The Gentleman Clothier is a full-length comedy by Norm Foster. Norman Davenport feels he was born in the wrong century. Disappointed that he is forced to cater to more current tastes when he opens a brand new clothing store, Norman makes a wish that changes his life – and the lives of his two loyal employees – forever. Written by Norm Foster, Canada's most produced playwright, this tailor-made play is a magical tale filled with lessons for us all.

The Gentleman Clothier tells the story of Norman, a lonely bachelor who decides to fulfill a dream of opening his own clothing store and in turn creates a new family within the store. Experienced tailor Norman Davenport has barely opened the doors to his new clothing store in downtown Halifax when Sophie, an exuberant young woman, barges in looking for work, followed by Patrick, a single father who claims to be handy. Hesitantly Norman hires them both to tie up the last few threads before the grand opening. And whether Norman realizes it or not, he needs help getting into the twenty-first century to cater to the current tastes of his customers. When the shop's first customer, Alisha Sparrow, a friendly, attractive woman, drops in looking for a suit for her husband, Norman is smitten against his better judgment. His sensible, modest world has become profoundly complicated in less than a week, and Norman makes a wish to live in a simpler time. Unfortunately for him, his wish is fulfilled, and his life is about to get messier as he wakes to find things are not what they used to be. Be careful what you wish for! This old adage leads to hilarious results in this magical and cautionary tale. Filled with laughs and heart, The Gentleman Clothier is guaranteed to have you thinking about your place in time.

The Gentleman Clothier premiered in 2014 at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre in Port Dover, Ontario. Since then the play has been produced widely at community theatres across Canada.

Cast: 2 female, 2 male

What people say:

"The Gentleman Clothier may not contain as many side-splitting laughs as other Foster scripts, but it's certainly not bereft of humour either – far from it. As audiences have come to expect from the prolific playwright, The Gentleman Clothier features dynamic characters, each strong and vulnerable in their own way, and whose stories audiences will easily identify with. It's a fabulous play with heart and humour." — The Wellington Advertiser

"Norm Foster's The Gentleman Clothier is a bespoke suit to a threadbare entertainment industry bereft of ideas and originality. Big screen and television offerings are polluted with remakes and rip-offs. But Foster's words delivered by the skilled cast ... is an audience's perfect respite from the banal alternatives in something to watch." — The Orangeville Banner

About the Playwright:

Norm Foster enjoyed a 25-year career as the morning man at independent radio stations in Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, and Kingston, before finally ending up in Fredericton, where he began writing plays. He is considered to be Canada's most produced playwright, with more than fifty-five critically acclaimed plays that are known for their humour, accessibility, and insight into the everyday tribulations of life. He is the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama-Logue Award for his play, The Melville Boys which would go on to be produced across Canada and in the United States, including a well-received run Off Broadway in New York. It would become his signature play, and the one which would bring his name to the forefront of Canadian theatre.