Rumors fly in Hatrix Theatre’s upcoming production of the Neil Simon farce “Rumors” at McNally school, May 29-June 1.
Hatrix welcomes aboard some new faces as well as some familiar faces.

“It’s about four couple who get together to celebrates a fifth couple’s tenth anniversary. The first couple arrive to find the host has been shot and his wife is missing, they try to keep it from the second couple and they try to keep that from the third couple until the police show up,” summarized director Karolyn Harker, noting the playwright passed away last year, though she had already chosen to do the play before then.

“And as they try to not let the cat out of the bag, the rumours start to fly. Who could have shot Charlie and who is having an affair at the club and who is having an affair on the democratic campaign trail,” she continued, adding Vittorio Oliverio, who plays Ken in the play, brought Harker the play, who was immediately drawn to the writing.
“I was in a production of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite and really enjoyed the writing, It moves along quickly,” Harker said.

“We’ve got several new faces and some familiar faces. They’ve all been wonderful,” Harker said.
Vittorio Oliverio, who plays Ken in Rumors, is glad to be back with Hatrix. He was one of several actors in this play who were also in 12 Angry Jurors, including Vicki Gibson, who plays Officer Welch, Lisa Gearing, who plays Officer Pudney, Brad Pace, who plays Glenn and Elise Tiffany who plays Claire and Richard Amery, who plays Ernie.

“I found this play because I love Neil Simon’s plays and I’ve never been in one, and wanted to do one, so I brought it to Karolyn,” he said.
“I’m excited about it,” he continued, he said, noting he is enjoying playing deaf for a large part of the play.
“He’s a fun character to play,” he said. Ken and his wife Chris are the first couple to discover their host Charlie has been shot and try to cover it up as the other couples arrive.

 “ But he screws it up,” he said.
“ Ken likes to be in control of everything, but he isn’t here,” he said.

Taber actor Jocelyn Steinborn has become a familiar face performing with Playgoers of Lethbridge and in the One Act Play Festival this year.
“It’s my first show with Hatrix. The story is hilarious and I just wanted to be part of it,” said Steinborn, who plays the crystal loving, somewhat paranoid Cassie, who is married to ambitions Poughkeepsie politician Glenn, played by Brad Pace. She is enjoying playing a more soap operatic role.
“She‘s definitely more insecure than any other character I’ve played,” Steinborn observed.
“She’s a bit of a gold digger and very concerned with outward appearances,” she said.
“I’ve really enjoyed it,” she said.

As usual, there are a lot things happening in Lethbridge this week.
 There are a couple of excellent punk and metal shows, but just as many good folk and country shows and some weirder music on top of all that. And that’s just on Friday.
 The Slice features  an eclectic  show, Tuesday, May 21 as local country/ folk singer Songwriter Tyson Ray Borsboom starts  the night off at 9 followed by Victoria/Seattle based folk/ indie rock musician Mike Edel.
 They will be followed by a late show with Vancouver punk pioneers D.O.A. , who have just released a new CD of rarities and demos called 1978. Admission for the entire night is only $10 so don’t miss it.

 But the week rocks on with a whole lot of metal at the Slice with local metal bands Chernoff, Drearius plus Portage la Prairie metal band Dead Ringer will be rocking the roof off the Slice, Wednesday, May 22 beginning at 9 p.m. There is a $10 cover for the show.
Gabe Thaine’s High Level Variety night is back at the Slice, on Thursday, May 23 with host magician Ben Price. Gabe Thaine’s country  roots band  the Rugged River Ramblers will also be performing beginning at 8:30 p.m.
Admission is by donation.

Friday cooks. Local bluesman Paul Kype hosts Honker’s pub’s Friday night open mic beginning around 8 p.m. also on the north side, at the Smokehouse, there will be a whole lot of punk and metal happening. Vancouver’s Russian Tim and Pavel Bures  will be playing punk versions of Russian pop and rock songs. They will share the stage with local punk band The Hockey Moms and ’90s style Riot Grrrl style alternative rock trio  Mombod. Admission is $10 at the door. The music begins at 9 p.m. with Bob Scallywag playing an acoustic set.
 Downtown, local roots/country band Rancho Deluxe will be releasing their debut CD “Lucky Stars” at the Slice beginning at 9 p.m. Steve Foord will be opening the show.

Victoria musician Lily Fawn explores her more experimental pop side with her new project Hush Hush Noise, which comes to the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Friday, May 24.
 Hush Hush Noise evolved out of a collaboration with fellow Victoria musician Eric Hogg to recreate the music of the TV show Twin Peaks.
“And we enjoyed working together so much, we wondered what it would be like to collaborate on original music,” said Lily Fawn, who is best known as one half of  experimental/ swamp rock duo Hank and Lily.
“Eric is the nicest guy. And he’s so easygoing. He’s quite musical. He’s given me the license to be creative. There’s no idea too weird that he isn’t willing to try,” she continued.

“I’m so excited to bring it to Lethbridge (May 24 at the Owl Acoustic Lounge). It’s so different. It’s a lot more experimental and a lot more electronic pop,” she continued, noting the duo have been playing together and recently released their self titled debut CD on Rae Spoon’s record label Coax Records.
“It’s more like (English electronica band) Broadcast or Metric,” she described.
“ And it is a little like Bjork,” she said, agreeing her distinctive high pitched voice does draw the inevitable  comparisons to Hank and Lily. But she said it is also a lot different than the Twin Peaks project
“It’s more pop indie rock, but it isn’t Britney Spears,” she continued.