The Citizen, 2001-06-27, Page 23THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2001. PAGE 23.
Entertainment& Leisure
Theatre review
Avon's 'Woolf' not to everyone's liking
Going too far
Martha pushed her husband's buttons a little too far in this
scene from the Avon Theatre's Who's Afraid of Virgin
Woolf, while their guest Nick tries to get things under con-
trol. Martha Henry and Peter Donaldson appear as Martha
and George, while Sean Arbuckle is Nick. Also in the pro-
duction is Claire Jullien as Honey. The show runs until Nov.
3. (Courtesy photo)
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
A 12-year-old Walton-area girl is
singing and dancing on stage in
Grand Bend this summer.
Laura Elligsen of RR4 Walton is
playing the role of the mayor's
daughter in The Huron Country
Playhouse's season opener, The
Music Man.
The Playhouse's Music Man isset
Take solid acting, a terrific script
and you're sure to have a production
for everyone to enjoy, right?
in the 1950s and focuses on the story
of a fast-talking travelling salesman.
Harold,- the salesman tries to hook
townspeople in Iowa communities
by forming marching bands and sell-
ing them uniforms and insturments
before skipping town.
Elligson's character, Gracie Shinn
is a rich girl who wants to be like her
Not necessarily. Exiting
Stratford's Avon Theatre after seeing
Edward Albee's highly acclaimed
Who's, Afraid of Virginia Woolf, it
was not particularly surprising to
have overheard several negative
comments. The dialogue is not for
the sensitive, the story not for the
ideallistic.
It is 2 a.m. and George, a college
professor and his wife Martha have
returned home from a party. The
event had been hosted by Martha's
father, the college president, as an
introduction to the new faculty
members.
Arriving shortly after are a young
couple, Nick, from the biology
department and his prissy wife,
Honey, whom Martha had invited for
a nightcap.
What follows is both amusing and`
disturbing.
The acerbic banter between the
hosts captures your attention in the
first act. The caustic humour has a
sharp edge, made particularly enjoy-
able by the obvious enjoyment of the
two protagonist/lovers.
Things escalate or deteriorate as
the play, and the drinking, progress-
es into actions of rage and cruelty.
The 'games' of human behaviour,
George aptly names as Humiliate the
Host and Hump the Hostess. The lat-
ter should give some indication of
just how depraved things get.
Martha Henry, as Martha, is com-
manding, offering. a glimpse of vul-
nerability in the shrew that makes it
hard to hate her. From her braying,
as George aptly describes it, to her
older sister.
Elligson practised for two weeks
before the show began. She says it
has been a lot of work.
Elligson has been taking singing
lessons for a couple of years in
Stratford.
The Music Man premiered June 12
and runs to June 30.
unapologetic drinking, to her lust for
younger up and corners, we are
shown a woman who is Clawed, bit-
ter and knows it.
Equally bitter is her husband
George, portrayed with sardonic
charm by Peter Donaldson. As
Martha's words cut at his manhood,
he regenerates by taking slices of her
self-worth. "Martha, in my mind I
see you buried in cement to your
neck. No, your nose."
She chips away at him about his.
failure to rise into the position of
head of the history department, to
amount to anything. He restores his
ego by insulting her.
As the young couple caught in this
verbal barrage, Claire Jullien and
Sean Arbuckle do well, though
Jullien is the weak link in this other-
wise strong cast. Arbuckle holds his
own as the studly lecturer whose
smugness covers some secrets of his
own.
One may wonder, however, why
this young couple continues to stay.
It seems improbable that anyone
would endure the humiliation and
anger they do. Admittedly, Honey,
who gets rather tipsy, spends a good
deal of time sleeping on the bath-
room floor. Yet each time she awak-
ens, it is not to gather her 'husband
and run as far from this frustrating
couple as possible, but to get anoth-
er drink.
Perhaps it is sick fascination that
holds them in this theatre of the
absurd. Perhaps it is good manners;
each time they make an attempt they
are urged, sometimes vehemently to
remain.
Perhaps, like the audience, they
just hope to understand.
The play is, as the programme
notes by Brian Parker attest, about
fear of living life without false illu-
sion, of making sense of one's place
in a senseless world.
And it is at the end that the great-
est of these false illusions is lost in
the story of the 'son', a mystery that
teased throughout the play.
As this climax surprises, the guests
have left, finally, and the demons
seem to be silenced as the couple
looks ahead to a future with the
truth.
At three and a half hours long,
much of it spent in argument or dis-
playing less than enviable qualities,
by the third act some in the audience
had had enough. But the script is
intelligent and witty.
Add to this top notch performanc-
es, and directed skillfully by William
Carden we are given a fly-on-the-
wall look at a less than picture-per-
fect portrait of an American
The authentic set design by Ray
Recht adds to the effect.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is
most definitely not for anyone who
likes their entertainment light. But it
is a worthy production of a proven
body of work that captures your
mind. It is one of those playsthat you
will find yourself thinking about
Nappy. SC'
ittlidav
Selena Ma,Thiln
oli July 1
McKillop girl in 'Music Man'
Festival hosts Tourism Night
The Blyth Festival is hosting
Tourism Night on July 4. This has
been a long standing tradition of the
Blyth Festival, as an opportunity to
thank the tourism partners for sup-
port year round.
The evening begins at 7 p.m. with
a barbecue, an exhibit showcasing
Grant Sparling's antique fire engines
and the opportunity to swap
brochures, followed by a perform-
ance of The Passion bf Narcisse
Mondoux starring Ted Johns. Juanita
Wilkins from Cactus Jam will be per-
forming at the post-show reception.
Doon celebrates Canada Day
Love Ethel, Bob, Mary,
Shirley & Don & families
Join the farmers and villagers at
Doon Heritage Crossroads as they
celebrate Canada's birthday on
Sunday, July 1 from 10 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. Admission will be free.
In 1914 the country was only 48
years old, and the patriotic feeling
was alive and well. Doon will re-
capture the spirit on July 1 with a
_birthday party that will have all the
traditional fun and entertainment
from the turn of the century. Musical
entertainment, an afternoon concert
by the Grand River Brass, turn of the
century games and a free draw for a
picnic basket are all part of Doon's
Canada Day party. Bring your own
picnic or purchase your lunch from
the barbecue that will be set up for
the day.
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