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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1991-10-23, Page 23E ntertainment Theatre review Buddy makes music and fun THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23,1991. PAGE 23. by Bonnie Gropp "There is no depth to the foolish­ ness we will try. But we seem to get away with it." So said Wayne Chaulk, member of Buddy Wasis- name and the Other Fellers, in describing the trio's material to the full house at Blyth Memorial Hall on Saturday night. I couldn’t have said it better myself. With songs inspired by everything from GST to doggy-doo (perhaps not the best examples to show diversity) this Newfoundland threesome kept the capacity audi­ ence tapping their toes and laugh­ ing uproariously with two full hours of zany musical comedy. And just when you thought their wacky antics were hiding inferior musical ability they performed a tender ballad that demonstrated a vocal and instrumental talent wor­ thy of admiration. Their smooth voices blend beautifully and they adroitly accompany themselves on a variety of instruments, including mandolin, accordion and fiddle. Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers have performed their origi­ nal and traditional songs and skits on stages from Victoria to New­ foundland. They have been fea­ tured on television and recently completed their third album, Flatout. Buddy is the alter ego of Kevin Blackmore, the centre stage, manic comedian. Although his formal musical training is limited, he is a gifted entertainer, who draws from his lifetime experiences in a small Newfoundland town, for the sub­ ject of his humour. Wayne Chaulk is one of the "other fellers", a second banana to Kevin and often the voice of sanity. He grew up in Charlottetown, Bonavista Bay, a small village, and through his thoughtful viewpoints he offers a warm, lyrical look at rural Newfoundland. The third member of the group Ray Johnson was given the heritage of Irish songs and recitations hand­ ed down to him as a child in the small fishing village where he grew up. It is that sense of heritage and simple lifestyle that is a large por­ tion of the enjoyment received from listening to this group. They are warm and natural and draw the Keep finger on the pulse business leaders told Continued from page 22 for it,” Mr. Geddes said. He's an avid supporter of strate­ gic planning. It's his business and, he stresses that it's an essential exercise that every business owner must carry out. “You can't take your finger off the pulse for a minute. You're never done assessing, but the process is critical. It helps you determine how you will market your product.” Mr. Geddes advises that business analysis and strategic plan develop­ ment is not a process that can be accomplished over a cup of coffee, while you're wailing on customers, or stocking shelves. It is best done on a separate agen­ da, away from your place of busi­ ness, and should include other key employees and management peo­ ple. To be done properly it takes time, thought and objectivity. Once audience into their performance. The evening reminded me very much of a large house party where three exuberant good buddies stand up to amuse and entertain their friends, with good natured comedy and silly antics. The humour is silly, undeniably so. The jokes are often antiquated. But, the ingenuity of this trio puts a new twist on everything renewing even the oldest joke. For example, we've all heard the one about the cop who comes upon the fatal auto­ mobile accident and learns the details from a monkey, which, it turns out, just happened to have been the driver. But chances are you've never seen the joke before. As Wayne narrated, Kevin assumed the role of a mountie, who grilled the monkey (Ray) to gather evi­ dence. Silly? Absolutely, however Buddy and the Other Fellers know it is too, and it's that honest Theatre review Good show for younger audience by Nlcki Gropp Lampoon Puppettheatre's Folk­ tales From Around the World, drew a full crowd to the Blyth Festival on Saturday. October 19. The show began with the first story called "The Tea Kettle", which is a folktale from Japan. The many puppets kept the audience amused, especially the badger, which seemed to be everyone's favorite, because it was the most active, moving across the stage and turning up in different places. "The Golden Fish", a story from Russia was next. The golden fish would grant the fisherman any wish he wanted, until he got too greedy, then he took it all away. The thing that the children found most inter­ esting in this story was the moving sea water, which was explained after the production. They had made a fake backdrop of waler with a net attached and when the man would cast his net into the water there were waves. The final story was a tale by Robert Munsch, called "The Paperbag Princess", which is a pop- the first steps are taken, the plan can take form with relative ease and becomes an ongoing dynamic process that is key to the business. He warned that strategic plans work well, as long as they're not cast in stone, filed away in a forgot­ ten desk drawer, or left unattended. Goal setting is a popular exercise for business, but if goals are to be effective they must include specific time frames and amounts. Every goal needs an implementation plan, every implementation plan needs specific dales and the assigned peo­ ple who will carry the work out. “Humans are great strategists, but we need to say when we'll do it and who will do it,” Mr. Geddes noted. Strategic planning may be a rela­ tively new business term, but it's a program of action that may make the difference between business success and failure. approach that makes them so appealing. They know what an audience needs to make them laugh and they are truthful in telling the audience what they want, too. "We'll all gather in the lobby," is a sales pitch. "Put your money on the table for a t-shirt and a tape, and go home feeling good." Likewise, they perform an origi­ nal song that asks the audience for an encore, in advance. No problem there. Not only were they given a well-deserved, standing ovation, but they got a second one as well, unsolicited. Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers were the first in a series of concerts to be presented this fall and in the spring by Blyth Centre for the Arts. It's going to be a tough act to follow, but if the rest are half as good you won't want to miss them. ular story among the little children. The puppets in this story were made to look exactly like the char­ acters in the story book, and you could tell by the chatter in the audi­ ence that they were recognized by all the people who have ever read the book. The two talented people bringing the puppets alive were Johan Van- dergun, and Marjanka Vrabcova- McComb. Both used many different voices throughout the play and played many different charac­ ters, some at the same time. To keep the play running smoothly the pair was on the move all the time. Johan Vandergun founded the company in 1972 and is the Artistic Director. He studied design in Hol­ land, and writes and performs in Lampoon Puppettheatre produc­ tions. He also builds and creates the sets and puppets. In Prague, Czechoslovakia, Mar­ janka Vrabcova-McComb studied the puppetry arts. She writes and directs many of the stories per­ formed by the company. After the show was over the making of the puppets was described. It seems that they were simply made from foam and out of old mattresses, which were painted many bright colours. The puppets seemed to be the high spot in the show and caused much laughter. I felt that this production was basically directed at the younger audience. The two children, both aged 10, who accompanied me, agreed. Though they did not dis­ like the show they thought they would have liked it more if they were younger. The production showed lots of talent and Johan and Marjanka know how to keep the audience amused with just their puppets. Seaforth Minor Sports BINGO EVERY MONDAY NIGHT _ ma n ■ ■ Seaforth & District [ n. Ivl Community Centres $2,000. IN PRIZES Plus SHARE THE WEALTH ■"LIU ST GO JACKPOT $750 Brussels library hosts Christmas design class Are you thinking of making something special for your home this Christmas? The Huron County Library, with the assistance of Out­ reach Ontario Program and the Southern Ontario Library Service, Royal Botanical Gardens will be presenting Christmas Designs for the Home at the Brussels Library on Monday, November 4 at 2 p.m. Lil Haworth of the Royal Botani­ cal Gardens will be doing a lecture /demonstration using fresh, dried and preserved materials to show how to achieve a vast array of Christmas designs for your home. The suggestions Ms. Haworth will be sharing include: wreaths, swags and centrepieces. All of the decorations will be made with natu­ ral materials and a selection of the more difficult to find hardware will be made available for purchase at the presentation. Admission is $ 1 per person. Spelling hope for the future Support tor literacy programs in the developing world is a long-term solution to hunger and poverty. To make a donation, call 1-800-661-C0DE. Self sufficiency through literacy in the developing world. Happy Anniversary FROM THE CREATOR OF HOME ALONE," JOHN HUGHES Look out... the world's smallest con artist is in town. FRI.-THUR. OCT. 25-31 FRI. & SAT. 7 & 9 PM SUN.-THUR. 8 PM LONG DISTANCE? CALL I-800-265-3438 FOR TOLL FREE MOVIE INFO SUITCASE DANCE NOV. 1/91 AT BLYTH ARENA 9 P.M. -1 A.M. A WEEKEND FOR TWO AT THE VALHALLA INN KITCHENER PLUS LIMOUSINE RIDE - SUNDAY BRUNCH AND $200.00 SPENDING MONEY MANY MORE GREAT PRIZES •Tickets $25.00 per couple •Lunch ProvidecbCashBar Sponsored by the BLYTH RUTABAGA FESTIVAL Age of majority Skatathon Blyth Arena Sat. Nov. 2 9:30 - 2 p.m. HELP SUPPORT MINOR HOCKEY & FIGURE SKATING Join in the Fun! tbe Blytb 523-9381 THURSDAY NIGHT IS WING NIGHT 5 P.M. - MIDNIGHT WINGS 35€ EACH MINIMUM ORDER 10 a variety of sauce* available SORRY NO TAKE-OUTS Thur*., Frl., & Sat. 5 p.m. * midnight CHICKEN WINGS & CHIPS $5.45 EAT IN OR TAKE OUT THURS., FRI. & SAT. NITES PIZZA 5 P.M. - MIDNIGHT EAT IN OR TAKE OUT