful when we hear the laughter and applause and receive many compliments for our work.”
Gregoire added, however, that her experience behind the scenes has also provided her with a healthy respect for those volunteers working the less glamorous jobs like props, house, catering, bar, sound and lighting, set construction, set decor, treasurer, costumes, makeup and hair design. 
“The fact is there would be no dinner theatre if it weren’t for these dedicated volunteers, so on behalf of the cast, I would like to publicly thank them for all of their work and hope that they know that when the audience shows their appreciation with a standing ovation at the end of the night... a big part of that applause is shared with each and every volunteer who helps to make the evening a success.”
The final three perforances will take place this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.