. All in the family, from left to right, are Merlyn Williams, Scott Williams, Robin Williams and Roy Williams. - Jennifer McPhee/NNSL photo |
Yellowknife (July 04/01) - Working with your relatives means you can say what you think and rehearse in the comfort of your own backyard patio, says actor Merlyn Williams.
The long-time Yellowknife thespian (he's got plays, supper theatres and 40 musicals under his belt) is performing at this year's Midnight Sun Theatre Festival with his brother, Roy, and his nephews, Scott and Robin.
So are Williams and his family kind of like the Baldwin brothers of Yellowknife?
"No, no, no," he says shaking his head. "I wish."
The four Williams star together in The Workshop Script, A Cautionary Tale. Williams plays Dramaturge, who is hired to remake a young playwright's script.
Sounds fairly straightforward, so far.
But Dramaturge discovers the play is entirely about bees and that the actors, Scott and Robin, do nothing but buzz. Eventually, one of the actors complains that he can't be a bee, because he's really a WASP.
"It's very off the wall," says Williams. "I play a very frustrated guy."
Williams also plays a frustrated guy in Angel (his brother Roy is in this one). It's about something most of us can relate to, waiting around for a friend to show. When his pal does arrive, he claims he was delayed by a visit from an angel.
The two men launch into a philosophical discussion about whether angels exist.
"My character is not fully convinced," says Williams.
The younger generation of the Williams clan works together in Fear, which explores the uneasiness that arises from being approached by a muttering madman in a public place. Again, it's funny because members of the audience easily identify with the situation. "I guarantee you'll laugh your head off," says Williams. "If it doesn't put both fear and laughter into you, you're missing the point.
Scott Williams is also in Words, Words, Words, a new look at some of Shakespeare's soliloquies.
All four plays are directed by Brian Wainwright.
The one-act play festival runs from July 4 to July 7 at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre.
