LIGHTHOUSE REVIEW: ‘Secret Service’ serves up laughs in a spy comedy full of flavour (The Haldimand Press)

Janelle Hanna and Cooper Bilton in a scene from Secret Service.

By Mike Renzella | The Haldimand Press

July 16, 2026

PORT DOVER—A heaping helping of laughter is on the menu as Lighthouse Theatre presents the world premiere of Secret Service, the third show in its summer 2026 season.

Directed by Interim Artistic Producer David Leyshon, Secret Service blends misunderstandings, undercover operations, and marinara sauce into a theatrical meal sure to satisfy patrons looking for laughs along the shores of Lake Erie this July.

Set inside a popular Italian restaurant in Toronto, the show opens with Harry, a down-on-his-luck waiter played by Cooper Bilton, arriving for his first shift.

However, the restaurant’s manager Quentin, played by Robbie Towns, and chef Maddy, played by Lisa Norton, are not who they appear to be. The pair are actually federal agents preparing a sting operation to capture famous assassin Viviana Scarlotta, played by Janelle Hanna.

Mistaking Harry for world-renowned undercover agent Nick Hardcastle, codenamed “The Condor,” Quentin and Maddy rush the hapless waiter through the details. They hastily set him up to take on Scarlotta before the real Condor, played by Lighthouse veteran Stephen Sparks, steps through the restaurant’s doors, dressed to kill and in no mood to suffer a fool.

With a hasty plan in place, the four find themselves in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, desperate to stay one step ahead of Scarlotta and finish the mission without blowing their cover.

The show is a classic farce, with no greater ambition than to leave its audience in stitches as the misunderstandings escalate and the plot unravels. Slapstick comedy, deadpan one-liners, and over-the-top Italian accents are just some of the ingredients on the plate giving this show its rich flavour.

All five actors acquit themselves well, playing into their characters’ over-the-top natures with ease and sharing a natural chemistry on stage that really comes together as Harry tries to navigate an increasingly complicated meal with Scarlotta through the show’s second half.

Hanna is absolutely hilarious in her Lighthouse debut. Her scenes with Bilton are the clear highlight of the show, leading to some incredible displays of physical comedy as the operation starts to unravel.

Sparks brings some serious James Bond energy to his role, bristling with incredulity as his agent is sidelined in the operation, and brandishing an itchy trigger finger and barely concealed desire to use his licence to kill with impunity.

Towns and Norton stand out as well, with Norton’s character clearly more concerned over Scarlotta’s review of her family’s Italian recipes than she is of the operation underway, and Towns haplessly trying to hold the operation together and keep big egos in check as everything falls apart around him.

For tickets or more information, visit lighthousetheatre.com or call the box office at 1-888-779-7703.

After studying journalism at Humber College, Mike Renzella desired to write professionally but found himself working in technical fields for many years. Beginning in 2019 as a freelancer, he joined the team full-time later that year. Since then, Mike has won several awards for his articles thanks to his commitment to presenting an unbiased, honest look at the important news and events shaping our community.