HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-07-15, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 1992.
E ntertainment
Theatre review
Third time’s the charm at Blyth
Looking ahead
"Sister, we are headed for glory," says Eugenia (Laurel
Paetz), right to Meggie (Marianne Copithorne) in the Blyth
Festival production of Raymond Storey's The Glorious
12th, an entertaining look at the Orange Lodge in 1927.
BY BONNIE GROPP
The third time's the charm.
A solid script, good production,
innovative set design, realistic cos
tumes and a stellar cast makes Ray
mond Storey's The Glorious 12th,
the third play to open at Blyth Fes
tival this season, a winner.
The Glorious 12th, which opened
July 10, is a fascinating, often
amusing look at fraternal ties to
the Orange Order in 1927 and how
they lead to the disintegration of a
powerful family. Members of the
Loyal Orange Lodge were primari
ly immigrants from Northern Ire
land, who came to Canada with
British regiments. They were loyal
to the Crown and proudly anti
Catholic, exerting a powerful influ
ence in the Ontario towns and
villages in which they lived. For
many years on July 12 they parad
ed, displaying their banners with
the figure of King William of
Orange, victor of the Battle of the
Boyne, in which the soldiers of
Northern Ireland triumphed in the
cause of Protestantism.
In a wonderfully understated per
formance Wally McSween portrays
the patriarch of the MacKay family,
Jtaunch Orangemen who reside in a
small Ontario town in 1927. As the
play begins the family is eagerly
preparing for the arrival of the
annual Glorious 12th parade. Dis
cussion between Dad MacKay and
his son Dalziel, portrayed ably by
Patrie Masurkevitch, demonstrates
how changing times evoke contro
versy in Orangeism between gener
ations. "Orangeism is a mighty
force in Canada, religiously, politi
cally, socially and morally," says
Dad MacKay. For him, the order is
what he has grown up with, his
feelings stem not so much from
hatred, but from long-nurtured con
victions. He believes in the right
ness of his cause. Though Dalziel
agrees, he also maintains that a per
son should be respected for his con
victions, regardless of what they
may be.
The conflict intensifies with the
arrival of daughter Prue, who has
begun to question the life she has
been raised to know and her hus
band Gerald, whose beliefs tend to
run to the extreme. Gerald, por
trayed with dignity by Jerry
Franken, has brought with him two
members of the KKK, Morgan and
Eugenia, to speak at the Glorious
12th occasion. Dwight McFee
gives a colourful performance as
Morgan, a schemer sent by the
KKK to expand their membership
into Canada.
Storey, who also directs the pro
duction, gives an interesting twist
to the arguments that ensue during
a "ball's in your court" scene, when
Dalziel, Dad and Gerald, off-hand
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edly toss a tennis ball back and
forth, each arguing their case and
stating their objections or approvals
to Morgan and Eugenia's presence.
Michael Schwindt, as Gerald's son,
Colm, does a worthy job as he tries
to intervene between the three men
he respects most.
Pulling it all together is a quartet
of remarkable female characters.
Prue, portrayed with alacrity by
Patricia Vanstone covers an under
lying confusion with bubbly cheer
fulness. She can not understand
how she loves her husband, yet dis
likes everything for which he
stands. As a couple they have
become aggressively inert, she tells
her sister Grace. Her loyalty to
Gerald and their son is divided
between her father and Grace, who
has recently suffered a breakdown.
Julie Bond, shows remarkable
depth in her role as Grace, a spin
ster who experienced forbidden
love, only to have it tragically tom
away.
Laurel Paetz is magnificent as
Eugenia, the formidable, impas
sioned fanatic with the secret past
who befriends the innocent, but
wise Meggie. Marianne Copithome
is brilliant as the wide-eyed
ingenue, whose life appears to
revolve around Dalziel and their
seven children, but whose common
sense approach often serves as a
catalyst. "Carrying a burden either
weighs you down or makes you
strong," she advises Eugenia.
The set design by Morris Ertman
imaginatively reflects the undulat- •
ing landscape of Ontario's rural
countryside. It's realism is such that
at times it was easy to imagine the
breeze on your face.
The attractive costumes designed
by Julia Tribe are authentic, adding
to the overall quality of the produc
tion.
The Glorious 12th is an enter
taining look at the good and bad in
humanity, the powers that pull fam
ilies together and apart, the pride of
convictions and the paranoia of
bigotry. It's a fascinating piece that
takes a somewhat terrifying peek at
the dangers of carrying any belief
to the extreme.
The Glorious 12th will be
appearing at Blyth Festival until
August 21.
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Ted Johns takes audiences on a cultural tour of the
countryside in his play Back Up and Push, now appearing
at the Garage Theatre in Blyth.
Theatre review
Johns’ play opens
BY LARRY CARDIFF
It was a small intimate
atmosphere as playwright/
performer Ted Johns performed his
one-man show Back Up and Push
(or The Confessions of a Reformed
Cynic) at the opening night of the
Garage Theatre in Blyth.
Ted Johns will be quite familiar
to Blyth audiences for his past
performances in The Death of the
Donnellys, St. Sam and the Nukes,
He Won't come In From the Barn,
Country Hearts, Garrison's Garage
and Two Brothers. Born in
Seaforth, Mr. Johns has most
recently worked in The Democracy
Project with Guy Sprung at the
World Theatre Festival and How
Could You, Mrs. Dick? in
Hamilton.
Back Up and Push is directed by
Paul Thompson, who will also be
familiar to Blyth audiences for his
productions of The Farm Show, He
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Please make arrangements at The Golden Lantern Restaurant to pick
up prizes. The Lions Committee would like to thank our sponsors and
everyone who helped out.
Won't Come In From the Barn and
Maggie and Pierre.
In Back Up and Push, Ted Johns
takes a cultural tour of our local
countryside, reminding us of the
“many doors” which make up our
culture. The local comparisons are
hilarious in their accuracy. The
central character is a radio D.J.,
who is hiding from the world in his
booth, but he still wants his voice
to be heard. His dreams have run
aground in the atmosphere of
commercial radio and he begins to
lose himself in the country music
he plays. On his cross-country
journey to discover himself, he
discovers many colourful
personalities and themes, including
“The Recessers' Blues”, “The
Mason's Apron”, “Cement Fence
Posts” and “The Man Who
Wouldn't Bury His Plough.”
The people he meets are as
continued on page 23