HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-04-14, Page 19Diva Ojibway
Local residents gathered in the Blyth Memorial Hall's June Hill Room Saturday night for a
reading of the play Diva Ojibway. The Blyth Festival is co-developing the comedy with the
Native Earth Performing Arts group of Toronto and a number of native actors were on hand to
read their parts in the play.
ntertainment
Mr. Dressup
25 years of entertaining
MR. DRESSUP
IN PERSON
with musical friends Jim Parker,
Lance Anderson and Bucky Berger
SAT. APRIL 17
1:00 P.M. & 3:00 P.M.
Blyth Memorial Community
Hall
Tickets Only $8.00
at Carol's Candies &
Collectables, and The Book
Shop in Blyth, Llstowel
& Mitchell
1 HOUR SHOW OF DRESSING UP.
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
& MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC
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CHAMPS SPORTS
BAR
Sample our delicious finger
food; in a cozy, relaxing
atmosphere
Kitchen open 'iii midnight
every night
Wing Night
EVERY NIGHT
7 p.m. - Midnight
150 each (eat in only)
Dance to the music of
a D.J. every Friday,
Saturday & Sunday
Night
Blyth 523-9623
Below Tim's Family
Restaurant
HELD OVER
2ND WEEK
In the classic tradition of
(6,1,T iisr,90 Pictures
comes a story about courage,
adventure and friendship.
:: HcMEWARD
BOUND
THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
SUNDAY MAT.
2 PM
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FRI. - TUE
APRIL 16 - 20
MICHAEL
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"An emotionally explosive thriller
in the tradition of 'Taxi Driver'."
- Noel Gal agher, LONDON FREE PRESS
FALLING DOWN
A Tale Of Urban Reality.
FRI. - THURS. APR. 16 - 22
FRI. - TUES. 9 PM ONLY
WED. & THURSDAY 8 PM
BEEK
TOME&
OARDEN
jtIOW
APRIL 23,, 24 & 2.5
Friday: 7 -1O P.M.
Saturday: Noon - 9 EM.
Sunday: Noon - 5 EM.
SOUTH HURON KEE. CENTRE EXETER, ONTARIO
ADMISSION: s3 00
Children 12 Years and Under. FREE
when ace ornponled by an adun
PRESENTED BY NE EXETER OPTIMIST CLUB
RETIREMENT PARTY
for
Clifford Coultes
will be held at Snell's
Banquet Hall, Westfield on
FRIDAY, APRIL 16th
at 8:00 p.m.
Cards, crokinole and
entertainment. Ladies please
bring lunch.
50th Wedding
Anniversary
George and Doris Cowan
extend a cordial Invitation
to all their friends to
celebrate with them and
their family this very special
occasion at the Blyth
Community Centre at 8 p.m.
on Saturday, April 24, 1993.
Best Wishes Only.
"NIFTY, NIFTY"
MARY ANN'S
FIFTY!
April 18th
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 1993. PAGE 19.
By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot
He's got grey hair, is a grandfa-
ther of four and is named Ernie
Coombs. Can you guess who he is?
Here's another clue—he keeps
his clothing in a Tickle Trunk.
That's right. Ernie Coombs is Mr.
Dressup and he's coming to Blyth
this weekend with his touring musi-
cal show.
As Ernie Coombs, the Toronto
area resident is virtually anony-
mous but as Mr. Dressup, he's
instantly recognizable as the kindly
character who's been entertaining
Canadian children for 25 years.
After this length of time, it's not
surprising that Mr. Dressup is very
much like the real Mr. Coombs.
"Mr. Dressup has become very
much myself," he said in a tele-
phone interview from his home. "I
don't get tired of being Mr. Dressup
because he's so much part of me."
Like Mr. Dressup, Mr. Coombs
enjoys drawing and doing crafts,
having trained as a commercial
artist years ago.
As well, a grandfatherly rapport
with children has lent a naturalness
to Mr. Dressup's dealings with the
child-like puppets on the show.
For years, Mr. Dressup's faithful
sidekicks were a curious tow-head-
ed puppet named Casey and his pet
dog Finnegan. But today's viewers
are growing up with a batch of
newcomers known as Chester the
Clown, Truffles, Annie, Alex and
Grannie.
Though the phasing out of the
puppet pair (due to the retirement
of puppeteer Judith Lawrence) may
surprise older viewers tuning back
in, the new characters have been
readily accepted by today's chil-
dren.
"I was talking to somebody the
other day who'd been watching the
show with her niece," recalls Mr.
Coombs. "The woman asked her
niece where Casey and Finnegan
and were and the girl said 'Who are
they?' "
The change in puppets only par-
allels life, says Mr. Coombs. "In
our lives, people grow up and go
away and we get new friends.
That's life."
Audiences will be able to meet a
new friend of Mr. Dressup's when
he visits Blyth this weekend. A
new puppet, Tutti Frutti, made his
debut on the tour. Mr. Coombs
describes him as a "living fruit
salad. He's based on a watermelon
and goes on from there."
This weekend's show of singing,
dressing up and music concludes
Mr. Coombs' tour. He won't be on
the road again until fall.
Touring is part of Mr. Coombs'
regular schedule. "We try to cover
the whole country every two
years," he says. Each tour, some-
thing new is added or a different
approach is taken.
Mr. Coombs plans the direction
and content of the show but admits
it evolves during the tour.
"I write it first but as we go on, it
gets shaped and formed by the
audience," he says. Audience reac-
tions and participation to the show
inspires new ideas.
He admits the friendly accep-
tance of the children is one reason
he particularly enjoys the touring
show, along with the opportunity to
see different parts of the country.
On the other hand, he misses doing
the crafts and the more intimate
atmosphere of his television show.
One constant between the touring
and his television show is the Tick-
- BUCK & DOE —
Stacy McClinchey
and
Chris Reeves
Saturday, April 17
9 p.m. -1 a.m.
Tickets: $5/person
Age of Majority Required
For Information Call: 482-3237
le Trunk, a treasure chest of cos-
tumes he digs into for inspiration.
It's been part of the show since
1967, when Mr. Dressup was intro-
duced following the cancellation of
a show called Butternut Square in
which Mr. Coombs was to star.
CBC-TV had been impressed
with the talents of Mr. Coombs
when he appeared as a puppeteer
on a show starring Fred Rogers,
who later became a famous chil-
dren's entertainer in the United
States known as Mr. Rogers.
When Butternut Square fell
through due to lack of funding, the
show Mr. Dressup emerged to
become one of the longest running
shows in Canadian television.
Local residents can see Mr. Dres-
sup, along with musical friends Jim
Parker, Lance Anderson and Bucky
Berger at the Blyth Memorial Hall
Saturday afternoon at 1 and 3 p.m.