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The Citizen, 1991-08-14, Page 23Theatre review THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14,1991. PAGE 23. Cornflower Blue , a lovely piece of sentiment Her full attention Maggie Nagle as Judy, listens carefully to every word said by her uncle, played by Donald Adams, left and her father, played by John Jarvis, as they watch Hockey Night in Canada, in this scene from the new comedy by Kelly Rebar, Cornflower Blue, which premiered in Blyth on Thursday. BY BONNIE GROPP "One of these days you will go so far, you'll end up back where you started from." For Mervyl, the heroine of Kelly Rebar's new play, Cornflower Blue, which premiered at Blyth Festival on Thursday night, back is to her home in the prairie town of Com- flower, Alberta. Her mother encouraged her throughout her young life to chase her dreams. Mervyl has spent most of her life trying to find the road that leads to fulfillment of those dreams. "I didn't listen to a thing she said, and didn't manage to for­ get a word," says Mervyl, remem­ bering. Leaving her solidly planted hus­ band Pog, who says that city life isn't too bad except for the people, to keep the homefires burning, she travels the country working at odd jobs and achieving minor success as a playwright. BREAK ENTER AND THEFTS A break and enter took place at Kirky’s Car Care at the five points in Goderich sometime in the early morning hours of March 19, 1991. A thief smashed a plexiglass win­ dow in the west bay door and then stole cigarettes and the float money before leaving through the broken window. This crime may have been com­ mitted by the same criminal that broke into the Petro Can station on Bayfield Road. On the same date a rock was thrown through the front door window and the thief then entered and stole a small quantity of cigarettes. Overnight on July 8, 1991 a simi­ lar theft took place when the west bay door at Kirky's Car Care was But every time she is away, Mervyl finds all the roads bring her home in Cornflower. "If you see it from the road you won't think it's any different than any other place. But the place you grow up in-wherever that may be-is always with you. You carry it around in your heart; you draw upon your memories of it for strength and understanding and for comfort in time of strain and trouble. You carry those years of experiences, stories, people and they, in turn, carry you," she ruminates. She has rooted herself, now, in the family home, hoping for inspi­ ration for a new script. What tran­ spires is a beautiful story of four friends, their families and their lives. Every once in awhile you see a play that makes you envious of the talent of the playwright. Cornflow­ er Blue is for me, just such a play. Ms Rebar is one of the rare people Crime Stoppers broken and over $700 worth of cigarettes and $300 in cash were stolen. On July 19-20, 1991 a thief struck at the Bayfield Marina com­ plex and stole the following items: 1-2 - Northern Telcom phones, model “Meridian”, beige in colour and consisting of a five-line inter­ com, mute button, hand free opera­ tion and hold button on one set and an additional 15 buttons on the sec­ ond for speed dialing. 2 - a $300 float from the gas shack. 3 - keys from two offices. 4 - 1 - Tremblay Loran -C 5 - 1-2' x 3' flag, pink, white and turquoise in colour with the word “OPEN” on it. 6 - 1 -Develbus spray gun. 7 - float money from the trailer park. If you have information about these or any other crimes call Crime Stoppers of Huron Co inly, 1-800-265-1777 or 524-6851 and you could receive a reward of up to $1,000. Remember crime doesn't pay Crime Stoppers does. who has the ability to take simple words or ideas, that we have all spoken or thought at one time or another, and articulate them with sensitivity and humour. The char­ acters she creates are familiar with­ out being predictable stereotypes, the story sentimental without being syrupy, the plot simple without being inane. The cast is kept to four, despite the fact that the script requires small appearances by several minor characters. At times the transition may be a little confusing, more so for those who prefer straight-on productions, but director Kim McCaw keeps everything running smootlily and the cast does such a wonderful job that it shouldn't take long for the majority of theatre­ goers to catch up with who's who. From adolescence to grown men,. John Jatvis's Jeff and Donald Adams' Pog are absolutely wonder­ ful. Each possess versatility, man­ aging to be as believable in the guise of appealing children as they are portraying likeable, sensitive men. They show wonderful comedic talent, yet handle the poignant moments equally as well. John Jarvis has returned to Blyth after an absence of 10 years. Dur­ ing this time he has been with the companies at Stratford, the Grand and Manitoba Theatre Centre, where he worked in Quiet in the Land, directed by Blyth Festival's founder James Roy. Donald Adams is making his first appearance at Blyth. He has appeared in Robin Phillip's pro­ duction of The Mousetrap at the Citadel. He was a member of the Second City comedy troupe and a Stratford Company member for three seasons. Jan Wood does a solid job as the untraditional Mervyl, named for the mechanic who drove her mother to the hospital. She too shows excel­ lent range and depth as she moves Seaforth Minor Sports BINGO EVERY MONDAY NIGHT 7:30 PM Seaforth & Oietrict Community Centre* 12.000 IN PRIZES Plus SHARE THE WEALTH MUST GO JACKPOT $750 back and forth from child to young woman to the part of her friend's very traditional mother. Ms Wood is a resident of Alberta and has worked extensively in Edmonton and Calgary. She also appeared in The Mousetrap. Rounding off the cast is Maggie Nagle as Judy. Perhaps it was a case of opening night jitters, but she seemed to lack some of the confidence the other actors had, making a few tiny slips. She recov­ ered easily, however, and played her part so well, they were barely noticeable. Now living in Win­ nipeg, Ms Nagle spent two sum­ mers on the road with the Caravan Stage Co., which appeared in Blyth two summers ago, as an actor and teamster. Though the second act of Corn­ flower Blue was a little more maudlin than we had come to expect after the first, the play still left me with a good feeling; the kind of feeling you get after spend­ ing an evening talking in depth with old friends. Ms Rebar, who is well-known for her popular play Bordertown Cafe, which premiered in Blyth in 1987, has written a story of four people, who have Happy birthday 5 - Hoie (Mike Henry) Love Andrea & Sandy Si life Di If aye Uforaf Grafts OPEN Monday-Saturday 12-6 p.m. COME OUT FOR A VISIT! 523-9168 HWY. #4 LONDESBORO Right next door to Radford's Farm Equipment known each other all their lives. They admire and respect each other despite the flaws, in addition to possessing the kind of understand­ ing that comes with life-long friendships. The characters, the incidents they remember and the dreams they hold, are a part of each and every­ one of our lives as well. Cornflower Blue will begin tour­ ing Ontario in September, then will tour Manitoba until December 1. Happy Birthday Sweet 16 Pauline August 18 Love Mom, Dad, Kriss and Sandra the Blyth Iw THURSDAY NIGHT IS WING NIGHT 5 P.M. - MIDNIGHT WINGS 30C EACH MINIMUM ORDER 10 a variety of sauces available SORRY NO TAKE-OUTS Mon., Tues., Wed. 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Thurs., Frl., & Sat. 5 p.m. - midnight CHICKEN WINGS & CHIPS $4.95 EAT IN OR TAKE OUT THURS., FRI. & SAT. NITES PIZZA BUY ONE & GET A 2ND FOR 1/2 PRICE 5 P.M. - MIDNIGHT EAT IN OR TAKE OUT ENTERTAINMENT AUG. 16 -17 Ben Gerding 523-9381 L.L.B.O.