By Gideon Heath
“The food is Italian. The complaints are Canadian.”
On a rain-soaked evening in Venice, two Canadian couples of very different kinds find themselves dining at neighbouring tables in a small Italian restaurant.
Cliff and Bonnie, a long-married couple from Winnipeg, are spending the final evening of their Italian holiday together. Bonnie is determined to savour every moment. Cliff, whose enthusiasm for travelling is considerably less impressive than his ability to complain, would be perfectly happy to be home.
Nearby, Erin and Megan, two young nursing graduates from Newfoundland, are celebrating the end of their own Italian adventure. Between memories of their travels, uncertain romantic prospects and decisions about their futures, the evening promises plenty of laughter.
As their conversations begin to overlap, a charming waiter and his equally intriguing colleague add a few unexpected complications.
What begins as an ordinary dinner becomes a funny, touching reminder that life's most meaningful experiences are sometimes the ones we never planned.
A Last Night in Venice is a warm-hearted Canadian comedy about love, friendship, marriage, missed opportunities and the courage to embrace the unexpected.
A reluctant traveller from Winnipeg with a dry sense of humour and an impressive talent for complaining. His attempts to speak Italian are disastrous, but beneath the grumbling lies a thoughtful man carrying memories of his father's wartime service in Italy.
Cliff's wife. Warm, adventurous and determined to make their final evening in Venice special. Her enthusiasm for travel is matched only by her patience with her husband.
A recently graduated nurse from St. John's, Newfoundland. Funny, self-deprecating, ambitious and single. She's beginning to wonder how she managed to spend two weeks in Italy without a romantic adventure.
Erin's close friend and fellow nursing graduate from St. John's. Intelligent, practical and quick-witted, with ambitions to become an operating-room nurse and some uncertainty about her own romantic future.
A handsome, charming Italian waiter whose flirtatious confidence makes him difficult to ignore.
An attractive, capable and self-assured Italian server who takes over from Marco as the evening progresses.
The action takes place entirely inside the Osteria del Canale, a small, welcoming restaurant in Venice.
Two dining tables occupy the playing area, with a modest bar at stage right. Venetian artwork, soft Italian music and warm lighting create an inviting atmosphere, while the sounds of rain and occasional thunder remind everyone of the storm outside.
The compact, single-location setting makes the play suitable for community theatres, studio productions and one-act festivals.
Amateur and community performance rights are administered through the Playwrights Guild of Canada.
Professional performance rights are handled directly by Gideon Heath.