Former NHLer Theo Fleury's story to hit stage in Saskatoon
Play follows Fleury through different parts of his personal life and hockey career
The story of former NHLer Theo Fleury will be front and centre in Saskatoon this month.
Playing With Fire: The Theo Fleury Story runs at Persephone Theatre from Jan.13 to Jan.30.
The one-man show follows the hockey legend through different parts of his personal life and hockey career. Actor Shaun Smyth, as Theo Fleury, tells the entire story while suited up in hockey gear and skating on artificial ice.
Smyth said, so far, the play has been well received across Canada.
"It's amazing to see how people have responded to this story on many different levels," Smyth said, adding the play connects to people who are interested in hockey, fans of Fleury, or survivors of abuse.
"It's a human story. It's almost operatic or Shakespearian in a way," Smyth said.
"The struggles in what Theo Fleury has overcome in his career, in his life, the odds that he has beaten to achieve what he has done in both his NHL career, his hockey career overall, and his personal life. It's a story that so many people can take inspiration from. "
When Fleury retired from hockey he wrote an autobiography called Playing with Fire which documented his hockey career and battle with addictions. He also wrote about how he had been sexually abused by former hockey coach Graham James.
Tickets for the play are available at www.persephonetheatre.org.