HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1994-11-02, Page 31E ntertainment
Theatre review
Youth says play ‘perfect’
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1994. PAGE 31.
Playhouse flew in 1994
Look out for the wolf
The poor duck in the Blyth Festival production of Peter and the Wolf soon lost its head when it
couldn’t fly away fast enough. The play is performed and staged completely by volunteers and
their great efforts will be viewed by thousands of local and not-so-local school children.
Schools from across Huron County and north in to Bruce took advantage of the wonderful
production to give the students a taste of the theatre. Schools attending the Oct. 24
performance included Ripley-Huroij, Clinton, Huron Centennial and Brucefield Public Schools.
By Joshua Gropp Plenty’of Grades 2-7 students which reminded me of a sleek racer
enjoyed a bus ride there and then with a narrow, laid back, raked
Are you into adventure, comedy,
music, suspense and being
entertained? If so, then you would
have loved being one of the
thousands of students who saw
Peter and the Wolf at Blyth
Festival last week.
The play was really special
because it was done completely by
volunteers, who acted, directed and
did props. It was really good with
excellent puppets. Characters were
Duncan MacGregor as Grampy,
Anne Elliott as the bird, Zoey Onn
as the wolf and the star, Teaguen
Onn as Peter.
Fred Penner comes to KW
"What A Day" Thursday, Nov.
10 will be at The Centre In The
Square. That's the day Fred Penner
will be on stage at 7 p.m.
AT this "What A day!" concert
Fred sings about the many things,
both big and small, that fill a child's
day. Young listeners will go
exploring with Fred in songs like
Discover and Identify, The Moon
Song and In My Backyard; they'll
sing along and share emotions in
songs like /fj Great Being Me and
A Friend Like You. Fred's uplifting
lyrics and energizing music are an
invitation to come, play and sing,
What A Day!
Fred Penner is the consummate
family entertainer. Recognized
internationally for his contributions
to family life, Fred is an
exceptional recording artist and a
captivating live performer. With
his popular television show, Fred
Penner's Place seen on CBC and
Nickelodeon, a full catalogue of
recordings including his new ninth
album What A Day! and three home
"Showtime". The instruments
symbolized a different animal and
person. The duck was an oboe, bird
was a flute and Grampy was a
bassoon.
But only one instrument was on
stage. Mr. MacGregor called it a
'simplethizer', but he really meant a
synthesizer.
The story unfolds as Peter wants
to play outside, but Grampy
wouldn't let him because it was too
close to the woods. When Grampy
left to go uptown, out came the
wolf. I really liked the wolf, which
was in the guise of a motorcycle. It
videos, Fred Penner is synonymous
with excellence in North American
family entertainment.
Tickets to the Fred Penner What
windshield and its speed. A wolf,
too, as you know, is very fast and
lean.
Anyway, the wolf tries to catch
Peter and his friend Bird, but they
outfox him and trap him by tying a
skipping rope around his mouth.
The setting never changed in the
story, but like a mood ring, the
colour changed, with help from
lighting. The story ended on a very
high note, when Peter and Grampy
set the wolf free into the wild
where he/she would live longer.
It was a perfect ending to
perfect play.
The catch-phrase for the 1994
season at Huron Country Playhouse
was "We're Flying!" and fly they
did. Not only did Peter Pan take to
the air but tickets literally flew out
of the window, right from the
beginning.
"We had many compliments for
the greatly improved level of
audience comfort and enjoyment
with the addition of climate control
to the auditorium and the new fly
tower and stage area enabled us to
reach new technical and production
heights" says Artistic Director and
General Manager Max Reimer.
Almost 68,000 people attended
the Playhouse this year which is an
increase of 3,000 over 1993's
attendance. And, for the first time,
total box office receipts topped a
million dollars.
The most popular show on the
mainstage is a tie between the
hilarious farce Not Now Darling
and the classic musical Oklahoma!
Both shows played to a staggering
105 percent! They are followed by
Peter Pan...the musical (95
percent) the comedy Lend Me a
Tenor 80 percent and the thriller
Deathtrap 76 percent.
On the Playhouse II stage A
Closer Walk with Patsy Cline
played to 98 percent and Hank
Williams: The Show He Never
Gave played to 68 percent.
On the concert scene the concerts
for children (The Wind in the
(a 6th Annual /
G Victorian I
v Christmas ‘Weekend '
Victorian
« ALL Off STOCK
A Special time to help you with your Christmas Shopping
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4th - 10 am - 5 pm
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5th -10 am ■ 5 pm
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6th - 10 am - 5 pm
Refreshments and Door Prizes
FINE DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES AND GIFTS FOR THE HOME
OJ
with special guests:
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Ci■? f R. R. #2, LUCKNOW (519)528-2022
(2 Cone. South of Lucknow, East of Belfast off Cty. Rd #1)
Reg. Hours: Wednesday to Sunday 10:00a.m - 5:00 p.m.
A Day! show are $14 and $10.50.
The box office phone numbers are
519 578-1570 or toll free 1-800-
265-8977.
BLYTH UNITED CHURCH CHOIR
Sunday, November 20 - 8:00
Blyth Memorial Hall
Available at: Blyth Festival Office, Blyth
Decorating, Carol’s Candies and Collectibles -
Blyth, Christmas and Country - Blyth, Goderich
Entertainer - Goderich, Bluewater Office Supply -
Wingham, Merle’s Coffee Nook - Mitchell
CREDIT CARD PHONE ORDERS: 1-800-465-7829
Tickets:
$20. each
Advance
$25. each
at Door
(GST incl.)
Willows, Judy & David and
Dragons, D inosaurs and
Kidnapped Kittens) played to an
overwhelming 101 percent while
Ronnie Hawkins played to 81
percent, The Second City played to
73 percent, Sunday Afternoon Jazz
68 percent and Big Band Jazz 46
percent.
With 68,000 people, Huron
Country Playhouse is still the
number three summer theatre in
Ontario after the Stratford and
Shaw Festivals and still the
healthiest theatre in Canada, says
Public Relations Director John
McHenry. z
Vanastra Lions
5th ANNUAL
BAZAAR CRAFT
AND HOBBY SHOW
Vanastra Rec. Centre
Saturday, November 12
9 am - 4 pm
Adults - $1.00
Children under 12 Free
Proceeds for
Community Projects
SEE YOU THERE'
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