HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2011-08-17, Page 23Early August at
Blyth Festival
Sandi Piewis
Special to the Lakeshore Advance
"Actors at festivals go a little snaky
in August .., the early August hump
can hit all of us."
These lines from Early August
describe the premise of the play.
From an invasion of rodents to
deceitful romances and heavy-
handed manipulation, the four actors
and Teddy, their stage manager, all
'go a little snaky.' Catherine Fitch
plays Teddy—super-organized and
efficient as she micro -manages an
eclectic collection of actors: Chelsea
(Haley McGee) a young, high strung
rookie; Gina (Sarah Orenstein), dra-
matic and experienced on stage and
off; Stephanie (Tova Smith), moody
to the point of being slightly erratic;
and flirty, hormone -driven Alpert
(Gil Garratt), who seems oblivious to
his charm. As Teddy says, "There's
more drama going on in this room
than there is on stage." This creates a
show that is pure, undiluted
comedy.
Kate Lynch has written a plot that
bypasses predictability and follows a
zig-zagging route, Several surprises
in Early August are satisfying in two
ways: we don't see them coming
and, when they do, they are believa-
ble. A good plot twist is unpredicta-
ble and yet, without their knowledge,
the audience has been prepared for
it through the clever use of foreshad-
owing, The result: a scene that
appears like it couldn't possibly have
unfolded in any other way. Such is
the case with the twists in Early
August—thanks t0 a brilliant script
and skilful directing by Shari Hollett.
Early August is a world premiere
and it opened to a full house at the
Blyth Festival Theatre. The perform-
ance earned a standing ovation, the
most enthusiastic one that I've wit-
)ssed this season. All five actors
-ere excellent. Catherine Fitch and
Gil Garratt are regulars at Blyth and
always captivate audiences. 'I'ova
Smith also appeared in Vimy this
Kineto I heatre �
Forest
"WINNIE THE POOH"
Rating: G
August 19, 20, 21 A 23rd
Starring: Jim Cummings,
Craig Ferguson, John CIeese
year and she handled the transition
between two, quite opposite charac-
ters beautifully. Newcomers to Blyth,
Sarah Orenstein and Maley McGee
were impressive and their characters
of Gina and Chelsea were possibly
my favourite ones in the production.
Although I found the opening scene
a bit sluggish at first, the momentum
picked up within a few minutes and
carried us forward from that point
on. Kate Lynch's work is exceptional
and I admire her as both a writer and
a director of such productions as A
Killing Snow, The Nuttalls and Court-
ing Johanna.
Since Early August heralds the last
days of the Blyth season, I want t0
revisit a comment from Rope's End
playwright Douglas Bowie about the
Blyth Festival Theatre itself. Bowie
said that it's a benchmark to have a
play produced at Blyth. As a free-
lance writer, I try to be objective
when I'm reviewing the Blyth pro-
ductions. And while I may have
some small quibbles about this sea-
son's offerings, I have found the plays
from these last two years to be out-
standing. Huron County residents
should not only be proud of the Blyth
Festival 'Theatre, they should pro-
mote it. We are fortunate to have a
theatre of this caliber in our area and
it stands shoulder -to -shoulder with
theatres in larger centres that some-
times receive more notoriety than
they earn. Bowie called The Blyth
Festival the home of Canadian play-
wrights and Canadian theatre. The
credit for Blyth's success is shared by
many people at the festival, from the
actors to the directors, from the
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Wednesda , ' ust 17, 2011 • Lakeshore Advance 23
Tova Smtttt, Haley McGee and Gil Garratt in Early August
designers to the stage crew. But in
the centre of everything is Eric
Coates, the Artistic Director who, like
a pottery wheel, shapes the produc-
tions that revolve around him.
Early August invites us into the
personal lives of the actors before
they're 'dressed up' and in character,
Even though the scenarios would
likely be quite different, 1 can imag-
ine complex interactions and chaotic
moments happening in the Blyth
Theatre dressing rooms as well. Yet,
just like Kate Lynch's play, the trans-
formation that occurs when those
actors step onto the stage is truly
remarkable- • even when it's early
August.
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