Huron Expositor, 2014-07-09, Page 1414 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, July 9, 2014
"I'm in my Kitchen Radio"
Steph Smith
QMI Agency
Recently, I had the pleasure of see-
ing a play aptly titled Kitchen Radio,
based on the book by Marion de Vries
and directed by Kelli Fox, at the Blyth
Festival theatre.
I didn't know what I was in for,
even after reading the description of
the production on the theatre's web-
site, which gave a very intriguing syn-
opsis of the premise of Kitchen Radio.
It was opening night for the thea-
tre's 40th season and for the play as
well. This opportunity couldn't have
come at a better or more special time.
Unlike other plays I've seen, the set
design for Kitchen Radio, created by
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ERIN CRONIN
Don and Theresa Cronin are pleased
to announce the graduation of their
daughter, Erin, from University of
Western Ontario on June 16,2014. Erin
received her Bachelor of Arts Honors,
Double Major in Family Studies and
Thanatology. Her earlier education
was received from St. Michael Catholic
Secondary School. Good luck Erin with
your continued studies in the fall.
Congratulations Erin!
Love from all your family
Laura Gardner, was very
simple yet brilliant, as it
effectively portrayed the
time period for which the
play was cast - 1968.
With a working door,
piano, table and chairs, a
myriad of other small props
and of course an old radio,
the simplicity was enough
for the viewer to get a sense
of where the scene was tak-
ing place, with the invita-
tion of letting their imagi-
nation fill in the rest of the
details.
An interesting aspect my
guest and I noticed right
away, before the show
began, was the use of vari-
ous window frames in the
backdrop where the live
band would be playing.
The frames were arranged
in such a way they looked
like the mesh on the front
of an old radio.
At the beginning of the
play, you meet five rela-
tively ordinary Canadian
women just trying to take
what life gives them and
roll with it.
They all have one thing
in common - singing along
with the female country
music stars they listen to
on their kitchen radios,
imagining they are one of
them.
As the wife of a bank
manager Eleanor (Eliza-
beth Kalles) is once again
unpacking boxes because
she and Dan (Greg Gale)
move so often, she never
has time to get settled in
and make new friends, that
is, until she meets Sophie
(Rebecca Auerbach), Mag-
gie (Nicole Joy -Fraser),
Helen (Marion Day) and
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Angela (Emily Lukasik).
These women come together with
humour and music to gain independ-
ence and a voice during a time when
womens' rights were still being very
much challenged.
Each performer is worth noting for
his or her undeniable acting chops.
They were all so believable and full of
energy, reaching out far beyond their
scripts and making their characters
as real as you or I.
But, what must be noted are the
singing abilities of each actress, espe-
cially Auerbach and Day - those
women can really sing with such
power and conviction.
It should also be said this very
dynamic cast can do it all - and I do
not say this lightly.
Beyond having superb acting skills
and the ability to sing just as strongly
is a feat in itself. However, every actor
played an instrument at some point
in the play, whether it was for his or
her scene or if they were playing with
the band - which I would like to point
out was made up mostly of the actors
themselves.
There was a violin, piano, several
guitars and various auxiliary percus-
sion instruments, to name a few.
Basically, if you named an instru-
ment, chances are one of these actors
could play it. Day even played the
autoharp, and it's not very common
to see one of those.
Kitchen Radio was vibrantly, seri-
ously, humourously and wittily writ-
ten, with great lyrics and music.
The play itself was so involved to
the point where it's relatable on so
many levels, the biggest of which is
singing to the radio and imagining
yourself as a famous singer, regard-
less of gender or genre.
Kitchen Radio pays homage to the
women like Patsy Cline and Dolly
Parton who blazed a trail in the coun-
try music industry and to those who
took their bras off in protest for an
equal playing field amongst their
male counterparts. Kitchen Radio is
the truest definition of feminism and
female empowerment - have a little
fun, have a little faith and come
together.
If you're looking for a good after-
noon or evening of laughter and good
ol' country fun, I encourage you to go
see this production.
Kitchen Radio runs from June 25 to
August 9 at the Blyth Festival Theatre,
located at 423 Queen St., Blyth. For a
full list of dates and times, or to pur-
chase tickets, visit the Blyth Festival
website at www.blythfestival.com or
call the box office at 1-877-862-5984.
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Celebrating 50 Years
Elsie aril Peter Willems
Caroline, Marilyn
and
Lori Lynne
Wishing you many more
Happy, healthy ones to come
Love your Children & Grandchildren
Se • tember 12, 1964
and their families
invite you to join us
for the afternoon of
July 13, 2014
at the
Royal Canadian Legion
Seaforth Branch 156
156 Main St., S. Seaforth
1-4 p.m.
Best Wishes Only Please
Open House Format