Patrick Brown’s Gallis and the Rolling Calf opens Jambiz summer run July 24

Ace playwright Patrick Brown says the hardest part of mounting each new show is ensuring it feels nothing like the last one. “Our greatest challenge in preparing each production is to make it different from all the others we’ve done. The audience wants a different experience each time they come to the theatre, and that realisation guides all we do,” Brown said during rehearsals for Gallis and the Rolling Calf, the Jambiz summer offering that premieres at the Courtleigh Auditorium on Friday, July 24.

Jambiz has once again lined up a strong company. Comedy veteran Glen ‘Titus’ Campbell heads the cast, rejoined by Courtney Wilson, his long-time comic partner. Wilson this time splits the role with Desmond Dennis, a younger stage performer whose credits have been growing steadily. Renae Williams and Shanique Brown round out the company, alternating in the female lead.

Campbell plays John, a notorious “gallis” consumed with chasing women and boasting about his record. Romance is sport to him — until this pursuit goes wrong and may prove his last. Between that mishap and what follows, Brown delivers the relentless joke-a-line humour that has become his signature.

Wilson, cast as Jomo, says the rehearsals already point to another packed house of laughter. “When we have so much fun giving life to the characters, it’s a good sign that the audience will be in for a comedic treat. This one is really very funny. And on top of that, it’s filled with lots of twists and turns. Surprises will come jumping at the audience right throughout. The audience will love this one. Trust me,” Wilson said. Dennis, his alternate, backed him up and, smirking, added simply, “Be warned.”

Williams arrives fresh from Boospie’s Homecoming, where her sly, mischievous, and comic turn won over crowds. She says she aims to go further here. “I learned so much in Boospie’s Homecoming from working with this amazingly talented group, especially writer-director Patrick Brown and, of course, Glen and Courtney. So I am now more prepared to take it to that higher level,” she said.

As Jane, Williams settles into the Jambiz fold beside Shanique Brown, who is new to this company’s stage though not to theatre. Brown has appeared in several shows over the years, and those watching rehearsal say she has settled into the company with ease.

Following the Friday, July 24 premiere, Gallis and the Rolling Calf runs Wednesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m., with performances also set for Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.