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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-07-13, Page 27,Summer theatre represented. • from page 4A allowed the hall to receive a complete face lift in 1976 and a Wintario grant allowed better lighting to be installed. Another grant has allowed a $37,000 air conditioning system to be purchased. However, it is not yk.ft installed. Artistic director Roy is a believer that theatre should give something back to the audience such as a sense of culture and historyand that is what the Festival hats been living up to with plays of local relevance, preferrably original. Theatre is being in- troduced therefore, to a lot of people who might otherwise not bother with it, people who might be put off by the mink coats and long dresses worn by some of the Stratford Festival crowd. Blyth Summer Festival has over the last couple of years then, adapted itself very nicely to the South- western Ontario crowd's interests but not to the excludion of other people's enjoyment as well. G.L.T. SUMMER PROGRAM Even closer to home is Theatre Summer '78, a series ' of eight one -act plays performed by the Goderich Little Theatre group outdoors in the Huron Historie Gaol Yard. There aren't many people around who can boast of watching a play surrounded by jail walls, except those who come to Goderich. Short pantomime sketches are also per- formed by Rob McEwen before each of the plays_. and Rob is good. He is also directing the second play, . entitled French Toast which opened last night. A different play is presented weekly at 8, p.m. each Wednesday and Thursday evening at the jail and Friday evenings at Point Farms. Provincial Park also at 8 p.m. Lots of young people are involved .in these plays and co-ordinator Anna Melski says this is-, one of the ideas behind the summer theatre program --to get more young people involved. Anyone who enjoys GLT winter productions is sure to -enjoy this ex- tension of talents for the summer for the mere price of $1. THEATRE FOR YOUNG AND OLD Summerhouse One, a summer . theatre group working ,under an Experience '78 grant this summer, will be touring nursing homes in the area every two days all summer long so that senior citizens' might also enj y the pleasures of �1ive t atre ._�_ �. They haven'-t_iorg.o.tten. the young children either and will be 'performing their first 'children's' progra hildren's- program free of charge on the lawn of G.D.C.I. on Wednesday, July 12. A major production for everyone, young, old and in-between, will be performed in the auditorium ofM,G.D.C:I. at .8 p.m. ,on August 24 to 26 as a wrap-up to the summer project. All the while, the 1st O: mortgages from as low as 9j%,. 2nd mortgages at competitive. rates. laVICTORIA and GREY TRUST Mgr. A.A. WEATNERBY GDDoiIICN 324-4381 students involved in the Summerhouse One project, are learning every facet of theatre from lighting to stage designing to applying make-up to directing and acting. Those involved are Leslie ,,,,,,,iogan (program director), R 0 Susan Tigert, Phil Main, Kevin Bundy, Kirk Hogan, David Saint Jean and Beth- Morris. Philip McMillan, G.D.C.I. „drama teacher, is the program sponsor. The st-udents work out of the north portable classroom in the yard off dd Couple great opener BY JOANNE.WALTE,RS Move over Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau. Make room for -jack Duffy and Les Carlson! Duffy and Carlson turned in admirable, per- formances as the stars of Neil Simon's block- buster hit, The Odd Couple,- which opened the Huron Country Playhouse's seventh season on Tuesday evening, July 4. The play is a rollicking tale of two men, old cronies and members of a weekly poker game, who decide to share an apartment together after their marriages fall apart. Unfortunately, the two pals find out the hard way that they are as unsuited to one another as they were to their wives. The antics are hilarious as Oscar (Carlson) the slob tries to cope with Felix (Duffy) the neurotic neat freak and vice -versa. The opening scene: an appropriately filthy apartment with newspapers, dirty clothes and , beer cans strewn about' and five poker players Dunlop to life. BY JOANNE WALTERS The Huron Tiger, which opened, the 1978 summer season at the Blyth Summer Festival on Friday evening, successfully brings William "Tiger" Dunlop, founder of the Town. of Goderich, to life right out of the pages of history. Despite a painfully humid Blyth Memorial Hall, the opening night full house gave a standing ovation to the actors at the end of the production. Peter Colley of London, Ontario, author of. "The Donnellys", certainly had fine material to work with when he chose to present the story of Tiger Dunlop, an eccentric character who could be both a literary gentlemen and a boisterous backwoods brawler. Terence Durrant, as Tiger Dunlop, portrays something of a charming scoundrel who is ex- tremely likeable despite his love for drink and distaste for marriage. . Chris Ke1'k ,,,as Robin Dunlop,, does , an ad mirable job as an'older brother -a washed up, sickly sea captain --living in a younger brother's shadow. Steven Thorne plays John Galt Jr., a head- strong young man fighting for farmers' rights against the Canada Company, a man whom everyone refers to as being "just like his father". Keith Knight is perfect as Commissioner Jones, the fat villain of the play, a man who is not beneath rigging elections and getting rich and fatter off the settlers. He is really detestable. The two women in the play are well. represented by Elizabeth Hanna and Barbara Snaith. Hanna plays the role of Louisa McColl, the Dunlops' firey and pretty housekeeper who accounts for the love interest in the play. The Dunlop brothers flip a coin for her hand in marriage with the "winner" feeling like the loser. Snaith plays the role of John Galt Jr.'s wife, a pretty red-headed lass who seems almost too meek and mild for the rough and tumble days in which she is living. Bit parts are played by David Kirby as an officer in the British army and by a cat named Minet as Puss. Set in 1837 with the farmers' revolt as a back- drop, the play delves not only into the private life of Tiger' Dunlop but into his career as a spokesman for settlers' rights as well. Colley has rigged it so that you ,can't help but like Dunlop. He is a bit of a rogue with a blazing wit and determined bravery. Durrant makes liking him easy as well. The stage takes on the appearance of a room in Gairbraid, the home of Tiger Dunlop near Goderich. Set and costume designer Pat Flood must be given credit for helpingtomake the era Of --The play rea`l'istic-with app -bpriateeltlthmgg7' furniture and props. Director James Roy, has lived up to tiis_belief that theatre should give something back to the audience succi as a sense of culture or history, with this play. Catch it if you can. It will, run throughout July and August in Blyth Memorial Hall where air conditioning --thank goodness --is soon to be installed. Don't attend expecting a comedy. While the play has its comic moments and funny lines, it is also a serious historical attempt with a bit of romance tossed into it as well. • sitting around a table._Whee:e..could,it be but Oscaithiaddiet,..;,;,- *rnent-?.Eor a..s.w:k.Ostear-- -- offers his fellow card players brown sandwiches or green sandwiches and one of the players remarks that he saw milk standing up in Oscar's fridge that wasn't even in the bottle. Oscar is `a slob alright. He burns holes in the furniture with his cigars, gambles, drinks like a fish and eats cold cuts for breakfast. Les Carlson, a noted film and stage actor, accurately portrays the image of a slob as .he lopes around the apartment in his sneakers, chewing on cigars, yelling at Felix and giving him those "if looks could kill" stares. Jack Duffy, a well-known television per- sonality is good as Felix, Oscar's foil. No, Duffy is more than good. He is excellent. He pouts and cries and threatens to commit suicide and walks around the apartment wearing an apron and. cleaning the ashtrays. He says his neatness can be blamed on his mother. "I was toilet trained at five months bld!" Felix gets nerve spasms in his neck, stomach aches and headaches. Drinking makes him sick. He sleep's in one position all night and he does "moose calls" at 2 a.m. to clear his sinuses. Really! It makes you wonder which character would be worse to live with. And anyone who has ever been stuck with a roommate who bugs him can really identify with the situation. Duffy and Carlson have superb timing in their lines. They are so relaxed on stage that they make the audience relax and enjoy in turn. It's difficult to view the play without preconceived notions as it has been presented as both a movie and a weekly television series. But Duffy and Carlson hold their own. Lemon and Matthau have nothing on them. 'Duffy and Carlson are complemented by a strong supporting cast which enhances the production even 'more. Alden Jones, Murray Ellis, David Douglas and Stan Lacey as the four cronies who make up the famous Friday night poker sessions, play their roles well. - Marion Gilsenan and Ann de Villiers. as Gwendolyn and Cecily Pidgeon (or "the cuckoo -Pidgeon sisters"• as -Oscar refers to -them) --are - - very good, They portray a couple of; giggly English girls who the odd couple invite tdrdinner. When Felix tells. the girls he writes the news for CBS,' one asks him where he gets his ideas from. A scatter -brained pair if ever there was one. Artistic director James Murphy is to be commended on leading this well-cast.crew in an excellent production and resident designer Alistair McRae can be complimented on a good set. . ' The Huron Country Playhouse's production of the Odd Couple is highly recommended.. to theatre -goers 'and -'non-theatre goers -alike. It runs until July 15 (with the exception of -Sunday and Monday) with performances at 8:30 p.m. and Wednesday matinees at 2:30. ® Secretary Secretariat of State d'Etat CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP APPLICATIONS ENQUIRIES A Citizenship Officer will 'be present to take applications and answer enquiries. AT Place: KINCARDINE TOWN HALL Date: TUESDAY 18 JULY, 78 nine : 1 D 11.Ai itry OIYP::HII_� Requirements: Your Passport (Landing Card) 2. Pictures 13/4" x 13/4" plus /2" Signature Strip — Fee: '15.00 per Application Third Tuesday of each month For Further Information Phone London 679-4334 • G.D.C.I. Watch for further notice of their various productions throughout the summer. So, there you have it. A line-up of summer theatre of such variety that it is probably unrivalled bymany other areas. Appreciate it, take advantage of it and support it. You'll never know the joys of live THE GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, JULY 13, 1978 --PAGE 11A a, t theatre until you attend some Plays. If is not just for certain people. It is far everybody and we are lucky to have it at our finger tips in this area. (See.GLT review on Page 2A) Mystery show revealed The artistic staff at the Blyth Summer Festival has solved the mystery of the fifth show. The perfect play has been found to end the fourth season, and promises to bring with it an evening of laughter and music the whole family is sure to enjoy. Two Miles Off, will open on August 23 at 8:30 p.m., and will play each night from August 28 to Sep- tember 2. Two Miles Off Is written by an Edmonton group known as Theatre Network, and is a lighthearted and tuneful tribute to the people of a small village, where the train doesn't stop, but it does slow down! Although it is about a small town in Alberta, the play could easily take place in any small village here in Ontario. It tells • the story of a town that is no longer served by bus, train or plane because it is two miles off the main highway, and as a result; has stopped growing. But the h pes and dreams of the ople continue to flourish, and their pride in their home makes them determined ,to see it continue -to get bigger and better. 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