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The Citizen, 1992-12-09, Page 27E ntertainment THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9,1992. PAGE 27. Blyth announces 3 plays Theatre review Second City, still hot stuff By Bonnie Gropp As it is with the television show, when a Second City skit is hot, it's hot and when it's not, it's not. But when a skit is working it ignites a theatre of people like no other can. Such was the case at Blyth Memorial Hall when The Second City National Touring Company performed on Saturday evening as the second feature in the Blyth Fes­ tival Fall/Spring Series. Though some material fell flat, for the most part the audience was kept in stitch­ es as the troupe poked fun at every­ thing from politicians to family values. While they might have offended the modest or the serious­ ly politically correct, few could resist the sexual innuendoes, the jibes about our rural area or what was often just plain silliness. Near the beginning, one member of the company came front and centre to explain a little bit about the The Second City and talk to the audience about Blyth. Inevitably, the topics of turnips and 'thresher­ men' became grist for their comedy mill throughout the rest of the evening. This good natured ribbing and Huron artists work appears at Festival’s Bainton Gallery The Blyth Festival Art Gallery is hosting the “Our Land” exhibit which opened Dec. 7 and will run until Dec. 19. Art Gallery Country Playhouse announces changes In keeping with tradition and its mandate of producing family entertainment at Huron Country Playhouse, Max Reimer, Artistic Director, has made the following changes to the 1993 Season: In order for Mr. Reimer to be able to direct three of the five plays, Wait Until Dark, by Play readings give chance for reflection Continued from page 3 play reading is one step in the journey that the play makes on its way to production. It involves actors reading the script aloud with an audience. “New play development is a very important part of what we do at the Festival,” says Smith. “The reading is a chance for the audience to reflect the play back to the playwright and actors.” Both plays are being considered for the ’93 Blyth season. Web will be read at 7:30 on Friday, Dec. 11. Ceili House will be read on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 4:00. Both readings are in the June Hill room above the Blyth Festival Admini­ stration offices. Refreshments will be served. Admission is free but donations of non-perishable food, gifts, clothing or money to the Huron County Children's Fund will be accepted. conversation with the audience is a big part of the company's appeal. In this manner, they learn a little about the area and the lifestyles, then show us the humour in many of our everyday things. Often the laughs were caused by their reactions to the audience response to their questions. One woman, from Brodhagen, when asked if she worked there respond­ ed saying, "No, nobody does." — an overstatement which caused a good deal of fun. Even this local paper was target- ted during a scene where a man was being interviewed for a job and admitted he couldn't read. The employer then admitted the same after which both agreed the appli­ cant was perfect for a job with The Citizen. The Second City which began in 1959 in Chicago, specializes in improvisational comedy. There are few props, few costumes and many skits, some of which result from audience suggestions. Their satiri­ cal style is like holding a mirror up to society and human failings. You may not always like what you see, but it helps if you can laugh at it. chairperson Michael Diamond invites the public to attend the opening of the exhibit on Dec. 7 at 7:30 in the Bainton Gallery at Frederick Knott, will be rescheduled to become the second show of the season. It'll keep you on the edge of your seats from July 6 to July 17. Out Of Order, the comedy by Ray Cooney will replace Cake- Walk, running from July 20 to July 31. Fiddler On The Roof, the world's most acclaimed musical, will run from Aug. 17 to Sept. 4, replacing, Meet Me In St. Louis. With such memorable tunes as “Match­ maker”; “Sunrise, Sunset”; “Tradition” and the immortal “If I Were A Rich Man”, this show is at the top of the international hit list. It has terrific music, a strong story and great family appeal. “Family fun and the tradition of sure-fire entertainment will be the playbill for 1993. The additions of Out Of Order and Fiddler On The Roof will guarantee that my first season at Huron Country Playhouse will be a success”, says Mr. Reimer. LIONS’ YOUTH EXCHANGE Any youth age 16-21 interested in participating in the Blyth Lions Youth exchange next summer of '93. Contact Dave Cook 523-4350 Gord Jenkins 523-9372 Which you will time and time again. The touring company was estab­ lished over 15 years ago and this is the second time my husband and I, both big fans of the television series, have seen it. The audience is treated to 90 minutes of scenes from recent revues and from the 32 year history of The Second City, which is followed by a half-hour of improv. Two gay businessmen make a deal in a restaurant by playing foot­ sies under the table. Weight watch­ ing and cholesterol counting are put in a less serious light in a song about giving meat a chance. A woman, who shuns artificial beauty gets a Gestapo like make-over, the final torture being a bikini wax, from two estheticians. And that is only a appetizer. The rest of the fare offers you similar diversity which guarantees you should come away with at least one good chuckle to remember. So certain was I of its appeal that I bought tickets as early Christmas gifts for several relatives. We were still laughing hours later. Blyth's Memorial Hall. “The exhibition was created by Huron-County artists on the theme of our land,” said Diamond in a telephone interview from his home. Guest speaker Robert Tetu will address the relationship of art and the community. Refreshments will be served. The exhibit will be open to the public during regular box office hours. Admission is free, but donations of non-perishable food, clothing, gifts or cash for the Huron County Christmas Bureau would be appreciated. Sorry we missed you last week! Happy Birthday Grandma! Love, your family & friends The Blyth Festival, a leader in Canadian new play development, is making an unprecedented early announcement of three of the plays from their seven play ’93 season. “Our Christmas Voucher Packs have been selling very well and we thought it would be nice to give our audience an early look at the ’93 season,” says Artistic Director Peter Smith. The two and four ticket Christmas Vouchers are $25 and $47, and are available to Dec. 24. Christmas Vouchers can be used for community play tickets as well as mainstage productions. Colleen Curran, renowned Canadian playwright and one of Blyth's best loved writers, returns to open the 19th mainstage season with her new comedy Ceili House. Curran's previous Blyth plays include Cake Walk, Local Talent and the sellout hit Miss Balmoral of the Bayview. Ceili House is set in the country garden of a century home outside a small town in Ontario. Freya Brady is the young woman recently hired as the curator in charge of turning the old home into a museum to a honour the famous Canadian novelist who once lived there. In true Colleen Curran style, Freya's seemingly simple task turn into an hilarious adventure when she is diverted by a cast of eccentric characters including an opera singing gardener, a retired librarian, who is a self professed druid, a meddling socialite, and a businessman turned suitor all who drive the play to a surprising conclusion. The Blyth and District Community Play, June 1 through June 12, is a special addition to this year's Festival. LONG DISTANCE? CALL 1-600-265-3438 FOR TOLL FREE MOVIE INFO Blyth Village Christmas Come celebrate with us...... SATURDAY DEC. 19, 1992 Christmas Pageant 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Hayride & Carol Singing Hot Chocolate & Cookies 7:30 p.m. Christmas Pageant Blyth Memorial Hall There will be a collection of canned goods at the door. All proceeds to Huron United Way This ad generously sponsored by Blyth Decorating Centre & Dickson's Auto Repair “The play starts as a parade and ends as a celebration, and in between it is a carnival,” says Director Jon Oram, who has been involved with 16 community, play projects in Canada, the U.K. and Europe, and is a founder of the Community Play Movement in Britain. “It is an exploration of hictorv and identitv.” The third Christmas announce­ ments is the return of Raymond Storey's critically acclaimed Glorious 12th. The play opened late in the 1992 season and was immediately embraced by audiences and media alike. The Globe and Mail called it, “... a serious and elegantly executed drama about the admirable but flawed myth of fundamental Canadian decency.” The Goderich Signal Star praised the Glorious Twelfth with, “Rarely does a show have the content and ability to make an audience laugh, wonder and reflect all within the confines of two acts ... The Glorious Twelfth did all this and more.” The Glorious Twelfth is the last play to open in the ’93 season and will tour Ontario in September. “Our commitment to new play development is stronger than ever,” says Mr. Smith. “Our audiences want works that reflect the Canadian experience. They want to be entertained and they want to feel a part of the creative process. Their input is essential to each play and to what we do at the Festival. Blyth plays are shaped by our audiences and they quite often go on to have long lives after the Festival. These three plays and the four others that we are working on are all uniquely Blyth. It is going to be an exciting year.”