The Citizen, 2008-08-14, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2008. PAGE 19.Entertainment Leisure&Theatre reviewInnocence Lost, a thought-provoking play
The images are haunting. Black
and white stills of the young Blyth
Festival actors who would portray the
central figures in Innocence Lost: A
Play about Steven Truscott;
photographs replicating those we
have all come to recognize from the
frequent media coverage in recent
years.
The Festival’s 106th Canadian
premier opened Aug. 1 to an
audience which probably included
the curious, the cynical, the supporter
and maybe even a few who
remembered those tragic events from
June, 1959, which resulted in the loss
of a young girl’s life and the forever-
altered one of a 14-year-old boy.
From the innovative images
projected onto the moveable screens,
which facilitated scene changes, to
the somber portrayals of an intimate
group of Clinton and area residents
impacted by the chilling murder of
young Lynne Harper almost 50 years
ago, the creation by Beverley Cooper
is thought- provoking.
Seen through the eyes of a now-
adult (fictional) classmate of
Truscott’s, the play takes the
audience back to the day of the
murder. Through imagery, costumes
and narrative, the mood is set. We are
in Clinton in 1959. We understand a
bit of the mood and attitudes, which
prevailed between the townspeople
and those from the air force base
down the road.
Though many of the children were
bused to the school on the base, there
may have been an attitude by some,
that the base families were set apart,
transients, not worth spending the
time on to develop friendships.
We are shown the innocence of
Truscott, a 14-year-old who believes
the answers he gives the over-eager
officer are truthful and helpful. We
see other youngsters whose stories
alter with each telling, adults who
assume and professionals, in several
capacities, who do their best with the
skills, technology and understanding
available in that era.
The investigation into Lynne
Harper’s tragic murder was
concluded in 36 hours.
By the end of Act One, the youth’s
guilt may seem apparent as the
stories just don’t appear to gel.
Then comes Act Two. We learn of
those who fought for years, to find
the truth, to support Truscott, to save
his life, secure his release and
eventually his exoneration.
The story is well known, the
ending a fait d’accompli, and yet the
telling by Cooper and the simple
presentation by a wonderful
ensemble cast allows the story to
come to the forefront. It is the
atmosphere, emotions and attitudes,
which need to be understood.
Elaborate settings would only
detract.
Marion Day is superb as Sara,
through whose eyes the story is told,
taking her from an adult with teens of
her own, back to that 13-year-old
who experienced the “end of
childhood” with her classmates and
then, returning to the present, where
she must face how the incident
affected her own life.
Truscott’s belief in his own
innocence is evident in the young
face of Clinton-native Curtis
teBrinke. We see his mystification
and misunderstanding about what is
happening to him. He is only telling
the truth, he proclaims.
As the cast revolves around him,
we witness the many attitudes
present: the husband and wife who
differ in their faith in the jury’s
decision, townsfolk who are
convinced, classmates on both sides
of the story, a system that needs to
find a suspect and solve the case
quickly and an outsider who believes.
A community’s sense of safety is
destroyed.
Though the story has been told, the
telling is sensitively and very well
done. It should be included in
everyone’s ticket packet for this
Blyth Festival season.
Innocence Lost runs through Sept.
13, with six performances added.
By Janice Becker
Special to The Citizen
A loss of innocence
Appearing in Beverley Cooper’s Innocence Lost: A Play
About Steven Truscott. are, back row, from left: Larry
Yachimec, Deborah Grover, Patricia Vanstone, Shannon
Scott, Susan Armstrong and Robert King. Front: Noah
Reid, Curtis teBrinke and Marion Day. (Terry Manzo photo)
Mr. and Mrs. Frederik and
Henrietta Vander Sterre
are pleased to announce
the forthcoming marriage
of their daughter
Sarah Elisabeth
to
Gregory Paul
son of
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence and
Ingrid Bos on
September 13, 2008 at
Bethel Pentecostal Church
Goderich, Ontario
Forthcoming
Marriage
Buck & Doe
for
ROB WARWICK
&
ANDREA GLAVIN
Sat., Aug. 16 Brussels Arena
• TICKETS $5
• MUSIC BY DJ
• AGE OF MAJORITY
• LUNCH PROVIDED
For tickets call 519-527-2675
BUCK ‘N’
DOE
for
Ryan Smith and
Richelle Jorritsma
Friday, August 15
Listowel Agricultural Hall
9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
$5.00
Age of Majority
Donation Bus from
Brussels Foodland
9:30 p.m.
Forthcoming
Marriage
SNELL/CULBERT
Cliff Snell and
Bev MacDonald are pleased
to announce the marriage
of their daughter
Nikki Snell
to
William Culbert
of Holmesville,
Saturday, August 23, 2008
at Lazy Days
81845 Pinery Line,
Auburn, Ontario.
Reception at 9:00
Happy 75th
Birthday
Mary Hallahan
on August 18
Love, Maurice, Jim,
Karen, Dennis, Julie,
Maryanne, Bill, Irene and
Wayne, Blaine, Jason,
Tyler, Jeff, Kyle, Becky,
Connor and Jackson.