A longtime Brookswood resident and entertainment industry veteran will bring laughter to Surrey and give the city a first-ever dinner theatre show.
Ellie King will bring her latest direction, a theatrical adaptation of Nick Hall’s Eat Your Heart Out, to Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel in Surrey.
The Royal Canadian Theatre Company production will take the audience through young Charlie’s journey. He wants to make it big as an actor but currently works in various restaurants to earn money. King said Charlie’s decisions and his meetings with other characters will make the audience laugh their hearts out.
For those who have never attended a dinner theatre, King explained the concept allows people to enjoy the show and dinner simultaneously.
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A dinner theatre was King’s longtime dream, which she will finally stage in front of a socially distanced audience.
“It is in a completely different setting… it is a different vibe,” she added.
King shared that the show is special to her as her youngest son once played the role of Charlie 20 years ago in Surrey theatre.
King, an England-born artist, has been in the entertainment world since she was two-and-a-half – taking multiple roles including acting, dancing, singing, and writing.
Her talent was discovered at a very young age when a doctor suggested that she join ballet classes to strengthen her weak ankles. The ballet school offered King various opportunities in their dance and theatre shows.
B.C.’s theatre industry welcomed her with open arms in the early ‘80s, and soon she moved to Langley to call Brookswood her home. As a veteran and a more than 35 yearsKing said she is agitated by the lack of theatre space in Langley. The current options in Langley are not viable, and she desires to bring her productions to her “hometown.”
During last year’s election campaign, deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland offered Liberal support for a new public performance centre in the Township of Langley. The cabinet pledged to support the Township on a proposed $65 million performance space.
The pledge is not a guarantee of funding, but Freeland had said it is a commitment to working with local officials to get the project approved.
MP John Aldag’s office told Langley Advance Times that Aldag will soon be meeting Freeland to finalize timelines for when this investment will be delivered. The exact date and time of the meeting were not shared.
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King’s Eat Your Heart Out will be presented in the hotel ballroom from Jan. 27 to 29, with dinner at 7 p.m. and curtain at 8 p.m. There will also be a short intermission in between the one-hour-long play. Tickets start at $85.87 and are available online at eventbrite.ca. For more information, people can visit the Royal Canadian Theatre Company’s website at rctheatreco.com.
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