This is the first of a four-part series on the trials and tribulations of putting together a community theatrical performance of the cult classic The Princess Bride. This week features the hours of costume preparation and the women who are making it happen.
"As you wish."
Everyone's favourite fractured fairytale of the damsel in distress, The Princess Bride, will be performed at the Brackendale Art Gallery later this year for Squamish to enjoy.
The 1987 American film, based on the 1973 novel by William Goldman, combines comedy, adventure, romance and fantasy in a way no one and everyone can relate to.
A beautiful young woman named Buttercup lives on a farm in the fictional country of Florin. Whenever she gives her farmhand Westley an order, he answers "as you wish" and happily complies. Eventually, she realizes he loves her and confesses her love for him. Westley leaves to seek his fortune so they can marry, but his ship is attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts.
Five years later, believing Westley is dead, Buttercup reluctantly agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck, heir to the throne of Florin. Before the wedding, she is kidnapped by three outlaws: a short Sicilian boss named Vizzini, a gigantic wrestler from Greenland named Fezzik, and a Spanish fencing master named Inigo Montoya, who is seeking revenge against the six-fingered man who killed his father. The outlaws are pursued by Prince Humperdinck with a complement of soldiers, and also by a masked man in black.
The adventure continues with sword fights on the Cliffs of Insanity, intellectual duels with poison and RUSs (or rodents of unusual size).
The upcoming volunteer, amateur, community production is a treat organized by Patricia Heintzman due to hit the Brackendale Art Gallery (BAG) on March 10. This week features the hours of costume preparation and the women who are making it happen.
Lead costume designer Glenne Campbell has been a costume designer for 30 years and is normally tied up with her "real" job designing costumes for television and film in Vancouver. She is one of the few who had never seen The Princess Bride until a few years ago, when her friend and costume cutter Janet Dundas convinced her to watch it.
Seeing the film, combined with Heintzman's request to make costumes for the production, had Campbell saying "as you wish" quicker than Westley.
"This is a nice foray back to theatre and live costuming and live actors who are here because they want to be," she said. "They're all volunteer and it makes a huge difference."
She said since seeing the movie and reading the script for the play, she's been polling people to see just how many people love the cult classic.
"There was probably only one person out of the 100 that I've talked to who was like myself and hadn't seen it," she said. "Everybody else quotes lines - they're nuts about it. People have been coming up to me in bars wanting to get a role."
Campbell said it's ironic to be working on a production for the BAG because she remembers reading a column in the Calgary Herald about the venue when she was in high school.
"At that point I thought 'that sounds cool,' and here I am helping with a production that will play there," she said.
There are 21 costumes in total. The play has already been cast and the costume design crew - Campbell, Dundas and Karen Yaremkewich - are working on nine costumes to fit the actors. Other costumes have already been bought or rented.
Yaremkewich is the lead hand, a theatrical term for No. 1 seamstress, and she said she's not only enjoying the work but also learning all sorts of new sewing and design techniques from Campbell and Dundas.
"I have a passion for making costumes already so it's nice to be working under the calibre of these two ladies - I'm learning lots," she said.
She and her kids are avid fans of The Princess Bride.
"We own the movie and my children quote lines randomly throughout the day - my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed me father, Prepare to die!" quoted Yaremkewich.
Dundas has loved The Princess Bride as long as she can remember and she said one reason so many people love the classic is that it has a line for every occasion.
"I remember my son telling me one time that if you never said anything but the dialogue from Pulp Fiction, you could get by in life and maybe The Princess Bride is the same," said Dundas, laughing and continuing to cut Inigo Montoya's costume.
"It's nice to work on something that is from your heart and you're just doing for fun."
When asked if the costumes will be ready in time, the design crew said there was no doubt and they were excited to see the costumes on stage.
"We'll be ready - of course!" said Campbell. "After not seeing the movie for so long, we're seeing it, and seeing it from the inside."
She also invited any seamstresses interested in helping out to contact Heinztman at [email protected].
