HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1995-08-09, Page 17Imaginative comedy sometimes misses
BY TIM CUMMING
Expositor Editor
The current production of
The Comedy of Errors, at the
Stratford Festival's Tom
Patterson Theatre, features the
finest and most clever curtain
call I have ever witnessed.
A curtain call is hardly
enough reason to attend a play,
of course. The play's imagin-
ative postscript, however,
shows how this daring produc-
tion takes chances and some-
times scores. Even though it
has its share of disappoint-
ments Comedy is a fun -filled
evening of theatre.
The hit-and-miss farce has a
non-descript setting which
evokes the impersonal feeling
of Metropolis. In the back-
ground, characters file back
and forth in conservative
1950's business suits and futur-
istic hair -dos. Steering away
from realism, the characters
sometimes end up two-dimen-
sional and artificial.
Kristina Nicoll, as Luciana,
inexplicably spends much of
the play in an Elvis -style
jumpsuit while wearing boxing
gloves.
The two Dromios, Kevin
Bundy and John Robinson,
simply look bizarre.
Despite the peculiar setting
there are some very effective
uses of the sparse set. The
scenes which involve two
actors creating mirrored reflec-
tions work well for a play
about twins who are separated.
The Superman -like court scene
at the beginning of the play
packs a visual wallop.
One of the true strengths of
this production is the casting of
a like -looking pair of twins,
sharing the names Antipholus
and Dromio.
The play features Jonathan
Crombie, who was so endear-
ing in the television series
Anne of Green Gables, as
Antipholus of Ephesus. The
son of former Toronto mayor
fessional she did an excellent
job of carrying off the ludi-
crous pretence.
The Comedy of Errors is
performed on the stage of the
Tom Patterson Theatre. The
site is unlike either of the other
two stages of the Stratford
Festival.
Even when walking up the
makeshift stairs to the seats the
audience is aware the facility is
unlike the grandiose Festival
and Avon locations. The actors
make good use of interaction
with the audience members
who surround the bare -bones
stage.
The Festival's third stage
provides the chance to take
some chances with epics like
this one. Ironically, the true
charms of The Comedy of
Errors belonged to theatrical
rudiments like good acting and
clever scene -making. The
experimental setting and risk-
taking generally took away
from the play instead of adding
to it. It has been said that rules
are made to be broken. I would
say just because someone can
break the rules doesn't mean
someone should break the
rules.
The plays of William
Shakespeare have stood the test
of time and directors should
trust the instincts of the Bard
instead of feeling they need
glitzy adornments.
CYLLA VON TIEDEMANN PHOTO There were some elements of
the play which were clever and
entertaining. If nothing else,
the play is visually intriguing.
TWO DROMIOS - John Robinson and Kevin Bundy seem to
see their reflections in The Comedy of Errors.
David Crombie, he has earned
his own celebrity as a film and
stage actor. His superb alter
ego in the play, Antipholus of
Syracuse, is Duncan
011erenshaw.
Robinson and Bundy are
perfectly cast as the twin
Dromios although they tend to
go overboard and drift towards
becoming annoyin4 caricatures.
Once again, the joy to watch
in the play was a Festival
veteran. Lewis Gordon, as the
Duke. of Ephesus, was a treat
to behold and was one of the
threads which tried to keep this
disjointed experiment together.
At times, The Comedy of
Errors resorted to the crudest
forms of slapstick. There were
so many people falling about
during the performance it sug-
gested Chevy Chase meets
Shakespeare.
Even skilled veteran actress
Patricia. Collins was asked to
deliver the lines of /Emilia a la
Elmer Fudd. Like a true pro -
But when the audience sees
the richness of the curtain call,
which captures a captivating
mood the play sometimes
lacks, one can't help feeling
there were missed opportun-
ities.
Regardless, there are plenty
of manic moments to entertain
a crowd and lots of risks which
will leave the audience discuss-
ing the play long afterwards.
The Comedy of Errors runs
until September 15 at the Tom
Patterson Theatre in Stratford.
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, Roswell E. 199S-17
Maps available
for farm tour
As more and more of our
population lives in the towns
and villages, we lose more and
more direct contact with the
leading industry, agriculture.
As of the 1991 census
approximately 40% of Huron
County were in towns and
villages. Gross farm receipts,
according to the 1991 census
of agriculture profile, were
over $400 hundred million. The
county is a true agricultural
leader with 3,260 farms
involved in over seven hundred
thousand acres of farmland,
more than any neighboring
county. When we compare
Huron to some of the Maritime
provinces even, it far exceeds
any of them in total farm cash
receipts even though there are
more farms in the province of
Nova Scotia.
Official tour maps will be
available at the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs on Don
Street in Clinton from noon -
3:00 p.m. You can tour the
farms until 5:00 p.m.
What's the cost?....Only a
non-perishable food item which
will be donated to the Huron
County Food Bank.
For your tour, you should
bring a cooler so you can
purchase farm product. Bring
the whole family for an
afternoon adventure in the
country.!
o' Fri.
•
lilt.'
,.
LIVE
ENTERTAINMENT
AUGUST I l th
Call for details
•
r.
The Kitchen
•, Is Now Open
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527-0980
rim-..s•&•...-r/J
COMMERCIAL HOTEL
TIM CUMMING PHOTO
OFF GO THE WHISKERS - Bruce Walker looks a little apprehensive as he gets some help
having his whiskers removed during Homecoming '95. The beard was grown for the
Homecoming beard growing competition and was taken off on Main Street with the help of
local hairdressers.
Conservation nominees sought
The public is invited to make
nominations for the Maitland
Valley Conservation
Authority's 1995 Conservation
Awards. The awards are
designed to recognize the
efforts of individuals, groups
and businesses in protecting or
improving the health of the
environment.
"A healthy environment is
important to everyone," noted
George Wickc, Maitland Valley
Conservation Authority
(MVCA) chairman. "These
awards are a chance to
recognize valuable work that
often goes unnoticed."
Nominations can be made for
Allergy alert
Consumers who are allergic
to peanuts should be warned
not to consume Lady Sarah
chocolate -covered wafcr bars.
The product contains peanut
components which are not
indicated on the label.
The bars arc manufactured
in Poland, individually -
wrapped and imported by J.
W. Windsor Canada Ltd.,
according to the Health Pro-
tection Branch of Health
Canada.
The Health Protection
Branch says there has already
been one fatal allergic reac-
tion associated with the con-
sumption of the product. The
product is considered a health
risk only for those individuals
with an allergy to peanuts.
any of a number of activities,
including tree planting,
conserving forests or wetlands,
conservation farming practices,
and education. This is the ninth
year the awards have been
presented.
There are two levels of
awards. Conservation Awards
of Distinction are given to
those making a long-term,
outstanding commitment to
conservation. To recognize and
encourage shorter -term
contributions, Certificates of
Appreciation are presented.
Last year Conservation
Award Certificates were
presented to the Maitland Trail
Association, Tony and Julie
Emond of Elma Township,
Glen Warwick of Bluevale,
Don Eadie of Turnberry
Township, Martin Pronk of
Minto Township, and the
World Watchers Nature Club,
at the Lucknow Public School.
For more information or to
nominate an individual or
group, contact the MVCA at
335-3557. Nominations will be
reviewed by the MVCA Board
of Directors. The deadline for
nominations is Friday,
September 1. The presentation
of the awards will take place in
October.
MCA Recording Artists
The
HEADSTONES
011 their
TEETH&
TISSUE TOUR!
in special guest
T.B.A.
HUGH DILLON, DALE HARRISON,
TRENT CARR 8 TIM WHITE
TICKETS '5.00
ON SALE NOW
Exclusive Regional Appearance!
vooµ03„' M,,. •
11M' 8 West, Clinton
482-1234
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TOPS lV��'r,ir6
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RED MAPLE INN
FIVIY .1 SOUTH • C1.1111011 • 4212 3142
SEAFORTH & DISTRICT
MINOR HOCKEY
COACHES
REQUIRED
FOR ALL LEVELS
If you are Interested In
coaching during the 95/96
season please pick-up an
application form at the
Arena Office or the
Recreation Dept. Office or
call 527-1272 or 527-0712,
Applications are to be
received no later than 7:00
p.m. Thur.., Aug. 10/95.
SLOAN-REEKIE
ENGAGEMENT
Tom & Eileen Sloan of
St. Columban are
pleased to announce
the forthcoming
marriage of their
daughter Sandra to
Paul Reekle of
Kitchener, son of
Charles & Shelagh
Reekle of MacTier. The
wedding will take place
Saturday, August 19,
1995 at St. Columban
Roman Catholic
Church.
BUCK & DOE
tor
Dave Parker
and
Dawn Powell
• Friday, August 18
9 p.m. - 1 a.m.
Music by
"NEAT GUYS"
For ticket information
call
523-9692
or
482-7403
Age of Majority
McIntyre
In recognition of my upcoming
80th Birthday
Gordon Alexander Wright
cordially invites you to attend an
Open House
on Sunday, August 20, 1995
Light refreshments will be served
from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the
Royal Canadian Legion Hall
(Branch 156)
Main Street South
Seaforth, Ontario
(Just bring a Smile and Best Wishes only)
HAPPY la ANNIVERSARY
August 6"
PAUL & CHERYL
WE7TLA UFER
Ends Thursday
FRL-THURS. FRI, SAT., SUN. & TUES. 7 & 0:45 pm SAT. & SUN. MAT.
AUO. 11-17 MON. WRD. & THURS. 2
LONG DISTANCE' CAII 1 800265-3138 FOR TOR FREE MOVIE INFO
SEAFORTH LIONS INC.
25TH ANNUAL ELIMINATION
DRAW AND DANCE
SATURDAY AUGUST 12th
at THE SEAFORTH COMMUNITY CENTRE
Dinner: 5:00 to 7:00 BBQ Roast Beef
Entertainment: 6:30 to 7:00 Carry On Cloggers
7:00 to 8:00 The Essentials
Dance: 8:00 to 12:00 The Moonliters
The Draw: 6:30 to 11:00
Extra Dinner tickets will be available at Bob and
Betty's Variety In Advance to Thursday Aug. 10th.
$13.00 each.
THE EARLY BIRD WINNERS ARE:
Dec. for $100 Art and Marls Bolton
Jan. for $40 Carol Hunt
Feb. for $40
March for $40
April for $40
May for $40
June for $40
July for $40
Tom and Joanne Melady
Lang Flanagan
Andy and Jean Lunn
Glen McNichol
Gary and Barb Betties
Maureen Agar
All of the tickets go Into the drum for the Aug. 12th final draw which
Includes 23 more prizes. The grand prize of $4000.00 Is the last
ticket drawn. GOOD LUCKI
celery License 0048288 AR Proceeds to Local Projects
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