Huron Expositor, 2007-08-15, Page 22.E
Poge 22 The Huron Expositor • August 15, 2007
News
Character the engine that drives new Blyth play
Aaron Jacklin
Red tail lights, squeeling tires and
a sickening thump tell the audience
of a new play in Blyth that they're in
for something different right from the
first scene.
Written by Paul Ciufo of Grand
Bend and directed by Marie Beath
Badian, Reverend Jonah premiered
last week at the Blyth Festival.
Intelligent, witty and often hilari-
ous, it's a tale of integrity, courage
and love.
Darren Keay plays Jonah, the new
minister in Gilvray United, a small-
50's CK & 60's
KIOFF
SOCK HOP
DANCE
(Canadian Tour Country Classic)
with Susie Q
Saturday, August 18
9 p.m.
Seaforth Golf Course Tickets $10 each
call 519-522-0985
Supporting
Our Local Hospitals
St. Columban
CEMETERY SUNDAY
August 26, 2007
Mass at the cemetery at 2:00 pm
Father Chris Gillespie officiating
Everyone Welcome
Please bring lawnchairs
Rain: 2 pm
St. James R.C. Church, Seaforth
Bacon on a Bun served by K of C
Refreshments Available
Offering goes toward
St. Columban Cemetery Fund.
town church in Huron County.
On his first day Jonah encounters
Phyllis (Michelle Fisk), a former
member of the congregation. While
trying to bring her back into the
faith community he stumbles right
into a crisis of integrity that threat-
ens not only his career, but the. com-
munity he's been charged with lead-
ing.
Keay's sometimes bumbling Jonah
is not the aloof minister of stereotype
who delivers all the answers with a
serene certainty. He gets angry and
sometimes acts rashly. He believes
passionately, but is wracked with
doubt over what to do.
He's as human as all the other
characters.
Fisk brings both callused toughness
and yearning to her portrayal of the
outsider Phyllis.
Randi Helmers is perfect as Stacey,
the rich, conservative community
leader who tempts Jonah to do the
wrong thing for the sake of his career.
Stacey is perhaps the most surpris-
ing character on stage in this produc-
tion, though to explain why would
ruin the experience of watching it.
Ingrid Haas plays Stacey's daugh-
ter Rachel with equal parts defiance,
tenderness and humour. Her scenes
with Jonah are some of the funniest
in the play.
BUCK & DOE
for
Becky Campbell
& Matt Bel four
Dublin Community Centre
Saturday, August 25, 2007
9pm to lam
•Lunch Provided •Age of Majority Required
7lckets $6.00 Available at
UPI Seaforth or Call 519-527-2434
Come and Meet
'gaga(
as well as learn about the Children
Services that are offered by the County
of Huron. Swamp Sludge Ica Cream with $hrek following the
presentations.
Clinton Library
Monday August
20, 2007
Ooderlch Library
Thursday August
23, 2007
Exeter Library
Tuesday August
21, 2007
Seaforth Library
Monday August
27, 2007
All Information
sessions run from
6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
winaham Library
Tuesday August
28, 2007
This Is an opportunity for everyone to team about the services
that the County of Huron offers to young families.
Come and find out how you and your family can access their services.
For more information please call the County of Huron Children's Services Office
at 1-888-371-5718 (toll free) or locally 519-482-8505
Ingrid Haas (Rachel), Randi Helmers (Stac
Jonah by Paul Ciufo, playing in repertory at
At one point she tells him that a sit-
uation "sucks rocks."
"Rocks?" he asks.
"You're in Huron County now," she
responds. "We have our own dictio-
nary."
Though their roles are smaller, Di
(Elisabeth Thorpe -Hearn) and her
husband Fred (Jefferson Mappin)
bring both comic relief and added
humanity as they show how difficult
life could become in their community
if Jonah's plans go awry.
The cast is rounded out by Barb
(Rebecca Auerbach), who is as fierce
as she is loving.
A Billy Graham Film
"THRILLING ANIS N1O\T"'
-AIMS HI(;H .\\I) til
fen* 1101- Wino in Morin!
Fellowship Bible Chopel, Londesborough
Popcorn Provided, Enjoy from your vehicle.
Arrive at 9 - F , A 1P
Jonah's
actions force every
one of these char-
acters to make
hard decisions,
Terry Manzo photo
ey) and Daren Keay (Jonah) in Reverend
the Blyth Festival until September 1.
making character the engine of this
play.
As for the nature of the crisis, to
give any details would again spoil the
experience. Let's just say you haven't
seen anything like this before.
The sets and lighting are impres-
sive both in their simplicity and effec-
tiveness. Set designer Camellia Koo
and lighting designer Louise Guinan
clearly understand that less is often
more, using a very small amount of
material and lighting schemes to cre-
ate a seemingly endless array of
places.
The sheer number of places - and
scenes enacted in those places - actu-
ally becomes something of a distrac-
tion.
While the scene changes are
smooth, fast and well choreographed,
there are so many
that they start to
slow the pace of
an otherwise fast
moving story.
You get used
to that quickly
though, spending
the time between
scenes marvelling
at how a new
place materializes
in front of your
eyes.
Reverend
Jonah runs until
Sept. 1.