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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-06-30, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2016. PAGE 19. Actors bare all in Festival's `Birds and the Bees' Stripped down Playwright Mark Crawford has dialed up the laughs, as well as the skin, in his most recent production, The Birds and the Bees starring Nora McLellan, left, Christopher Allen, centre, Marion Day, right, and John Dolan, not pictured. The man who brought the Festival Stag and Doe two seasons ago wrote The Birds and the Bees while the playwright in residence in Blyth last year. (Terry Manzo photo) By Denny Scott The Citizen After finding success, not only on the Blyth Festival stage but well beyond, with Stag and Doe, playwright Mark Crawford's most recent offering, The Birds and the Bees had big expectations. With a more risque subject matter, more flesh flashed than any show at the Blyth Festival in recent memory and some intense drama thrown in the mix, the play will find audiences that will enjoy it, however some of the comedy and references may limit that. The story itself would feel quite at home in a Thursday night situational comedy, and that isn't a bad thing — it has an approachable kind of comedy that almost everyone who walks in can enjoy. However being able to enjoy it at its fullest requires some lifetime experience that not everyone may have. For example, the music that main character Sarah, played by Marion Day, puts on to try and find common ground with Ben, a visitor to Sarah's mother Gail's farm, is straight out of my formative years. While that was great for me, to be taken back to my teenage years, anyone a little younger or older than I am might not recognize the tunes or find Ben's reaction, played by Christopher Allen, quite as humorous as they could. Other events occur in the play that, while everyone can enjoy, are likely closer to home and therefore more valuable from a storytelling standpoint to the people who have SEAFORTH AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY Eeemeaareaa Dtra,e0 Saturday, July 2 at the AgriPlex from 5 pm - 1 am Dinner 5:30 - 7:30 pm • Dance to follow Take-out also available GRAND PRIZE CHOICE OF EITHER 1 ATV OR 1 LAWNMOWER Order Tickets Drawn - 1 s' Ticket = $100 • Every 50'" Ticket = $75 747th Ticket = $100 • 748th Ticket = $300 • 749th Ticket = $500 750th Ticket = GRAND PRIZE Valued up to $10,000 Your choice of ONE of the following: • McGavin Farm Equipment - Ferris Lawnmower • Arva Grain - Dixie Chopper Lawnmower • Hyde Brothers - Kubota Lawnmower • Elder Sales & Service - Polaris ATV • Delta Power - Can Am ATV • Huron Tractor - John Deere Gator TICKET PURCHASE INCLUDES DINNER, DANCE AND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT FOR 2 PEOPLE Proceeds for Seaforth Agricultural Society Fair Expense. Only 750 tickets at $75 each to be sold. * Grand prize is ONLY ONE of the list prizes, either one ATV or one Lawnmower License No. M734648. Age of Majority Only FOR TICKETS CALL: • Carmen Scarrow 519-440-6517 • Lyle Haney 519-955-2696 • Anette Scarrow 519-955-4099 • Blooms n Rooms 519-527-0555 • Kendra Redegeld 519-441-3808 • Janet's Donuts 519-527-2551 • Or any Seaforth Agricultural Society Member 519-527-1321 experienced them firsthand. On the whole, the play was funny, though not as much as Crawford's past offering Stag and Doe though that isn't necessarily a critique. Whereas Stag and Doe was humour from curtain up to curtain down, The Birds and the Bees goes deeper than Crawford's preceding smash success. The first act is steeped in comedy and comes on very quickly. It feels like being on some kind of comedy roller coaster where every line, situation and joke after the initial exchange between Sarah and Nora McLellan's Gail comes faster than the last, leading up to a dramatic conclusion. This is undoubtedly a by-product of the first act happening over a very short period, in terms of the story, while the second act happens over several months and has a decidedly more somber and sober tone to it. Everything seems to happen a little more slowly in the second act and is more focused on the characters than the comedy. There are deep connections, deep problems and a big reveal, that while not totally surprising was still handled well by the actors. The character development arcs are aided by this gap in time as the audience can see Gail, Ben, Sarah and John Dolan's Earl change from isolated individuals into a kind of extended family. Day and McLellan portray a somewhat unique mother -daughter relationship. While a lot of media is directed at familial relationships in which one person feels underappreciated, Sarah actually seems to be the forgotten child. From Gail's reluctance to welcome her daughter into her home to the news that Gail's ex-husband has a cat, which Sarah is allergic to, it actually seems like Sarah is the child that is thought about last. Typically, in those situations, it comes to light that it is a "grass is always greener" situation, however Crawford has created a dynamic that definitely paints Sarah as harder done by than her sister. While the story has a more Continued on page 20 COMMUNITY LIVING Wingham Et District inspiring Possibilities Community Living Wingham & District held their AGM June 20th. Among those recognized from left to right are Doug French (volunteer), Terry Sweiger (volunteer), Pat Graham Roberts (volunteer) and Jack McPherson (10 year Board member). Other volunteers recognized but absent include Jane McQuarrie, Dave Wall, Sandra Hopf, Wilma Clarke and Doris Walker. ille117" Fashion Arts & Creative Textiles Studio Explore Huron County's unique colour palette using local dyes and make connections to the worldwide fibreshed movement. +-• "r2a';` 1, Workshops will include fabric marbling, pattern drafting, silk painting, silk screening, lace & bead knitting and much more. Any level of experience. Experts will be on hand in Open Studios to answer questions and offer advice. July 7-22, 2016 Visit www.ruralcreativity.org for more information or to register.