The Citizen, 2004-08-19, Page 19By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
Sorry, but you must be prepared
for gushing.
Dave Carley's Test Drive the final
offering in this highly successful
Blyth Festival season, cruises along
at a laugh a minute.
The always charming Eric Coates,
Festival artistic director, as car
salesman Earl Hughes, the delightful
Jane Spidell and Darren Keays in
multiple roles, bring to life a
wonderful story that rolls along like
a fine-tuned automobile.
This is a story about life - its
beauty and pain, its blessings and
disappointments.
Test Drive originally aired as a
CBC radio series starring Gordon
Pinsent. Carley's ability to combine
reality with story-telling, humour
with pathos is superbly balanced.
Earl is just a regular guy who
happens to love Nash and American
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HAPPY
50TH
Love family & friends
Veede, cg Doe
for
Bob Van Nes
& Andrea Tomlinson
SATURDAY, AUGUST 28
Shed at corner of
Brandon Road &
MacDonald Line
Pig & Beef roast 6 pm
Music by D.J.
8 pm - 1 am
Late lunch
Age of majority
Proceeds to charity
Tickets 887-8535
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For tickets call lAI,
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Chris & Cheryl 523-9094
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7E) A1A, cr_P-74 -17134
c—nT-14 -171) 444'
The Brubachers of Ethel
Reatauttant and 2afiettv
REAL Home-cooked meals!
Come and try our cinnamon buns.
Mon. - Fri. 7:00 am 'til 6:30 pm;
Sat. 8:00 am - 6:30 pm; Sun. Closed
887-8659 in Ethel
"ROYALLY Fri, Sat & Tue
ENTERTAINING!" 6:45 & 9:15
Mal. AULX 11, TV Sun, Mon, Wed
& Thur 8:00
RIN'CESS
DIAR.1E5.2
ROYAL K GAG f NT
Augut
20 - 26
Fri, Sat & Tue
6:45 & 9:15
Sun, Mon, Wed
& Thur 8:00
THE CALL OF THE WILD. THE THRILL OF ADVENTURE.
THE MISTAKE OF A LIFETIME.
Violence
Co.,.. LAngua
Nol Recommended for
l'Ounp Children
PARK THEATRE
1\14. HA OVER DRIVE-IN i Aim
HANOVER 364-2066
TottEohlArt7FMiNNI•iisompoon„
SUPREMAC
Fri, Sat, Sun & Tue
Aug. 20 - 22 & 24
Showtime Approx. 8:45
A/
.6,1elono•
Maior• Thorne
nr, ,
EVERYTHING
IS ORDER CONTROL
DMEUVILSX1141614 trIL SIAM
CANDIDATE
LONG DISTANCE? CALL 1-00-265-3438 FOR TOLL FREE MOVIE INFO
WITH
SPECIAL
GUESTS._
Upcoming Events
Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat
18
Kids
Eat
Free
19
Wing
Nite
20
Huron
county
Idol
Karaoke
k a 21"Mar tti:
Double linter
The AshRrove
&
Sidle of Blake Advance
iikkg door
Sunday
Roast Beef
Dinner
Seniors
10% off after
5 pm
Saturday
Prime
Rib
Licenced, Licenced, air conditioned, extensive menu, now
featuring newly renovated hotel rooms.
Call for reservations 523-9381
422 Queen St., Blyth
4
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2004. PAGE 19.
Entertainment Leisure
Theatre review
Road trip
Earl, played by Blyth Festival artistic director Eric Coates, takes his son Franklin (Darren
Keays) to the concert at Woodstock in this scene from Dave Carley's Test Drive, which opened
at Blyth Thursday night. (Terry Manzo photo)
`Test Drive' cruises along at Blyth
Motors. When his father-in-law
passes away, Earl is handed the car
dealership, much to the horror of his
wife Dorothy, who loves and
breathes the business.
Through the course of the story,
we are introduced to Earl's daughter
and son Speedy and Franklin, and a
host of other wonderful characters.
We come to know Earl as just an
ordinary guy, doing what the rest of
the ordinary people in this world do,
putting one foot ahead of the other
and trying to be the best you can be.
Coates is absolutely wonderful as .
Earl. Someone once said that acting
is like being a duck - it should all
look easy on the surface, but
underneath, you're paddling like
hell. From his relationship with his
wife, at Earl's self-deprecating best,
or his hilarious scene at the
Woodstock music festival, Coates
makes it all look as natural as
breathing.
Spidell runs the gamut from sultry
to gawky with ease, while Keays
handles each of his characters with
equal aplomb. The scene in which
the two switch from sir-en to nerd,
from Mennonite to surfer dude, and
do it extremely well, proves their
BRUSSELS
LEGION
Saturday, 3336tria
August 28
1:00 P.m. DRAMATUR
5 at the door.
versatility arid talent.
With director Miles Potter in the
driver's scat, Test Drive is a smooth
ride, starting slowly, then gaining
momentum at a steady pace.
The set design by Steve Lucas is as
minimal as it gets but all that's
needed. With a change of gaudy
jackets for Earl, costume designer
Jennifer Triemstra makes • the
transition through the decades.
Test Drive, which runs at Blyth
Festival until Sept. 4 is a lesson in
history and in life.
And learning has never been so
entertaining.
YYTTYTTITYYTTY
=Buck & Doe
Bud Sincectit
1,17 Vetanica
Saturday, August 28
Shakespeare Hall -4_0
8:00 pm - 1:00/am .411 110.- Lunch, DJ and
door prizes -41
Age of majority
Admission $8.00
For tickets call "411
-4111 p, 887-6708 or 887-8657 .4
111111111111111"
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