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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-07-28, Page 3030 c._ Exeter Times—Advocate Wednesday, July 28. 1999 Community 0 Photo by: Daniel Holm Photography Olive Madison (Susan Johnston Collins) has had enough of Florence Unger's (Lesley J. Kelly) cleanli- nesss in Neil Simon's female version of The Odd Couple, now playing at the Huron Country Playhouse. 'The Odd Couple entertans audiences at the Playhouse GRAND BEND -- The Huron Country Playhouse's latest offering is a delicious spin on ar Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. Unger and Madison are at it again -- but this time they,.re female! The female version of this contemporary comic classic stars Susan Johnston Collins as the laid- back Olive Madison and Lesley Kelly as the inces- santly neat Florence Unger. Instead of beginning around a poker game, the curtain is drawn with the cast playing a "friendly" game of Trivial Pursuit and soon the fun ensues. The HCP's production of this play was well done and comparable to their staging of "Steel Magnblia" last summer. The Odd Couple's script was laden with the same witty repertoire and the acting was superb. Collins portrayal of Madison, a female curmud- geon, is especially brilliant and evokes lots of quick laughs from the audience. While The Odd Couple's script could stand to be edited by half an hour and the ending was a tad' flat, if you are looking for light summer entertain- ment it is well worth a watch. The Odd Couple playing at the Huron Country Playhouse until July 31. For ticket information call 1-800-706-6665. POLICE BRIEFS Bar stools stolen GRAND BEND -- North Lambton OPP is investigating the theft of four black and steel bars stools valued at $1,000 from the deck of a Lake Rd. residence. The theft occurred between 3-6 a.m. on July 24. Business damaged by vandals -- GI1A D BEND — Vandals caused $400 damage to the Subway on Ontario St. when they threw a piece of concrete at the window next to the entrance. The inci- dent occurred between 12:30-8 a.m. on July 24. Jeannette Ducharme and Bill Smits of Exeter enjoy a dance to the music of Morley Snyder (left) and Harvey Smith at the Exeter Main St. Parkette Friday night. Eugene and Anne Hartman will perform this Friday night from 6:30-8 p.m.The Bodacious Jazz Band will return to the parkette on Aug. 6 at 6:30 �1� � , i2 §�3SG:���91Ro" _�ra.�f��•+'4s'�y, '�s'�- -i'7 j S� `z`''�, � <� Z' $ 3.¢iC - .4" Y }�1ri'' �� _� ix. :i' • . . h2� ia t 1c L :4;`'Dt i ,�F' � r: ... *„ ' a� :. - • y " L' .1 • ,+- ; . 'w: _.may 4#may t' e: , rr it► _i s. YT€ y!s'' _ . #..= , rs -'±r '_ . f rr�xyf ,Fis1e•? s The Great School Crisis BlythFestivaldeli hts'g audience By Scott Nixon T!MES-ADVOCATE STAFF BLYTH If you want to see a play that is in- telligent, humorous and timely, go see The Great School Crisis of '99, now playing at the Blyth Fes- tival. Mitchell playwright Ted Johns has effectively written a play that skew- ers the Mike Harris gov- ernment and its educa- tion policies. Not only has Johns written a great play, he shows off his versatile acting skills by playing several characters — male and female -- in this one-man show. The audience, who re- warded Johns with an enthusiastic standing ovation at its opening July 14, was clearly de- lighted throughout the show and broke into sev- eral moments of spon- taneous applause. What made Johns' per- formance of The ,Great School Crisis of '99 so satisfying for a Huron County audience is how close the subject, matter hits home. Through several differ- ent. characters such as the elderly Helen Edgar, Johns expresses the frus- tration many Huron County parents felt bast fall when many schools were placed on a po- tential closure list. The Helen Edgar character expresses the emotion and heartache many par- ents displayed at the meetings held to help Ted johns, right, playwright of the Blyth Festival's The Great School Crisis of '99, delights an appreciative audience at the play's opening on July 14. A biting satire on the Mike Harris government's handling of education, the play runs until Aug. 29.a ':ct i �4' ? a'�r"Y!`i"... )4*4.yr4'S4;'iL•} i *S6 a r`ytPS. (.mak i 'r 1.. ''ci C.�l _.�_ #'. ! :✓ - ._5 Alec, represented by a wax dummy. Through the dialogue of another character, teacher Brian Clarke, Johns criticizes school - board trustees for not knowing anything about the schools they repre- sent. The city of Toronto also takes it on the chin, when .a trustee displays great ignorance of any- thing outside Hogtown. The only criticisms of The Great School Crisis of '99 are minor. First, at well over two hours long, the play could be short- ened. Secondly, since the save the schools. And like all good plays, The Great School Crisis of '99 needs a villain and in this play the villain is Mike Harris and his PC government. Johns pulls no punches and re- peatedly rakes Harris and the Education Min- ister over the coals, much to the delight of the audience. One of Johns' strongest characters is Nip, a crusty old typical rural Ontario redneck, who learns he has to go on workfare. Nip keeps the audience laughing at his • witty dialogue with his wheelchair-bound friend play is so timely and current, it's possible in four or five years Johns' play will have less relevance. But what's the bottom line? The Great School • Crisis of '99 is a smart, witty, timely and pas- sionate play that any- one interested in great entertainment should go see. And maybe Mike Harris should get a ticket so he can see what his policies have inspired. The Great School Cri- sis of '99 runs at the Blyth Festival until Aug. 29.