With files from AlvegoRoot Theatre
AlvegoRoot Theatre presents a wholly new production of Jason Rip’s dark circus-inspired comedy, Luce, April 15 to 19, at The Manor Park Memorial Hall.
Directed by Adam Corrigan Holowitz, Luce features performances by Aidan Coutts, Haiden Lyle, and Kydra Ryan.
(Pictured: Aidan Coutts as Cheeks in Luce. Photo by Kydra Ryan.)
Cheeks is the new clown on board the Little Colossal Circus train, but he feels more like an invader than a welcome presence. The ringmaster’s inferiority bubbles to the surface when his straying girlfriend, Clovis the tightrope walker, develops a fascination for the pathetically sad clown. Poor Cheeks is simply trying to find a little companionship with somebody that isn’t a runty giraffe named Luce.
(Pictured: Kydra Ryan as Clovis in Luce. Photo by Mariana Hrnjak.)
“I see this play as being the theatrical equivalent of an old heartbreak-country song. The kind of tale folks love because, despite being mournful and lonesome, it sweeps you up in the epic emotions,” says director Adam Corrigan Holowitz. “The circus in this play is falling apart. The bills are piling up. The death of the last clown, Old Sparks, looms over everyone and everything. Circuses have always been a place to run away to, but where do you go when you want to run away from the circus?”
(Pictured: Haiden Lyle as Chartley in Luce. Photo by Kydra Ryan.)
Holowitz adds, “Jason Rip has written a new version which has brilliantly deepened the play, so it will feel very different from its first production. But is still chock-full of Jason’s witticisms and staple dark humour. I saw the first production of Luce when it premiered in 2012, and I remember laughing throughout the entire show. What compelled me to include it in our 2026 season is that the play has a gritty naturalism and an edge-of-your-seat plot, and characters that are flawed and ferocious.”
(Pictured: Aidan Coutts as Cheeks and Kydra Ryan as Clovis in Luce. Photo by Marian Hrnjak.)
IF YOU GO:
What: AlvegoRoot Theatre presents Jason Rip’s Luce.
When: April 15 at 7:30 PM
April 16 at 7:30 PM
April 17 at 7:30 PM
April 18 at 2:00 PM
April 18 at 7:30 PM
April 19 at 2:00 PM
Where: The Manor Park Memorial Hall, 11 Briscoe Street West, London, Ontario
Tickets: $32. Under 30 and arts worker tickets can be obtained under the code Under 30_Arts Worker. Tickets can be purchased at: www.alvegoroottheatre.com or by calling (519) 615-2210
Recommended for Ages 16+
The production deals with mature subject matter, including abuse and alcoholism. Graphic language and intimacy are depicted on stage.
AlvegoRoot Theatre is a professional theatre presenting and developing plays by local playwrights about London, Ontario, and the surrounding region.
The Beat Magazine 2025 