Village Squire, 1978-06, Page 8people who have paid up to $20 a seat will see the show, ever. In
other years if you missed opening night you could always see the
same performers in the same play later in the season. You might
even get a better deal because by then the actors might have
relaxed more and put on a better performance. But the Gala is a
one-time affair featuring such stars as National Ballet stars
Veronica Tennant and James Kudelka and Canadian opera stars
Maureen Forrester, Allan Monk and Roxlana Roslak. Master of
ceremonies for the evening will be Robin Phillips himself.
The Gala will celebrate Shakespeare's contribution to the
world of music, dance and drama. The Festival's own company
will perform highlights of some Shakespearean plays.
The excitement generated by the plays is indicated by ticket
sales which in a time of supposedly difficult economic conditions
have been going at a rapid clip. By mid-May nearly all tickets for
Noel Coward's Private Lives had been sold. The play stars Brian
Bedford and Maggie Smith and had tickets left only for sale on
the day of the performance.
Also heavily booked was MacBeth, starring Douglas Rain,
Maggie Smith, William Neddles and Nicholas Pennell.
In all, more than half the tickets for the entire season were sold
by mid-May. In addition media interest is also high. Once again
the Ontario government is sponsoring visiting journalists from
Britian. A publicity staffer at the Festival said in April that so
many critics wanted tickets for the opening of Ned and Jack at
the Third Stage that it was going to be hard to find tickets to sell
to the general public.
There will be six plays by Shakespeare in this year's
repertoire. Heading the list will be MacBeth but such othe
popular plays as As You Like It and Julius Caesar. Also on the
schedule are The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Winter's Tale
and Shakespeare's darkest play, Titus Adronicus. The play will
feature William Hutt, Domini Blythe, Frank Maraden, Jennifer
Phipps and Alan Scarfe.
Noel Coward has become one of the most popular playwrights
at Strafford. Last year his Hay Fever sold out for every
performance before it opened. This year it's long been sold out
though it isn't to open until July 9.
The other classical writer on the stage of the Festival this year
will be Anton Chekhov in a new translation by John Murrell of
Uncle Vanya. Robin Phillips will co -direct with Urjo Kareda with
Brian Bedford, William Hutt, Martha Henry and Marti Maraden
starring.
Canadian writers will have a larger place at Stratford this year.
Larry Fineberg, whose earlier production of Eve was successful
at Stratford will have two productions this year. His version of
Medea will play at Third Stage from July 1 to August 3, with Paul
Batten, Richard Whelan and Patricia Idlette. His Devotion,
starring Martha Henry, Marti Maraden, Jennifer Phipps and
Tom Wood will premiere at the Avon on August 23.
Sheldon Rosen's Ned and Jack about the lives of John
Barrymore and Edward Sheldon will also be part of the Third
Stage season, opening June 30. It stars Alan Scarfe and Jack
Wetherall. Tom Cone's Stargazing will also be produced at the
Third Stage from August 25 to Sept. 23.
Also at Third Stage from August 20 to Sept. 21 are four short
works by Samuel Beckett: Not I, Footfalls, From and Abandoned
Work and Come and Go.
Other plays during the season will be The Devils, by John
Whiting at the Avon, Candide, adapted from Voltaire by Hugh
Wheeler at both the Festival and Avon stages; Judgement, a
one-man show for adult audiences only starring Richard
Monette at the Avon; Heloise and Abelard at the Avon starring
Ted Follows and Dawn Greenhalgh; the Haworth -A portrait of
the Brontes, starring Brian Bedford and Maggie Smith from
Sept. 14 to 28 at the Avon.-
And as if all that isn't enough, there's also the concert series
starring such greats as Bruce Cockburn, Oscar Peterson, Dan
Hill, Liona Boyd, Louis Quilico and Gino Quilico.
The problem for ardent Festival fans is obviously how to take
in all the productions on the schedule and still get time for the
garden, eating, sleeping and sun bathing this summer.
PG. 6. VILLAGE SQUIRE/JUNE 1978.
Be with it
With a
frilly, lacy
sundress.
Just right
for any time...
day or evening.
Just right
for you.
fie clothes closet
36 North St. Goderich
524-8572
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