HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1979-08-02, Page 1010 THE_ HURON EXPOSITOR, AU.OLIST.2,191.9i'
Serettdip*
by Alice, 'Gib.,
Atter Seentit Child, the new James
(Nichol play which, opened at the Blyth
Festival on Tnesdayyou couldn't help
, thinking,of the •chorus of a popular Peggy
i tee ,sting Is, that all there is?"
Child 'faCti.SeS Ona Young couple, Peter
and cella Pure WhO. have sent their
young son Ito schoola Snowstorm 2t flay*,
before. only to have him disappear. The
play had the potential to be a gripping
pSyellelegicai drama which kept the
audience an the edge of their scats. When
second eanpleenthrailed in their own
conflict over whether to havea child or to
keep their -"freedom" is snowbound at the
Pure home, then it seemed the emotional
conflict aired, on stage would provide a
compelling evening. Instead. the play
fizzled to a predictable end. the sarne way
the candles sputtered an the play's prop
birthday cake.
The first act, which established the
conflicts between the couples, promised a
strong second act, but instead playwright
Nichol opted for too many maudlin
sentiments on everything from motherhood
to our existential reasons for being. These
sentiments expressed well would have
captured our Sympathy, but unfortunately
much of Nichors philosophy has already
been aired before audit, better pla,,ys. Child
just didn't seem; le, aaPture the audience'
the same way as. Nicht:WS pikY GWendeline
did last seaSon-
When Child opens, Celia Pure t• lost in
her Own dream world. is carrying in
birthday cake topped by eight lighted,
eandles, The cake is in honor of the missing
41114, and it's soon obvious that the couple
is. liring solely on nerve. after the strain ef
the long search for their son.
Celia accuses her husband of sending;
their young son out into the raging storm
as an unfair test of the boy's manhood.
Peter rhire. in turn, blames his wife for
forgetting the "duty" of motherhood, and.
feeding the child a "quickie" breakfast
since she was more eoncerned about her
appointment in town than in the well-being
of her son. Both parents are haunted by the
fact their child had babbled something
about net wanting to go to school that day
Something about a bellyache. or a bully. at
one of the other childhood hazards.
When the second couple, Kerry and
Dolly, arrive, supposedly to bring food and
• comfort to the boys sorrowing parents, the
conflicts begin and the rest of the play iS a
study in shifting allianees. Dolly, the
visitor, is a wide-eyed innocent who is
drawn to the grieving parents over her own -
RETURNS FROM GERMANY—Joanne Bode, daughter of Donald and
• Thelma Bode of Seaforth, returned home July 24 after living inWest
Germany for one year and traVelling in Europe. Beside her on the table is
an East German Ronciel, a candle -holder complete with a nativity scene.
The candle flames propel the wheel at the top. Another gift Joanne
• brought back is the Rauchermann, or smoke man, crafted from wood to
• serve as an inceinse-holder. Smoke drifts from the old man's pipe.
• .lobnne Bode found out
After Id- months in Germany, Joanne
Bode of Seaforth can not only hold a
conversation irt a foreign language, but has,
gained knowledge and the experience of
another culture. •
• She is a student of languages, and was
• majoring in Gernian and French' at Wilfred
Laurier University in Waterloo for two
years. Last October, she went td the city of
Mannheim for her third, and. studied
literature, a middle -high Germangram-
mar and history in the German university.
Joanne, now 22, was I of 16 Wilfred
• Laurier students who participated in the
exchange: program, Because ber fore-
fathers were German, she chose to study
-that language, and because Canada has
two Official larignages. she chose to study
French. She iS the daughter of Don and
Thelma Bode of Goderich St. W.
Mannheim, she said, is an industrial
city, and fast -paced. "If you were late for a
• train, yott didn't haves a chance of catching
it."
Grocery shopping was, done every day,
with a different store for each type of food.
Sauerkraut, noodles, rice, and gonlash
were the four most popular, menu items.'
But Customer service was not a high
point, she said. "I found the people very
friendly in Germany, but we found that
over there if you wanted to get anything
done, you had t� push." If you had a piece
Of defective merchandise to return, you
had to argue with the shopkeeper before he
would eomply, for example.
"1 !earned to stick up. for my tights,"
said JoAnne, "Here it is just taken for
•'granted."
One notable difference between Canad-
ians and Germans, she said, is that the
Germans are very energY. consciOuS. They
drive small tars, do a great deal of %stalking.,
always shut off their lights and dose their
doors, and have blinds oh their windows;
that when draWn, act as insulators.
Last winter was the coldest they'd had in
10' years, she said, "but compared to Oar
*inter it WaS nething.." When Joanne
arrived in Oetober, it was hot, at Christmas
it Was 60 degrees, and after there was a
snOwstortn, which was "quite unusual." In
April* May and June the temperature was
approximately 90 degrees.
• EAST liett'
. Between the tn.( semetters at the
•SCIOUS
loss hf "ebilsrs Whileher husband
the picture of the ",rational man" - a social
worker who we assume: "Studiei" rather
than "counsels!' his client*, who wants a
life unencumbered by responsibility tq
anything but hiMs.elf and "freedom."
Kerry is the "'MP generation" personified.
STRONG PERFORMANCES
If Child provides some disappointing
answers to the questions raised by the two
couples essentially questions on the
nature of life in contemporary times it's
certainly not the fault of the four actors in
the play., The. cast turns in. consistently
strong and moving performances - and if
they don't quite take the audience all the
‘ivay to the edge of their emotion, this is
the fault of the script more than of their
acting.
Sam Makinis a eolnPelling PeterAlre
the father of the missing child, and the,
character who challenges the others to:
examine their own lives. He turns in an
intense performance as the bewildered
father whose life was given meaning by the
birth of his son. His confrontations with,
Kerry. when Peter baits the social worker,
and his final breaking point near the play's
end are remarkable pieces of acting,
Kate Trotter starts the play as an icy and
tightly-centrolled grieving mether - coping
with the tragedy of her missing son by
forcing herself to go through the motions
and refusing to believe the child is dead. in
her post -suicide attempt bliss, she
suddenly transforms into the
inappropriately cheeful super -hostess,
plying her guests with the promise of a
hearty breakfast and her •philosophy of
love, even though the conflicts in the
household have left everyone's emotions
raw to the breaking point. Although Miss
Trotter's cat -like movements on stage
•sometimes seemed more appropriate tor a
model than A housewife, her emotional,
performance, Which Was :harrowing both,
for actress and andience, was the strongest
she's given on, the Blyth stage.
Scana MeKenna, who played the wide.
eyed .Dollgthe name couldn't have been
more appropriate!). wants a.child badly,
but is hampered by husband, Kerry's desire
for freedom to pursue an independent
lifestyle. Miss. McKenna was an appealing
LI
;combination of both naivete and sttengtt
and her plight couldn't fail to win ,the "
audience's sympathy.
Peter Snell, in the role of Kerry, alt4
gave a fine ,perforMance as the exponent' of
the, "me first" philosophy which play-
wright Nichol obviously believes is one of
the Curses of contemporary times, Kerty
wa$ tational and sought refuge in
jargon when ever real feelings were caned
for. The actor's scene in which he carefully
4
folds each and every piece of elnthing au*
undresses fr bed WA* An. Want*
natratien 9,f the inner Man,
Although Child in it ;Present form
disappointing, the audience reaction to the
play was also discouraging. Unlike some
ofthe festival's other presentatkms, Child
is not a comedy, and the inappropriate
laughter which greeted some of the actor's
-
MOS* dramatic speeches again hampered
the overall dramatic impact of the play.
Audiences still seem to expect an evening
of comedy at the Blyth Festival - despite
what's being: presented on stage.
• Although Child, the last play directed by
James Roy before he leaves the Blyth
Festival for new territory had all the
ingredients for a gut -wrenching play about'
love, responsibility and our place in a world,
that is often cruel, the promise of the first
act is never fulfilled. The play needs some
tighter writing - and 1 hope James Nichol
will consider going back to the drawing
board and producing a more thought-pro-
voking script. A play like Child has the
potential to force the audience to question
the frame work of their lives - and that's
what good theatre should be about.
The acting, set, costumes and clirectonof,
Child have produced the best possible play
from A script that should have taken the
audience further on a journey to know
themselves.
* a* • * *
This reporter owes a humble :apology to
Keith Roulston and the Blyth Festival after
• last week's review of IvleGillicuddy's Lost
A COLD, COMFORT—Seana McKenna, left, as the neighbour Dolly,
brings a cold tuna fish and potato chip casserole to Sam Malkin and Kate
Trotter; the grieving parents Peter and Celia Dure, who are waiting for
news about their missing child in the Myth Festival production of Child,
which continues for five more performances. • (Photo by Roulston)
Weekend -incorrectly called McGillicuddy's
Diary in this column. McGillicuddy's Diary
is the title of the book being sold during
performances, but the play is titled
McGillicuddy's Lost Weekend. My only
excuse is that I was a little "lost" too when
it came to trying to meet my deadline.
P r ev ent ion
beats ISUMMER TIMES 79
correction
It is better to prevent
• disability than to correct it.
• according to The Arthritis
• Society. The earlier any form
of arthritis is diagnosed and
treated, and the sooner the
patient gains an understand-
ing of the nature . of the
disease, the better the final
result will be.
• Rheumatoid arthritis has
been a frustrating disease to
study, - says The Arthritis
• Society, because at regular
intervals, the disease may. •
• drastically worsen, and later,
spontaneously and spectac-
ularly, improve. Also, the
disorder occurs spontan-
eously only in man and not in
laboratory animals.
******
Arthritis patients are the
• most likely targets for quacks
promoting fad diets, cures,
useless medicines and cop-
• per bracelets, according to
• The Arthritis Society. There
is, unfortunately, no cure for
• arthritis, but your doctor can
help you control it if you seek
• treatment early enough.
******
Many people with arihritis
University of Mannheim, Joanne had two
months in which to travel, going by train.
For only 535, she stayed for a' week in East
Berlin, Upon crossing the border, "you
don't see the neon lights that you would in
West Berlin," or the stylish clothing.
The border between the two countries
contains an area of • "no man's land."
Joanne said, complete with electric fences.
ditches, mines, barbed wire, police and
dogs.. Those passing through to East
• Germany are carefully ,scrutinized.
At stores in East Berlin, you had to line
up and tell the clerk what you wanted, you
couldn't look around or compare prices.
Joanne says.
The contrast is evident with such a
• Simple thing as ice cream. In West
Germany, Italian ice cream was a "big
thing." A common pastime was to sit in a
cafe. But in East Berlin, there was only
Vanilla, as compared to the 36 flavours
available across the border.
• NOT UNHAPPY
But the people of East Germany didn:t
seem particularly unhappy With their lives
when she was there in April. Joanne said,
"I don't think the people realize they have
it as bad as they do."
• In addition to seeing much Of Cermarty,'•
she was also in Vienna and Venice, and
travelled up the Italian coast.
Although Joanne would like to visit
Germany again, she said she wouldn't
want to live there much more than five
years.
"Over there we really learned to
appreciate Canadians," she said.
"The other thing that we really missed is
the sense of having so much room ovet
here,"
Joanne will be returning to Wilfred
Laurier for her fourth. year in the fall, and •
will take an extra half year to catch up on
the French credits she couldn't get in
Germany. -
She has always thought of teaching, and.
may go to teacher's college afterward
despite the poor employment prospects in
that field. If not, she said the hopes to get
her Master's degree, spending one year in
Canada and returning,to study in Gerfdatiy
again, •
look for some pill. injection
or liquid medicine which will
cure their disease. A cure
does not exist. Arthritis con-
• trol may be achieved bya
• combination Of rest, exercise
and drugs. but only under
• supervision of a doctor.
• '
Stag
for
JOHN
BLANCHARD
August 4th
Admission:
$2.00
Hfonsall Fair Board
Dance
Henson Arena
•Sat Aug. 11
Dancing 9to 1
Music By
COUNTRY
COMPANIONS
$5.00 per couple
Proceeds To Community
Work.
Tickets Available at the
• door.
Schedule of Events
• THURSDAY;AUGUST 2, 1 p.m.
Pet Show and Frog Derby at S.P.S.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 1:00 p.m.
• Frisbee Competition at S.P.S.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1 p.m,
. Penny Carnival at the Arena
• WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8
•,C4th goll-a-thon at arena
• [Forms at Pool, Arena—, School"
• THIIRSDAY, AUGUST 9-10
: Overnight at Point:Farms Park in Goderich
•Register Early at Recreation Office
Huron
•
•
e Tavern
c;cNe.
,$)
• Wed.—Sat,
8t Sat.
Matinee
"BENNY AND JETS
OR 50 Rock .anct,Roll Pt"
Sat. Matinee
Newfie Screech
• Dining Room .
Open Daily from 12 Noon
Good Old -Fashioned
Home -Cooked Meals
1 ... ... . :" .. : ' ', .. • .
STAG
for
Bob Cronin
,
'August 4,
1979
• MIDNIGHT
SWIM
AT LIONS POOL
Thurs., Aug. 2nd
& Tues., Aug. 7th
from 10:30 p.m. - 12 midnight. Cost: $1.00
to all [no Season's tickets]. Must be 16
years of age or over! •,
Registration for the last session •of
swimming lessons is Saturday, August
11th from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Pool.
Thank ou
'On behalf of the Seaforth Recreation Committee 1
would like to .thank • all lhOie whO •billetted
• participantsor helped th,other.oaPeoltles, to help
make our annual games aeuccesS.
•
•
•• • :SINCERELY -S-.
•
st
leContinuous Entertainment from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. ,.
..., ,HIGHWAY #8 DUBLIN 345-2820 * ,
Si ii4s' slIr 418.411,1*
. . '
ummer
vallb
WALTON 'INN. IA)
• At Junction of County
Road 12 at 25 r
Try our Weekly Dining
in our lovely spacious
dining area!
• SPECIALTY
OF THE WALT014 INN
for the month of August
aked Ham
•
with scallOped potatoes
Featuring
Salad Bar
Friday:Saturday & only. p,n1« e8 P.M* •
CHILDRENS 'PORTIONS AVAILABLE
Please comeand join us •
for the finest
in country dining!
Routg.:mon. Thurs. 8 a.m. 7 p.m,
'Fri., Sat. 8 a.m. 8,p.m. , • • S
Stinday10:00 a.ni.8 p.rit.
We speclallze itt bantineti4 Welts' 'occasions,
and family dinners itt teitointhie prices,. Caif
now and arrange for your special oteaston,
YOUR HOST—DON ANNESS 887.9293
r'
1
:"•Since we. realize you 46
...watch .as, much TV. in the.H.
• • • .
PACKAGE
.•
Installation • Reg' 1500
700 Reg.14.00
Sept and • -. • • .
PREPARE YOURSELFFOR•FAli
PROGRAMS NOIAL. ...START .•
ENJOYING• .cABLE..TV.T9DAY
CaII
345-2341
Today.
BLE