With Valentine’s Day around the corner, love and heartbreak will permeate The ACT as Emerald Pig Theatrical Society launches its 11th season with the one-woman musical Tell Me on a Sunday.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical opens tonight, and it is produced and directed by one of the society’s co-founders John Stuart – an optometrist by day, musical theatre buff by night – and it stars Langley resident Robyn Van Luven.

Stuart discovered the musical already in the mid-1980s – “its music just gets to my heart,” he said – but it wasn’t until 2010 that he and Van Luven worked together and put it on in Vancouver.

The main character, Emma, goes through an emotional roller coaster, having moved from England to New York looking for love and adventure.

“It’s about love... discovering who you are and becoming who you are,” Stuart said of Tell Me on a Sunday. “All of us have gone through those emotions.”

There are five versions of the musical, and when putting on the show, Stuart “pulled the best of all of those,” with some updates to bring it into the 1990s with cellphones and email.

“It has the same emotional tone and feel of the Bernadette Peters’ version that was done in the 1980s,” Stuart said.

While the costumes and look reflect the 1990s, Stuart was able to use current technology to enhance the music from just a piano track to a full musical version, and uses visuals projected onto the stage.

Van Luven graduated two years ago from the University of Victoria with a degree in voice, but her career path has taken her into the nursery business. However, she still enjoys singing as a hobby.

The performance she’s putting on this time – compared to two years ago – is more nuanced, Van Luven said.

“Because I knew the music already, we were able to discover more about the character,” she added.

Co-directing the production is Kerry Kierulf, Simon Challenger is in charge of lighting, and Emily Doreen Wilson is the stage manager, which means “I run around,” she said jokingly.

Tell Me on a Sunday will open tonight (Thursday, Feb. 7) and run until Feb. 9, and then on Feb. 14, 16, and 17.

Tickets are $20 and are available by calling The ACT at 604-467-2787, going to www.theactmapleridge.org, or by going to The ACT ticket centre in person.

How to win a pair of tickets to see Tell Me on a Sunday at The ACT

One lucky TIMES reader will wina pair of tickets to the Feb. 16 Emerald Pig production.

How do you win?

• Visit the TIMES’ website at: www.mrtimes.com, find “More Ways to Connect,” and click on “send us your letters, photos, video.”

• Fill in your name, email, and number.

• Then write a short note explaining why you want to attend this show. Please note your community, and include the keyword “TELL ME” at the top of the note. Preference is given to Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows residents.

Entries must be received prior to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12 and winners will be notified by telephone and/or email. Note: submitted comments could be used in future editions of the newspaper. No staff or family of the TIMES or Glacier Media are eligible. This contest is restricted to online participants, 19 years or older only.