The Citizen, 1994-09-21, Page 31THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1994. PAGE 31.
E ntertainment
Former Walton girl in choir
Writing love letters
Don Harron and Catherine McKinnon, real-life husband
and wife, appeared in a fundraising performance of Love
Letters at Blyth this past Sunday afternoon.
Theatre review
Writer says
fundraiser
a big success
By Christina Roulston
Sunday afternoon a near sold-out
crowd at the Blyth Memorial
Community Hall enjoyed a very
entertaining performance of A.R.
Gurney's Love Letters performed
by Canadian favourites, Don
Harron and Catherine McKinnon.
Love Letters is a wonderful story of
two friends who met in the second
grade and they wrote letters to each
other in class. When Melissa is sent
to boarding school she and Andy
continue to write and they do so for
the rest of their lives.
The story starts in the 1930s, but
the characters are timeless. Melissa
is just as rebellious as any teenager
today and she struggles with
substance abuse, as well as physical
abuse - problems that are not as
new as Oprah might have us
believe.
Melissa's problems land her in
boarding school after boarding
school.
Melissa's steadfast friend Andy,
however, is clearly the more stable
of the two. He often helps Melissa
through whatever crisis she is
going through at the time.
Mr. Harron and Ms McKinnon
are sitting at a plain table through
out the performance, reading from
notebooks, occasionally sipping
from glasses of water. Only two
stage lights are directed on them.
There is no set - just the two of
them sitting and reading to the
audience.
The lack of the theatrical does
not lessen the involvement of the
audience in this warm story of two
friends, who eventually discover
love. The people laugh at Mr.
Harron's wonderful facial
expressions and deadpan comedy.
Ms McKinnon shows strong
emotions as she adeptly brings to
life the character of the deeply
troubled Melissa. The end of the
performance finds many a moist
eye.
Mr. Harron and Ms McKinnon
most often appeal to older
audiences who know the former for
his Charlie Farquharson character
and Ms McKinnon for her singing
talents; however, this show could
be appreciated by younger
audiences as well, since love knows
no timeline.
This Blyth Festival fundraising
event was a complete success and I
am greatly looking forward to
further programs.
Kitty Wells
comes to
Blyth
When Kitty Wells began her
career, country music was viewed
as a somewhat lowly entertainment
form. Kitty Wells played a big part
in changing that long held
detrimental perception in 1952
when her recording, It Wasn't God
Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
became world-wide number one
smash hit recording.
She was the first female to break
the hitherto male dominated Chart
Toppers stronghold. The effect she
had is continually referred to today
by performers of the same gender
who give Kitty Wells and her first
hit record credit for opening the
doors, airwaves and jukeboxes to
all those in petticoats who seek
singing fame and fortune.
Kitty and life-long manager,
husband and performer, Johnny
Wright, will soon celebrate their
57th wedding anniversary, Oct. 30.
This follows hot on the heels of
Miss Well's 75th birthday, Aug. 30.
It is to share these eventful
occasions, but in particular Kitty's
birthday with their many fans that
"Kitty's 75th Birthday Tour" was
launched.
To some degree the happiness of
the tour is dampened by the fact
that this will be the final road tour
the couple, their son, Bobby, and
the band will make. The Kitty
Wells Family is currently
constructing a live-stage theatre,
not far from the Grand Ole Opry in
Nashville, Tennessee, where they
will give performances daily the
year round. It will be quite different
than traversing the United States
and Canada in the well travelled
Silver Eagle bus to over 200 dates
each year as they have done for
over five decades.
Popular demand has brought
them to Blyth, Ontario for a show
Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Blyth
Memorial Theatre at 8 p.m.
Few performers can claim the
longevity and adoration of the
country music fan as can Kitty
Wells who was elected to the
Country Music Hall of Fame in
1976. In 1991 she was awarded the
prestigious Grammy Lifetime
Achievement Award.
Barbara Lamble, daughter of for
mer Duffs United Church pastor
Bonnie Cole Amal, is a member of
the 40-voice Ontario Youth Choir,
which will be in concert al Blyth
Memorial Hall, Sept. 28.
Barbara, 17, is a Grade 12 stu
dent at Center Wellington District
High School in Fergus. This is her
first season with the choir, which is
comprised of students, aged 16-22,
from across the province.
The choir will present a varied
programme including works from
the traditional repertoire of such
composers as Palestrina and Han
del, contemporary arrangements of
spirituals and music associated with
the Swingle Singers. The concert
will feature the 10th anniversary
performance of / Remember, I
Remember, a work by the late
Canadian composer Keith Bissell
commissioned for the 1984 Youth
choir.The choir, conducted by Lee
Willingham and accompanied by
Ian Sadler, is the flagship perform
ing body of the Ontario Choral
Federation, a non-profit service
organization dedicated to the pro
motion of the cho/al arts in
Ontario.
Two Features
Tuesday
Little Rascals 7:00
Wolf 9:00
SHOWTIMES:
Wolf
Fri., Sat. & Tues 9 p.m. ONLY
Little Rascals
Fr„ Sat & Tues 7:00 p.m. Sun., Mon
Wed., Thurs., 8:00 p.m.
Phone 357-1630 for 24 hour movie Informatlor
NICHOLSON
Tickets Available At: Blyth Festival Office, Blyth Decorating, Carol’s
Candies and Collectibles - Blyth, Goderich Entertainer - Goderich,
Bluewater Office Supply - Wingham, Merle’s Coffee Nook • Mitchell
THE ANJMAl IS OUT
WOLF
t PFEIFFER1
7 1 p T T The “Queen ofWW rJ | J | J Country Music”
Johnny & Bobby Wright &
The Tennessee Mountain Boys
$25. at the door Biil |
Credit Card Orders "
1-800-465-7829 W MT
FRI-SUN SEPT.23 -25 1
FRI & SAT. 7 P.M.
SUN MAT. 2 P.M.
All Mat. Seats‘4.00OPEN HOUSE
In honour of
LAURA LYON’S
90TH BIRTHDAY
Buck & Doe
for
Dwayne Pryce &
Bonnie Palin
Friday, September 23,1994
9 p.m. - 1 a.m.
Music by D.J.
For more Information call
527-1247 or 523-4424
Age of Majority Only
PARK THEATRE
OWtHelT)
FUNNY AND IRRESISTIBLE,
A DREAM OF A HIT."
- Joanna Langfield, THE MOVIE MINUTE
WHAT A THRILL RIDE!
Sunday, October 2, 1994
2 to 4 p.m.
at the
Londesboro United Church
Best Wishes only, please
Happy Birthday to me!
Wow, I’m a year old today
and I can hardly believe it.
(Neither can Daddy or
Mommy, Scott and Kathy).
Tonight I’m having a big
Birthday Party with all my
family and friends and I just
can’t wait. I gotta go now,
I’ll have a big piece of cake
for you later tonight.
Love, Kelly Macdonald
BRIJCE
WILLIS
JANE
MARCH
COLOR OF
NIGHT
FRI. - THURS. FRI. & SAT. 9:G0 p.m.
SEPT. 23- 29 SUN • THURS. 8 p.m.
I N T H E -
Hi FAMILY
LONG DISTANCE? CALL 1-800-255-3438 FOR TOLL FREE MOVIE INFO