CULTURE. We speak of the dead of winter. What about the dead of fall? This Halloween, Auberge Lakeview Inn in Knowlton invokes the spirit(s) of those who rest not in peace! With an original play written and directed by Stephen Paglia for the occasion, Knowlton Players presents Ghosts of the Lakeview, in which murder most foul raises its ugly head.
Jim Ferrier, special collaboration
Jim Ferrier, special collaboration
Paglia has created a cast of imaginary characters from the Lakeview’s past, all of whom ended up slain horribly, some by their own hand. One after another they recount their tales, explaining the circumstances of their premature deaths and why they haunt this venerable old country inn.
The show melds history with fantasy, imagining the life and death of several unfortunates who passed through the Lakeview down through the years. It’s a fabulous blend of spookiness and humour, richly imaginative and perfect for the season of the witch!
The play opens with the Lakeview’s first ghost, Mortimer Leslie Hannaford, who describes his murder and interment at the Lakeview in 1874. Mortimer narrates his own tale of woe as an introductory note to other murders and ghastly deaths, and subsequent hauntings, over the decades.
“There are others, like me, caught between worlds, mere specters of who we were,” Mortimer explains. “At certain times of the year our worlds intersect and we can be…more aware of each other. Not just shadows or phantoms, but more, so much more…”.
We meet a servant girl who worked at the Lakeview and who kills herself to preserve her virtue, triggering the eventual deaths of both her former employer, his wife, and the unsavoury guest with whom he tried to force her into unwanted carnal relations. Their spirits are now bound to the site of their deaths.
Fast-forward to modern times, where a team of ghost hunters with state-of-the-art electronic equipment tries to detect our ghosts. They try cameras, sound recorders, electromagnetic sensors, the whole works, to try to find out what’s going on. The ghosts, however, just want to have a little fun…Knowlton Players presents Ghosts of the Lakeview on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 29, 30 and 31 at 8:00 p.m. in the Auberge Lakeview Inn at 50 Victoria in Knowlton. The Lakeview is offering a pre-show dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for the show or $30 for dinner and the show and are available by calling Margo at 450-539-1897. For information call Stephen or Laura at 579-438-8816.
