HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2014-07-16, Page 66 News Record • Wednesday, July 16, 2014
"I'm in my Kitchen Radio"
Steph Smith
Goderich Signal Star
Recently, I had a the pleas-
ure of seeing a play aptly
titled Kitchen Radio, based
on the book by Marion de
Vries and directed by Kelli
Fox, at the Blyth Festival the-
atre. I didn't know what I
was in store for, especially
after reading the description
of the production on the the-
atre's website, which gave a
very intriguing synopsis of
the premise of Kitchen
Radio.
It was the opening night
for the theatre's 40th season
and the opening night for
the play as well. This oppor-
tunity couldn't have come at
a better or more special time!
Unlike other plays I've
seen, the set design for
Kitchen Radio, done by
Laura Gardner, was very
simple yet brilliant, as it
effectively portrayed the
time period for which the
play was cast - 1968. A work-
ing door, a piano, a table and
a couple of chairs, a myriad
of other small props and of
course an old radio, the sim-
plicity was enough for the
viewer to get a sense of
where the scene was taking
place, with the invitation of
letting their imagination fill
in the rest of the details.
An interesting aspect that
my guest and I noticed right
away, before the show
began, was the use of various
window frames in the back-
drop where the live band
would be playing. The win-
dow frames were arranged in
such a way that they looked
like the mesh on the front of
an old radio.
At the play's beginning,
you meet five relatively ordi-
nary Canadian women just
trying to take what life gives
them and roll with it.
They all have one thing in
common - singing along
with the female country
music stars they listen to on
their kitchen radios, imagin-
ing they are one of them. As
the wife of a bank manager
Eleanor (Elizabeth Kalles) is
once again unpacking boxes
because she and Dan (Greg
Gale) move so often, she
never has time to get settled
in and make new friends,
that is, until she meets
Sophie (Rebecca Auerbach),
Maggie (Nicole Joy -Fraser),
Helen (Marion Day) and
Angela (Emily Lukasik).
These women come together
with humour and music to
gain independence and a
voice during a time when
women's rights were still
being very much
challenged.
Each performer is worth
noting for his or her undeni-
able acting chops. They were
all so believable and full of
energy, reaching out far
beyond their scripts and
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Clinton United Church
105 Ontario Street
Minister Rev. Randy Covey
Director of Music: Louise Dockstader
Church Office: 519-482-9553
www.clintonunited.ca
SUNDAY, JULY 20
10:30 AM WORSHIP SERVICE
SPEAKER - DAVE WILLIAMS
EVERYONE WELCOME
Christian Reformed Church
243 Princess St. E., Clinton
Pastor Ron Luchies
519-482-5264
SUNDAY JULY 20, 2014
10:00 AM- MorningService
7:00 PM- Evening ervice
Son Treasure Island DVBS
July 28- August 1, 9:00- 11:45am.
Ages 3-12
" Praise be to the Lord, the God of
Israel, from everlasting to everlasting."
Psalm 106 vs 48
All Visitors Welcome!!
St. Paul's Anglican Church
A Congregation of the
Parish of The Holy Spirit
49 O t rio St. C inton
The Reveren�aring A.Snowdon BA,
M.Div
Organist & Choir Master: Dana Prouse
SUNDAY, JULY 20
WORSHIP AT 11:15 AM
EVERYONE WELCOME
TO ADVERTISE IN THIS
SECTION, PLEASE CALL
CHRISTY 519-482-3443
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BIBLE MISSIONARY CHURCH
35 Toronto Blvd., Vanastra
(519) 482-8183
JULY 20, 2014
Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 AM
Sunday Evening Worship 7:00 PM
Pastor Josh McCarthy
Everyone Welcome!
Heartland Community Church
(52 Victoria Street, Clinton, Ontario)
For information see www.heartlandemc.com
Church 519-606-1015
Pastor Charles Gingerich
SUNDAY JULY 20, 2014
10:00 AM FAMILY SERVICE :
Worship as a family with us. Then the chil-
dren enjoy their program while adults are
blessed by a message for them.
7:00 PM SHARE & PRAYER SERVICE
Expect a welcome and a blessing!
Fellowship Bible Chapel
220 KING ST., LONDESBOROUGH
www.fellowshipbiblechapel.ca
SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2014
9:45 am: Breaking of Bread
11:00 am: Family Bible Hour
ALL WELCOME!
First Baptist Church
85 Huron St., Clinton 482-3598
SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2014
MORNING SERVICE 10:30AM
Lay Pastor - Wally DeWolfe
Bible Study Wednesday 7:30 PM
making their characters
become as real as you or me.
But what must be noted are
the singing abilities of each
actress, especially Auerbach
and Day - those women can
really sing with such power
and conviction!
It should also be noted
that this very dynamic cast
can do it all- and I do not say
this lightly.
Beyond having strong act-
ing skills and the ability to
sing just as strongly is a feat
in itself. However, every
actor played an instrument
at some point in the play,
whether it was for his or her
scene or if they were playing
with the band - which I
would like to point out was
made up mostly of the
actors themselves!
There was a violin, piano,
several guitars and various
auxiliary percussion instru-
ments, to name a few. Basi-
cally, if you named an
instrument, chances are one
of these actors could play it.
Day even played the auto-
harp, and it's not very com-
mon to see one of those.
Kitchen Radio was
vibrantly, seriously,
humourously and wittily
written, with great lyrics and
music.
The play itself was so
involved to the point where
it's relatable on so many lev-
els, the biggest of which is
singing to the radio and
imagining yourself as a
famous singer, regardless of
gender or genre.
Kitchen Radio pays hom-
age to the women like Patsy
Cline and Dolly Parton who
blazed a trail in the country
music industry and to those
who took their bras off in
protest for an equal playing
field amongst their male
counterparts. Kitchen Radio
is the truest definition of
feminism and female
empowerment - have a little
fun, have a little faith and
come together.
If you're looking for a good
afternoon or evening of
laughter and good of coun-
try fun, I encourage you to go
see this production.
Kitchen Radio runs from
June 25 to August 9 at the
Blyth Festival Theatre,
located at 423 Queen St.,
Blyth. For a full list of dates
and times, visit the Blyth
Festival website at www.bly-
thfestival.com. To purchase
tickets, call the box office at
1-877-862-5984 or visit the
Blyth Festival website.