HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-06-30, Page 31Open House
The families of Allan and
Mary McTaggart cordially
invite you to their
75th Birthday Celebration
Saturday, July 3, 1993.
Open House from 2 - 4 p.m.
in the
North Street United Church
56 North Street, Goderich
Happy 50th
Anniversary
JOHN AND VIOLA
SANDERSON
July 3, 1993
Congratulations Mom and
Dad on your 50th Wedding
Anniversary.
With all our love, your family
Engagement
McNICHOL - CRONIN
Tom and Cheryl Cronin of
Blyth are pleased to
announce the forthcoming
marriage of their daughter,
Michelle Anita to Ronald
Aubrey, son of Aubrey and
Grace McNichol of R.R. #2
Blyth.
The wedding will take place
at the Blyth United Church
on July 10, 1993. An open
reception will follow at 9
p.m. at the Blyth and District
Community Centre.
ntertainment
Thriller comes to Grand
•
BUCK & DOE
for
MIKE VADER &
LORI WILLIE
July 2, 1993
9 - 1
B. M. & G.
Community Centre
Age of Majority
qf STAG
for
& DOE ir
BRUCE TREBLE &
SELINA HUBBARD
Saturday July 10, 1993
Goderich Arena Music by DJ
TICKETS: $5.00 each
LUNCHEON PROVIDED
TIME: 9:00 -1:00
Age of Majority Is Required
Call for Tickets
Auburn: 526.7399 or Goderich: 524.9829
An Adventure 65 MillionYears In The Making.
Wed. - Thurs.
June 30 - July 8 7:00 & 9: WARNING .m. Frightening Scenes Nightly
LONG DISTANCE? CALL 1-800-265-34
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 1993. PAGE 31.
Theatre review
`Celli House' another hit for Curran
By Janice Becker
The opening night of the 93
Blyth Festival season was filled
with the strains of laughter.
Colleen Curan, playwright of
Ceili House, brought her fifth pre-
miere to the festival. It was heard
throughout the sellout audience, Ms
Curan has achieved another hit.
Ms Curan's play developed
through visits to the Bront6s home
in 1989 and Dublin's Comhaltes
House in 1991. The name Ceili
House is a combination of ideas; an
idyllic retreat, a place for peace and
quiet and a place that eventually
draws the local eccentrics.
This aptly describes the feeling
of Ceili House. Freya Brady, a not-
so-young, would-be intellectual is
chosen for the job of organizing an
estate that was left in shambles and
preparing the property for a muse-
um. The museum is to be dedicated
to her favorite author, Rebecca
Coborn, who was to have written
her most famous books at the
house.
Through the introduction of four
very unique characters from the
town, Freya's job becomes more
complex on both the professional
and personal basis. As the players
come in contaet with each other
Wait Until Dark, written by one
of the world's greatest scare experts
Frederick Knott (author of Dial M
For Murder) previews at Huron
Country Playhouse on July 6,
opens July 7 and runs until July 17.
Wait Until Dark, which opened
in New York on Feb. 2, 1966
starring Robert Duvall and Lee
Remick, kept audiences gaspingly
on the edge of their seats for 374
performances, before closing on
Dec. 31 of that year. It toured to the
spring of 1967. In the film version,
released in 1967, Audrey Hepburn
and Alan Arkin starred.
Making a welcome return to the
People, play's focus
Continued from page 30
woman is diagnosed with is not
named. "We weren't hiding from
the issue, but the focus of the play
is really about four people. AIDS is
not the only thing about the play.
There are so many accessible
things about this play. There's even
humour," says Mr. Smith.
"The story is about relation-
ships," says Ms Aitken. "AIDS is
the issue that tests those relation-
ships."
"This play develops a better
understanding," adds Mr. Smith.
"and I think because the victim is a
woman, it puts a different spin on
things too."
"This woman has dealt with
something," says Mr. Smith. "Now
her question is, is there support for
her in the community. Initially, the
answer is no. What does it mean to
come home and the safe haven isn't
there anymore?"
Safe Haven directed by Leah
Cherniak, features Mary-Cohn
Chisholm, Marianne Copithorne,
Lorna Wilson and John Wright. It
runs to Aug. 21.
Playhouse stage is Linda Mackay
as the courageous and enterprising
Susy Hendrix, who pits her courage
and ingenuity against the forces of
evil and oh yes, she's blind. Ms
Mackay will be remembered from
Ten Little Indians, Run For Your
Wife and Boeing Boeing at HCP.
Eric Coates will play the
arrogant, leading thug Harry Roat
Jr. who returns again and again,
each time impersonating "friends"
who want to help her escape the
menacing actions of his fellow
conspirators, Sgt. Carlino played
by Costin Manu and Mike Talman
played Stephen Russell. All of
these evil doers are played by
newcomers to Huron Country
Playhouse: Mr. Coates has
appeared at Neptune Theatre,
Halifax, Theatre New Brunswick,
Arbour Theatre, and The Stratford
Festival; Mr. Manu has worked
extensively in theatre, TV, film and
commercial and Mr. Russell is a
veteran of theatres across Canada.
David Keeley, another new face
to Playhouse audiences, will play
Sam Hendrix, the photographer
husband of our heroine who,
although decoyed away for most of
the action returns to her rescue in
the nick of time.
Playing Gloria, a neighbour's
his face. I soon learned that feeling
any pity for Strachan was not nec-
essary.
The hero of Ceili House, is
Jerome Lambert, played by
Michael McManus. Lambert is a
French-Canadian wanderer who
Freya finds occupying the garden-
er's house upon her arrival at the
estate.
With great sensitivity Mr.
McManus portrays a young man
who has not quite found his path in
life. He seems to be the underdog, a
strange man who doesn't really fit
in anywhere. Through contact with
Freya on a daily basis, Jerome
Lambert is able to find his place in
life. By doing so he helps to bring
life back to Freya.
Anne Anglin plays the local
eccentric, Dymphna Ni Murchu, a
druid who is not quite understood
by the townspeople since her
"retirement " from teaching.
Dymphna is a gypsy-like charac-
ter who drifts in and out of the
estate. She is sure that the previous
owner left something there for her,
since they were lovers. She feels an
attachment to the property as it was
the site for many druid ceremonies.
Though thought of as a drunk
eccentric, it is soon obvious that
Dymphna may be one of the more
brat-of-a-daughter who gets caught
up in the embroilment, will be
Angela Soares. This youngster
from Strathroy was last seen in The
Wizard of Oz at HCP. Completing
the cast are familiar faces to HCP:
Carl Zvonkin and John McHenry as
New York City patrolmen. Mr.
Zvonkin is the Huron Country
Playhouse Theatre School
Instructor and Mr. McHenry the
Playhouse Public Relations
Director.
Directing Wait Until Dark will be
David Brown. During the past 20
years Mr. Brown has acted in and
directed over 100 productions in
theatres from coast to coast and as
far afield as Venezuela. This is his
first time at HCP.
Re-creating a Greenwich Village
basement apartment will be Set
Designer Robert J. Ivey. Other
aspects of the production will be
headed by Simon Day, Production
Manager/Lighting Designer; Jo
Zvonkin, Wardrobe and Laurie
Hirst, Stage Manager and their
support staff.
This masterfully-constructed
thriller will keep you on the edge of
your seat as it moves from one
moment of suspense to another,
building towards an electrifying
and startling shock in the final act.
sensible voices. She helps Freya
realize what is in her heart and gain
the strength needed to face her
problems.
Celeste Barbazon, played by
Claire Crawford, is the typical
busy-body. Ms Crawford portrays
the character to perfection, making
her annoying to everyone. She is
the thorn in Freya's side:
Even Mrs. Barbazon is able to
learn from Dymphna, finding what
she has always wanted. She just
wants to fit in somewhere. She is
more like those that she continually
puts down than she realizes. She
just wants to find her place.
To a person, the performances in
this production were exceptional.
The expression and feeling dis-
played allowed the audience to
identify with the characters.
The five personalities were
almost as diverse as possible and
yet Ms Curan was able to create a
connection between each.
For a delightful evening of come-
dy with a touch of mystery and
romance, a performance of Ceili
House at the Blyth Festival is just
the answer.
Ceili House runs through
September 11.
In honour of their Emerald
Wedding Anniversary
Ruth and Tom Jardin Invite
relatives, friends and
neighbours to an
Open House
Saturday July 10, 1993
at Auburn Community Hall
2:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Best Wishes Only
more frequently, some grow and
learn while others are brought to
their knees.
Four of the actors in the produc-
tion; Anne Anglin, Kevin Bundy,
Claire Crawford and Laurel Paetz
have all performed at the Blyth
Festival in the past. This was the
debut for Michael McManus who
has many credits in Canada and the
UK.
Laurel Paetz, as Freya Brady por-
trays the shy, and easily intimidated
woman wonderfully. Freya wants
to succeed at her new job so badly
that she is willing to listen to all the
pressures placed on her.
These influences come from
Christopher Strachan, Freya's want-
to-be suitor and the man who
helped her get her dream job.
Played by Kevin Bundy, Mr.
Strachan is an overbearing yuppie
who thinks he and his money are
the be all and end all. Kevin Bundy
creates a character that the audi-
ence is easily able to laugh at for
his pompous attitude.
Though it is easy to dislike Stra-
chan, Kevin Bundy is able to incor-
porate a touch of softness. It
"almost" broke my heart when
Freya turned down his invitation to
_ the dance. Christopher Strachan
1'ad such a sad and forlorn look on