HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-07-01, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2010. PAGE 19. Festival’s opener delivers to packed house
“We’ve got a feed mill and a
rumour mill,” states Huron County
pig farmer Jack, thus setting the tone
for one of the Blyth Festival’s
strongest opening shows in years.
A Killing Snow opens to a
situation that we can all relate to.
Four weary travellers and their
saviour from a Huron County
blizzard burst into the house, kicking
off their boots while shuffling
towards the stove, looking for the
most accessible source of heat. They
then collapse onto the nearest seat
they can find in order to catch their
collective breath.
What follows, however, is
dialogue as funny and a mystery as
mysterious as you’ll ever see thanks
to Huron County playwright Paul
Ciufo. Ciufo’s finger is planted
firmly on the pulse of the area and it
shows through current references,
clever dialogue and razor sharp wit
through many of his diverse and
suspicious characters.
Billed as a murder-mystery,A
Killing Snow chooses a common
path, but an uncommon means of
transportation to get there, and as the
four-day storm wears on, each
character becomes less and less
innocent as people begin to die.
Director and Blyth Festival regular
Kate Lynch is in top form at the head
of the play and while her
experiences in workshopping the
project are well documented (the
group was actually storm-stayed in
Blyth and then Stratford while
attempting to work on the project
last winter), the discomfort seems to
have paid off, as the audience is
swiftly transported to a traditional
Huron County winter. You can
almost feel the cold nipping at your
nose.
“It’s like bloody Siberia out there,”
states Alena, who is soon corrected
by Callie. “Worse. It’s bloody Huron
County.”
And so begins the dynamic
between a former teacher, a scholar,
a student, a psychic and finally a pig
farmer/model.
The latter of which, due to his
quick wit and sharp tongue, is often
guilty of stealing the show. Jack,
played by Gil Garratt, infuses
humour at every corner as the self-
proclaimed “swine herdsperson”
inciting roars of laughter from the
audience in one minute of this
dramatic rollercoaster, and chilling
them to the bone in the next.
He obviously reads the news too,
answering cottager Alena’s
accusation that his swine operation
is polluting her beloved Lake Huron.
Jack defends himself, however,
reaching into the headlines of today,
telling her that it’s actually her septic
system that’s to blame.
And this is only the beginning of
the humourous and revealing
bickering between all five
characters.
When the curtain rises on A
Killing Snow, there is already one
person dead, an older woman who
was inexplicably driving out in the
storm. Retired Latin teacher Gerry,
the owner of the group’s shelter from
the storm, feels a sense of
responsibility and brings the woman
in from the cold, storing her in his
garage.
She disappears, however, and is
soon replaced by another body, one
of the five until-then-living
characters and the “whodunit” is
now in full swing.
The Festival’s new go-to actress,
Catherine Fitch nails the aristocratic
cottager and urban genius, while
Blyth newcomer Patricia Hamilton
plays a Huron County mother who is
often reserved, but as the resident
psychic, when she does speak up,
she has everyone’s attention.
And as the days wear on, more
connections between these travellers
become apparent by the hour.
Mysterious Callie, a “Goderich
girl” as Jack refers to her, leaves
many questions unanswered as to
her background, but when her
identity is questioned (and her purse
is raided), everything seems to check
out.
Often referred to as “feisty” and
“spunky” by Jack, Callie, played
brilliantly by Lisa Norton, proves to
be a perfect foil to Jack through their
hate-soaked banter and constant
runner-up to the always impressive
Alena when it comes to their
academic accomplishments.
A perfect mixture of comedy,
drama and mystery,A Killing Snow
delivers on every level. One of the
many ties that bind throughout the
show is the characters’ shared
knowledge of Latin. Of course, someare more proficient than others, butas the situation begins to spin moreand more out of control, the ancient
language becomes a key player in
the story.
The suspense is executed perfectly
by the cast and it proves capable of
hushing the crowd to a point where a
pin drop can be heard. Truly a
magnificent task when just seconds
earlier uproarious laughter had filled
Memorial Hall.
It is tough to recall a more
quotable show in recent years at the
Blyth Festival, with most of the
memorable quips coming from the
lips of Jack. Whether it’s about his
past life as a high-schooler aimed at
former teacher Gerry, or his past
relationship with Libby’s daughter,
Jack is always there and he’s always
in your face.
Over the next four days, the
resulting clash between these five
different characters is electric as
every one of them seems to have an
axe to grind and keeps you guessing
until the final light dims.
Ciufo’s characters are rich, deep
and realistic and as the mystery
deepens, the characters are drawn
further and further behind their veils
as the lines between good and evil
become increasingly blurred. He
creates a vivid and realistic worldwhere there are there are no heroesand no villains.Ciufo takes traditional characters
and Huron County personalities,
white knights and black sheep and
repeatedly turns the story on its head
until everyone comes out in the same
shade of grey, leaving the audience
lost in knowing who to trust and who
to suspect.
The result is that everyone has
skeletons in their closets and there
are no clean getaways when the
storm finally breaks.
A Killing Snow is an entertaining
ride and a perfect first piece of a
season-long puzzle that promises to
show Huron County its reflection in
the mirror, whether it likes it or not.
A Killing Snow plays at the Blyth
Festival until August 13.
Happy Birthday
Love Christine
& your family
Brad
I can’t
Believe
you’re
50!!
Forthcoming Marriage
Lavern and Joan Clark
are pleased to
announce the
forthcoming marriage
of their son,
Shawn Clark
to
Marianna Horn,
daughter of
Dag Horn and
Maria Horn
of Deep River, Ontario.
The ceremony
will take place
on
Saturday, August 7, 2010
in Deep River, Ontario
Making a killing
AKilling Snow, which opened at the Blyth Festival on Friday is a classic “whodunit” set against
the backdrop of a blizzard in Huron County. From left: Jack, played by Gil Garratt; Gerry,
played by Sam Malkin; Libby, played by Patricia Hamilton and Callie, played by Lisa Norton.
(Terry Manzo photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
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