HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance Times, 1995-07-12, Page 791%
WHINE f 'r v Y;1JON
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WP
SG
Grade e
8
CI
ass,..Members of the 1995 Grade 8 class at East Wawanosh
Public School are: back, Jeremy Sallows, Tom Pfeiffer, Sjaan Gerth,Matt Beck, Brian Sinclair,
Jason McBurney, Jason Howatt, Derek Campbell, Robin Sanders, Justin Howatt; centre, Gavin
Van Camp, Peter Irwin, David Piluke, Wayne Fenton, Michael Marks, Ben Dettweiler, Rob
McGee, Joe Dillon, Ryan Cook; front, Jaime Campbell, Robyn Faw, Holly Stein, Alicia Potter,
Donna Pattison, Michelle Thompson, Melina Hussey, Kendra Moffatt and Stephanie Wall. (Pho-
to courtesy of The Citizen)
Staging for Comedy
doesn't work for bard
By Ruth Tatham
When the work is finished on
the new Globe Theatre in London,
England, and we can all have a
chance to see Shakespeare's dra-
mas staged more closely to what
the experts believe to be authentic-
ity, we may be able to risk in Onta-
rio what has been done at our
Stratford off and on: i.e., present a
Shakespearean comedy as if it
were just a farce, filled with slap-
stick and devoid of the Bard's
poetry.
Unfortunately, in the meantime,
I have to express my lack of real
involvement in a production such
as the current The Comedy of Er-
rors on the Tom Patterson stage of
our Stratford Festival.
As I've often said, this intimate
auditorium with its stage thrust'
outright into the: encircling audi-
ence, is ideal for &'auras needing a
close ' identifying bond and a
chance to be near the actors' faces
and bodies. Slapstick can be done
from 100 rows back — as any
good circus clown. can demon-
strate.
The plot of this bit of light com-
edy hinges totally on two things:
mistaken identity through which
multiple characters see what they
want to see, and jealousy, based on
the flimsiest evidence.
Shakespeare tells a tale of iden-
tical twin brothers, two pairs of
them, of about the same age —
one pair born to a noble merchant
and his genteel wife, the other pair
lowly born into a nearby family,
so poor these twins are sold into
servitude to the first family, pre-
sumably for the poor twins to be
serfs to the richer twins (who
could need thein for friendship be-
cause they had each other for corn-
pany at all times).
SEPARATED
Well, they didn't. Shakespeare
(and W.S. Gilbert three centuries
later) had a fondness for losing ba-
bies. In a shipwreck of major and
convoluted proportions, the mer-
chant and wife were separated, as
were the various twins. The mer-
chant made it back to their native
city of. Syracuse, as did one of his
sons, and one servant -son.
A couple of decades later, the
two young fellows of Syracuse set
off to find their Tong -lost brothers.
They fail to retum in five years,
and the old merchant decides to
find at least that pair, before he
dies. He searches far and wide,
and meets disaster and emptiness
everywhere.'
Ultimately, he arrives at the city
of Ephesus, in Asia Minor, penni-
less and ill. Here he finds that Sy-
racusans are so reviled that unless
he can pay a stiff "tax" before sun-
set, he will he executed.
Meanwhile, his son and the ser-
vant have already been wandering
around the same Ephesus, mistak-
en at every comer and circum-
stance .for another young man and
that other young man's serf: yes,
indeed, the lost twins, master and
servant.
it takes a long time and a lot of
mix-ups before the characters in
the play realize there are two sets
of twins in the same city, one mas-
ter being married to a wealthy and
very pregnant lady of Ephesus.
This lady, Adriana, seems unable
to recognize her own husband and
jumps to the most jealous of con-
clusions upon the most tiny bits of
evidence.
Into this incredible lot, throw an
elderly nun who turns out to be the
long -lost shipwrecked wife of the
old merchant — and add a delight-
fully sensible young woman (yes,
there is one person with some
common sense here) Luciana, who
is the highly desirable and beauti-
ful sister of the pregnant matron.
Stir the whole thing up a few
times: and what do you get?
Well, all that ends well is said to
have been well. Hopefully;' Shake-
speare's audiences just loved the
mixed identities and the fisticuffs
and pratfalls, the jealous ragings
and the lesser female roles of slea-
zy morals and overblown appear-
ance.
MODERN DRESS
Personally,. although there is
considerable clever design and •
staging, I find this production tedi-
ous. it is displayed iti "modern
dress," with the same plaster wigs
and suitcase -frames as the last
Stratford staging of this play.
Maybe the farce and slapstick
would be more palatable from
16th century clothing and stage
props. At least there would be a
chance to slip into imagining one-
self on a hot summer day standing
in the pit of The Globe, illiterate
and asking only for caricatured
stage personages, perhaps folks' at
whom you mi4ht toss an apple
core if villainous, or honor with a
toothy whistle if pleasing.
Anyway, this .Comedy of Errors
strains my imagination without re-
warding it. The young (and a few
seasoned) actors do their best.
With the parts of the two servant
twins, both called Dromio, Kevin
Bundy and John Robinson do a
fine job of clowning. Jane Spidell
as• the jealous wife Ariana is, well -
cast and appealing, and Kristina
Nicoll is an attractive sister Lucia-
na to her (and has excellent dic-
tion).
The senior actor Joseph Shaw,
as the old merchant Aegeon, is one
of the few "real" people, and about
the only actor who gives us a snip-
pet of poetry, to please our classic -
hungry ears.
As was commented the last time
this column discussed the diction
of a heavily veiled actor at Strat-
ford (in the same role),' the veil
simply muffles everything said in-
side it. We were in the third row,
and should have been able to hear.
It's a bit like the old story of the
chap who winked in the dark: no-
body else knew.
My footnote must, of coarse, be
that (as some of you readers al-
ready know) I am a far greater fan
of Shakespeare's tragedies and
historical plays than of his come-
dies. So, to put this production of
The • Comedy of Errors into per-
spective, be sure to see some of
the really excellent and moving
productions this year at Stratford.
Add this one as a bit of fluffy icing
to the cake of drama if time and
THE HOMESTEAD FAMILY
EXTENSION PROGRAM
Continues to look for experienced, quality foster homes'
for our treatment foster care program.
We offer an Extension Worker in the home for 20 hours
a week, support, ongoing professional training, and
generous daily rates.
If you feel your family could offer tirne and care to a
challenged child/youth and would like more
information, please call
(519) 524-2852 between 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Monday to Friday
Perhaps you can make a positive difference in a
young person's life, as well help to better your
family life by your involvement
Wingham Parks & Recreation Departmen
`)/(il r and Wingham Chamber of Commerce
Retail Committee
wick"nm Danks ".
gecnesnoM osrT.
1st Annual Co -Ed
Volleyball Blowou
Tournament
WHEN? Saturday July 15, 1995
WHERE? Josephine Street Ball Park
(Food & Beverage Tent Available)
There is still time to register a team.
Pick up entry forms at Locker Room Sports
or the Wingham Recreation Department,
or call 357-4623 or 357-1208.
Pt)
Gard
Sixteen tables of shoS't was in
play last Monday evening .at the
Wingham Legion Hall.
Jean Robertson was high lady
•and Doris Michie,, second high.
Lloyd Montgomery was high man
and Kay Rich, playing as a man,
second high. Edythe Coultes and
Nellie . Clark tied for the most
shoots for the ladies with Mrs.
Coultes being the eventual winner.
Shirley Hackett, playing as a man,
had the most shoots for the men.
Draw prizes went to Ada Taylor,
Gert Reavie, Bill Willis and Garner
Nicholson. The next Legion shoot
party will a shoot on Monday, July
17.
•
THE MENO ANADYANC TIMES
Roth Annual
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TRUCK SHOW
AND TRUCK PULL
AIM
JULY 22-23/95
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f. !Ee!.•. ahi
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1:30 a.m. Gates Open
1:00 a.m. Truck Pulls: Stock, Super Stock, Heavies, Modified.
:00 p.m. Music in the Park: Mark Laforme/Larry Mercey
DANCE 8:00 P.M. - 1:00 A.M.
*COUNTRY 570 HEARTLAND DANCERS
* TRANSIT * TERRY HILL
$10.00 Advance ... $13.00 at the door
OK,��#T1Ki''r>rC.'�t:': !g;'i•••r'9,i�•,:i:tiiT �►i1FYiRI
10-10 a.m. Trucker Breakfast - $6.00 each
10:00 a.m. Truck Pulls:.Fun Pulls; Stock, Super Stock,
Modified -
12:00 p.m. RICH BAKER/TERRY SUMSION •
4:00 p.m. Show. & Shine Award Presentations
kDMISSION: Sat. $10.00, Sun. $10.00 WEEKEND PASS $18.00
INFO CALL (519) 546-0933 or 843-3412
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DVERTISERS!
et noticed
Print Measurement Bureau 1994 results
Ontario English Community Newspapers
4,889,000 English adults in Ontario read a com-
munity newspaper every week! As a percentage of
the total English adult population 18+, on average
61% reported reading a community newspaper in the
past seven days.
4,889,000 61%
Multiple exposures: PMB '94 shows that on average
each issue has 2.7 exposures! 70% of Community
Press readers refer to the average issue on more
than 1 day. 43% refer to the average issue on at least
3 different days.
1 day 2 days 3 days 4 days 5-7 days
Dual Audience readership: Community newspapers
deliver a dual audience readership with 53% of their
readers between the ages of 25-49.
Male/Female Male/Female
Total Base
Read a community news-
paper in the past week
■ 18-24
25-49
50+
Read a community news-
paper in the past week
Community Newspaper Readership has grown by
968,000 English adults in the past 5 years!
1994 Total base,
7,979,000' 8nzi>
1993 Total base
7,573,000
1992 Total base
7,410,000
1991 Total base
7,304,000
1990 Total base
7,016,000
1f
✓555
PMD '94 provides solid prrof of editorial interest
with "Readership -to -possession Ratios"
These ratios illustrate the strong power of community
press editorial.
Ontario
wide '
Centres
1MM+
500M-
1 MM
100M-
93% 500M
2,310,000
762,000
7«k
30M-
90% 1,0M
1,208,000
0i'e'r"t
92%
Receipt
Readership
se5
Household income: Community newspaper readers
have incomes that reflect the general population
20% 20% 22% 21%
14% 12%
Under 52051 $20-35M $35-50M
Total base
M Read a community newspaper in the past
week. Percentages may not be equal due to non-
response.
43% 46%
$50M+
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