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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-07-01, Page 38CInui unit ®Entelrtainment *Feature ®Religion *Family *More. GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 1987—PAGE 1A SECTION Festival offers new productions Blyth Theatre strives t� offer BY PATRICK RAFTIS No matter what your favorite form of live entertainment might be, music, drama, comedy, suspense - you should have no trouble finding a play to suit your particular tastes at the Blyth Festival this season. Blyth's 1987 premiere offerings include another zany comedy from playwright Colleen Curran (Cake Walk, Moose Coun- ty), an upscale gagster story set to music, a timely, comic study of Canadian -American relationships from an everyday point of view, and a tale of tragedy and passion set in the early 1800s. Back on the Blyth stage this year, and set to go on the road as the company's touring production this fall, is the Anne Chislett, Keith Roulston collaboration, "Another Season's Promise," which af- forded last year's audiences a poignant look at the plight of farming families in the 1980's. DIVERSITY NO ACCIDENT The diversity of productions is no acci- dent, its something the Festival strives hard to provide for its audience, noted. Festival Artistic Director Katherine Kaszas. "In repertory, you like to have as rnany different types of theatre as possi- ble," said • Kaszas. . As well as providing variety within an individual season, she adds, it is impor- tant to keep moving forward artistically from year to year. . "For a lot of the people who come here, this is their only theatrical experience. Obviously they don't want to see the same sort of things they saw 10 years ago." The play that goes furthest afield fromm': past productions this year is "Girls in the. Gang," a musical -comedy -drama from the composer -writer team of John Roby and Raymond Storey. "Girls," is a show commissioned by Kaszas for the festival. "It's not a traditional musical - where you have your song and dance numbers, then it (the music) stops, and you. tell your story it's all integrated," said Kaszas, noting that Story and Roby had to work together quite closely to achieve that effect. SPEAKS TO AUDIENCE Author Kelly Rebar's script for "Bordertown Cafe," was also commis- sioned by Kaszaz, who was confident enough in the play to stage it this season, even though the first draft wasn't ready , in time for it's slated November , workshopping. , "It was.such a good first draft, I didn't really have any qualms about it," she said. - The story revolves around a young . man, played by former Goderich resident Kevin Bundy, who has to choose between life in his mother's Cafe on the Canadian side of the Alberta-Montaria border and joining his father in the United States. "The play has some quite straightfor- ward characters and it speaks quite clearly'and directly to our audience," ' Kaszaz said. "Bordertown" examines the Canadian obsession with the giant to the south and looks at what "is certainly an important part of the current cultural debate," said Kaszas. It is also, she adds, "a very funny comedy". . CURRAN RETURNS Colleen Curran.has been a presence at diversity to its theatre audience • Brad Milburn, of Goderich, a member of the Blyth Festival Young Company, shows Festival Artistic Director Katherine Kaszas that the. set for "Bordertown Cafe'-' is ready for another night's performance. This season, about 70 people, including 28 performers are employed in the five.Festival productions. (photo by Patrick Raft's) Blyth in recent seasons, especially noticeable as h r hit comedies "Cake Walk," qnd"Mo se County," were au- dience favorite . This year, the writer has returned to the Bayview Inn, the setting for "Cake Walk," which became last year's touring production, for "Miss Balmoral at the • Bayview". The play is billed as a companion piece, not a sequel; to "Cake Walk". Although Kaszas did not commission "Miss Balmoral," she couldn't resist of- fering Blyth audiences another look at Curran's comedic flair. "Colleen's stuff goes over very well with our audiences, said Kaszas WORKSHOPS AND REWRITES The Blyth production of "Bush Fire," by Laurie Fyffe; is a result of the Festival's script development program, which offers authors a chance to rework their play toward eventual 'production. "Bush Fire," was originally produced in a small non -equity (amateur) theatre in Perth, Ontario. While the basic story line remains the same as the original production, "it has taken on a completely different form and structure as a result of workshops and opportunities for rewrites that we were able to provide," said Kaszas. The play is a dark drama about a young boy who is the sole survivor of a fire which claimed the life of his mother and four of his siblings n- neighbour takes in the boy, but his disturbing behavior leaves her with an uneasy feel- ing about the events which transpired that wintery night in 1828. ON TOUR Each year, one Blyth stage play is choosen.as the touring production for the next season, and the decision on which play to take is -never an easy one. - "We largely go by which one has the best critical and popular response," Kaszas explained. This year, that means "Another Season's Promise," which can be seen this summer in repertory at Blyth, will , travel across Ontario then out west to Edmonton. The Ontario tour gives people who didn't get a chance to see a play at Blyth due to lack of tickets, a. second chance to catch the show in their own community. While the festival has exported plays out of province in the past, the Edmonton trip marks the first occasion the com- pany will actually stage a show that far from home base. • •It's certainly easier to mail a script from Blyth to Edmonton than it is to take a whole show out west," Kaszas commented. FOCUS ON AUDIENCE It's obvious when talking to I(azsas, that while she may be artistic director, she realizes it's the audience who ultimately calls the shots in theater. And, most of that audience comes from right here in Huron County. "•It's definitely not a tourist audience: I'd say 65 to 70 per cent of our audience are people who drive home that night," she notes. "It's our audience and the plays we do are for them. The ambitions, concerns and dreams ( in Blyth productions) reflect our lives - and the concerns of our audience are totally different from those of people' living in downtown Toronto. "A lot of the success we have is because the things wedo here appeal to our audience, but also do very well with audiences across the country. A huge mistake that people in show business make is the conception that our Canadian culture is urban driven. It's not at all," said Kaszas, noting that rural life con- tains as much drama as anything in this country. FITTING IN The Blyth Festival, in its 12th season, has become as much a part of Blyth as the people of the village themselves. It takes a lot of people to stage a five - production season (about 70 this year, in- cluding 28 actors and actresses) and they're carefully chosen not only for their theatrical skills, but for their ability to fit in with the setting and style of the Festival company. There are a number of factors about the Festival, which make it important to" select performers who have certain distinct qualities, "In a close company like this, the peo- ple we select have to be able to get along with other members of the company and they have to be able to fit into the society in which they find themselves," said . • . Kaszas. Also imperative for the performers is the ability to handle several, often very diverse roles, and the special talent for 'working with new plays with ever.-. changing scripts. This year, because of the musical on the program, "we had to have people who could sing and move around a bit," she added. FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT In addition to offering first-class pro_ ductions, Kaszas says -the Festival endeavors to maintain a family flavor to the program, which necessitates keeping ticket prices down. "The people in the area appreciate the theatre, but I don't think they know the ticket prices are probably the lowest in the entire country. "I think it's important that families can afford to come here and see a show," she said, but cautioned that productions aren't really designed to hold the -interest of very young children. With two productions opened at Blyth so far, initial crowds have been good this season, says Kaszas. However, she notes, attendence usually builds as the season progresses, sit she advises those planning to attend later in the summer to book tickets now.. Also, tickets are more ex- pensive later in the. season. Bordertown Cafe -a heathy slice of iife BY TED SPOONER "Bordertown Cafe," the setting for a new play at the Blyth Festival, is not the place for fast service but provides a great evening of entertainment. A strong cast and a multifacited script gives the audience a glimpse of life in a, small Canadian town on the Alberta - Montana border. The play deals with complex social issues such as the relationship between a young, divorced mother Marlene ( played by Laurel Paetz) and her 17 year old son Jimmy (Goderich native Kevin Bundy). The main plot unfolds when Marlene's American ex-husband calls and announces that he wants to'take his son to the States to live with him and his new wife. Marlene -is unable to reveal her feelings to her son but confides in her American mother Maxine (Lorna Wison) and her Canadian father Jim (Jerry Frankin). Western playwright Kelly Rebar also ex- plores the Canadian identity crisis in the face of American influence and uses Max- ine to hilariously emphasise the cultural differences. - In "fact, Wison's Maxine, who is the cafe's waitress, constantly steals the show and is a pure joy to watch. Her continuous rambling about American greatness and Canadian frivolity leaves her family breathless, the audience in stitches and her customers wondering where their food is. Blyth newcomer Kevin Bundy gives a strong performance as the confused, fatherless boy who dreams of life with his father but yearns for his motl er's ap- proval and love. Turn t6 page 4 Laurel Paetz (left) and Goderich naitive Kevin Bundy star in the new Blyth Festival play "Bordertown Cafe". The two play mother and son and the play deals with life in a strait Canadian town on the Alberta -Montana border. The often hilarious production pokes fun at the differences between Canadian and Americans. 4 1 Tennis under the influence sometimes fun It was a sunny day at the lake like any other summer clay except for those that are cloudy, overcast or fraught with 50 per cent chance of precipitation. On sunny days on Sunset Baythe guys like to play tennis and drink beer and for six summers this combination -of honest sweat and icy suds has worked quite well. The real key here is not the tennis which • often falls below acceptable amateur standards, nor the beer which can be flatter than a second serve and still fit for human consumption. No, the reason why this summer entry of foot,faults and froth is such a winner is the order in which we've done it for all these years. First the tennis, then the beer. Well, on this particular sunny Sunday Murray The Cop and I got the order back asswards. •I don't know how it happened, • I just barely managed to remember that it happened. „ It started with an argument about a volley. I mentioned the term "stop volley" - a.short, drop shot that ends play because the player in the back court can- not reach it in time to return it. Murray insisted it was a . "drop volley".. I declared the terms interchangeable and 'thus both of us correct. Murray called me a "flippin' know-it-all". I've never known Murray The Cop to be flippant. I sug- gested Murray was wasting his time as -a cop, he'd be more suited to being the poster boy for the "Abortion On De- mand" movement.. Whatsmore I have credentials. I spent one year in Spain teaching tennis to Ger- man tourists in the tiny resort town of Mi- jas. Even today if you go to Europe and see Germans hitting ground strokes with crossed -eyes, crossed -fingers and yelling "Fore" - that's my handiwork. My honor challenged,°I decided to im- part t'tiyVa'st collection of specific volleys on Murray The Cop as we played. "I suppose you've never heard of a Dol- ly Volley?" I asked as we changed ends on an odd game. "What's that?" - "That's the volley hit by a big -breasted woman.wearing a blond wig and singing - Nine to Five." That started it. Thereafter the volleys flew as if' discharged from a stun gun with a bent barrel. ' The volley you hit at Christmas was a Holly Volley unless Santa himself hit it, in which case it was a Jolly Volley. The shot you hit with a parrot on your shoulder was a Polly Volley and the one used while performing with Dorothy Hammel in the Ice Capades was a Folly Volley. Each new volley brought play to a halt and both Murray The Cop and I to our knees. As I mentioned, tennis and beer don't mix. In show business Lassie would have hit a Collie Volley. Theodor's brother used a Wally Volley on "Leave It To Beaver" and the Lolly Volley became popular with Shirley Temple "On The Good Ship..." Murray apologized for hitting me with a ball by using the Chinese waiter shot, the "So Solly Volley" and I thought I eard my shorts rip as I went down on he court. Somewhere into the second set I endered Murray immobile with the shot ittle Richard was famous - The Good olly Miss Molly Volley. It took five full. 'notes for us to get into position for him o serve and me to receive. As he began to serve t hit him with"the ennis shot two puppets would use in the "Match of Marionettes" - The Kukla, ran and 011ie, Volley. Murray missed the ball completely, made a rude noise and we quit and went home. I tell you, give us the stage at the Bel- mont, a box of beer, ,one hundred loons just like us and a fat lady with a horse laugh and Murray The Cop and I would be Hollywood borind by morning. As the beer ad asks: does it get any bet- ter than this? No. It just keeps getting worse. INSIDE Community... P2-3 Entertainment..P4-5 ports.... P 7-9 Birthdays... P 10