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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-06-27, Page 27Z2 27 Robert /ring get)) as Firank the znechanic and Ikon Gabriel as Bert„ the town councillor, were both hilariousfir : -`e t on ; . S GARAGE which opened at the Blyth Summer Festival lastFinkray evening. -Yes,. ser, that's nay baby'". David . town as Murray Burns serenades Marcia Kash as San- dra Markowitz in Herb Gardner's comedy hit A THOUSAND CLOWNS, which opened at Huron Country Playhouse June 20. It runs through to June 30. ( ��®®i �® : ►(N N yth FestivalandCountry their 1984 sea�a�� 1� .rand �� 1open e Y BY JOANNE BUCHANAN Both the Blyth. Summer Festival and the Huron Country Playhouse in Grand Bend THEATRE REVIEW opened their seasonsin grand style last week with promises of more good things to come. The Playhouse„got its 13th season off to a fine start with the comedy hit, A Thousand Clowns. Playhouse chairman of the board, Jill Waters, welcomed the audience to the opening an Tuesday evening, June 19 and patrons were treated to a short reception after the show. Legendary, actress Helen Hayes toured the Playhouse on Tuesday afternoon, June 19. She was m Grand Bend to watch her son, James MacArthur of Hawaii Five -O television fame, play in the third annual Dave Scatcherd Invitational Golf Classic. The 83 -year-old Hayes, known for almost a half -century as "first lady of the American theatre", is travelling across Canada by rail. Blyth kicked off its 10th anniversary season with the hilarious Ted Johns' comedy, Garrison's Garage. Prior to the opening night performance Friday, June 22, the Wikwemikong Drum Committee, a group of native singers and dancers from Maitoulin Island, performed on the lawn outside Blyth Memorial Hall (the Blyth Art Gallery is presently featuring an exhibition of selected works from the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation of Manitoulin Island). Maureen Forrester, internationally - known contralto and Chairman of the Canada Council, was the guest of honor at Blyth's opening_ She led in the singing of the National Anthem before the play began. After the play, the Honorable Susan Fish, Ontario's Minister of Citizenship and Culture, offered congratulations and, presented the Festival with a $3,000 cheque as a birthday present. A Thousand Clowns and Garrison's Garage have many similarities. Both are comedies. Both feature some outstanding acting talent. And both can boast excellent sets. But there, the similarities. end. A Thousand Clowns is a play which has been around since April 6, 1962 when it opened in New York. It was written by Herb Gardner, best known as a cartoonist at the time. The play revolves around a intelligent THE GODE' ICH& T ISTRICT OPTIMIST CLUB PRESENTS E 5tJANNLJAL ic GFe$tjv� & mends JUNE 28,29,30 JULY 1 ADMISSION: S4 • Per day (children under 12 free) S 12 s for theekegad pass AT THE OPTIMIST RIVERSIDE PARK In the MlSSf'TLAN 9 R7VER VALLET1, GOOERICH, ONTARIO Ake s A °per . hC/v 47e6„ Gob e'ee4 des Pd� e�I pro hg p,944, Q ectz. } c�'t0I @,."4.9 c,.�'he le LeA 9®4 4i Cot, m, a oe 1ap 41I, @jo ss tlo��s4 �ar rp� A ®e 4** 4 1/ th J°e4 Aye t�'j� 12 x. �� �j�iri Llicer eed under ape -eel ecemo®ins P'ROCEEI S TO COMMUNITY SERVICE/ young boy, Nick Burns (played by Kelly Proctor) living with his unemployed television writer uncle, Murray Burns (David Brown) who has given up looking for work. Enter two so ' 1 workers, Sandra Markowitz (Marcia ) and Albert Amundson (David Nairn) w o must assess the situation and decide whether the boy can remain living with his uncle. Complications set in when Miss Markowitz falls in love with the uncle she has set out to investigate. Rounding out the cast are Ed'in Stephenson as Arnold Burns, Mier ay's straight-laced brother and Wally Michaels as Leo Herman, alias Chuckles the Chipmunk. Director Ron Ulrich has done a fine job of assembling the cast for this play. Marcia Kash and David Brown, solid actors who have both appeared in other Playhouse productions, make an attractive couple. They portray likeable people whom the audience can cheer for. David Nairn, another Playhouse veteran, does not playa likeable person but he elicits sympathy from the audience as does Wally Michaels. Both characters know their limitations but struggle on anyway. Kelly Proctor is an iengaging young man as the nephew. And Edwin Stephenson plays Murray's talent -agent brother with earnest appeal. He expresses the exasperation with Murray that the audience -feels. Terry Nicholls is to be congratulated for the set, a cluttered one -bedroom apartment with numerous clocks and radios, probably one of the best sets the Playhouse has had in some time. Garrison's Garage is a brand-new comedy from Ted Johns. Johns has had a major influence at the Festival over the past five years as a writer and actor. He has tackled subjects ranging from the nuclear question (St. Sam of the Nuke Pile) to the plight of farmers (He Won't Come in from the Barn). This time, with much enthusiasm, he tackles Revenue Canada. As always, Johns shows a keen insight into small-town life and a real flair for comedy. He also gets his point across. Johns and his wife, Janet Amos, Blyth's artistic director, will be sorely missed at the Festival when they leave at the end of this season for Fredericton where Amos has been named artistic director of Theatre New Brunswick. However, Katherine Kaszas, who will take over for Amos when she leaves, is off,to a promising start with her excellent direction of Garrison's Garage. Robert King as Frank, a mechanic short on intellect, and Ron Gabriel as Bert, a somewhat confused town councillor, are absolutely outstanding in their roles. The MacKenzie brothers have nothing on them. Garrison is a rather toned -down character compared to some of the others Johns has played in the past but he has no trouble grabbing his share of the laughs. David Fox shows versatility in his role as ultra -conservative taxman, Blair Daniels - a far cry from other characters he has played on the Blyth stage (the strict Amish father in Quiet in the Land and tough patriarch of the Donnelly clan in Them Donnellys). Deborah Kimmett rounds out the cast as Lorna Springer. An attractive and talented newcomer to the Blyth stage, she portrays the intelligent, strong-willed daughter of Garrison who outwits the tax man and has the last Laugh -sort of. Jules Tonus' set is fantastic. The Blyth stage is transformed into a small-town service station complete with grease guns, chains, motor oil, car parts and even a car. Both A Thousand Clowns and Garrison's Garage will give you more than your money's worth in entertainment. The former runs until June 30 and the latter runs in repertory until August 16. Blyth play wins another drama award i Anne Chislett's Quiet in the Land has been awarded the Governor -General's Award for best drama published in 1983. "The jury's decision was unanimous", said Katherine Berg of the Canada Council. The award will be presented in Ottawa in the fall. Quiet in the Land, which also won the 1982 Chalmers Award for best play produced in the Toronto area, was commissioned and premiered (1981) by the Blyth Festival, and was brought back by popular demand in 1982. It is the touching drama of the struggle of the Amish people to keep their way of life and their values in the early 1900s. Quiet toured to the University of Waterloo, has been produced at the Toronto Free Theatre, and is scheduled for production at the Manitoba Theatre Centre next season. Anne is better known to local audiences as Anne Roy, wife of former Artistic Director and co-founder of the Blyth Festival, James Roy. She filled many roles at the Festival over the years including Administrator and Associate Director. She adapted the Harry Boyle novel, "A Summer Burning", for the festival in 1977 and since that time has devoted her energies to writing full time. Her second play for Blyth, The Tomorrow Boit, broke all lot office records in 1981 and was remounted in 1983. Anne has recently moved to Winnipeg where James has been appointed Artistic Director of the Manitoba Theatre Centre. She and James both hope to be in Blyth for the gala Reunion Weekend to be held on August 11 and 12. 4 Maureen Forrester, Canada's premier opera star and Chairman of the Canada Council was a special guest at the opening of the Blyth Festival's 10th season on June 22. Miss Porrester opened the Art Gallery, was the guest speaker at the 10th anniversary dinner and led the full house theatre audience in singing 0 Canada. The internationally recognized conralto last visited Blyth in 1981 when she performed on stage. (Shelley McPhee photo ) The colorful pageantry and music of the Wikwemikong Drum Committee contributed to the festive mood at a special birthday party in Blyth OD June 22 when the Blyth Festival kicked off its 10th season. Native dancers and singers from Manitoulin Island performed for theatre crowds before the performance. (Shelley McPhee photo) Seen outside the main entrance to the Huron Country Playhouse are, left to right, Playhouse General Manager Heather Redick, James MacArthur of Hawaii Five -0 television fame, Playhouse Artistic Director Ron Ulrich and internationally famous actress Helen Mayes. Hayes was In Grand Bend to watch her son, McArthur play In a golf tournament. She is on a tour by rail across Canada.