The Citizen, 2006-07-13, Page 31Entertainment
Buck & Doe
for
• STACY LINTON
and
JOE COURTNEY
Saturday, July 22 .
4, at
Ripley-Huron
Community Centre
9 pm - 1 am - Music by DJ
• Age of majority
Lunch provided
Tickets $5.00
, Call Jeff 519-887-6920 -
Paul 519-348-4696
le c
13k/C1( &DOE:
for ••
Mew (Sat) Viceelikm
See( 0 -666) 61.00,4 °
Friday, July 21st
9 pm - 1 am
• Blyth Arena Floor • Tickets $5.00
• Music by D.J. • Age of Majority
• Lunch Provided
• Bus leaving Brussels Arena
at 9 pm
For more info & tickets call
Becky 519-523-4936 '
:.. Cindy 519-887-6987 .ie:.
. _ : • •
THE CITIZEN THURSDAY JULY 13, 2006. PAGE 31.
Leisure
Theatre review
Dixon's play explores family dynamics
The wisdom of the sticks
Ingrid Haas, left, and Anne Anglin appear in Lost Heir by
Sean Dixon, which opened at Blyth Festival on Friday
evening. (Terry Manzo photo)
By Carol Burns
Citizen staff
Sean Dixon's play, Lost Heir,
explores the dynamics of what
happens to families as children
mature and translate their parents'
mores into their own cultural
experiences.
Set within the context of a
Mennonite family dealing with the
influence of the foreign English
ways, at first glance the play appears
to address cultural conflicts.
Underlying this superficial
dynamic, however, is the
relationship between adult children
and their parents, as it evolves from
one of dependency, protection and
control into one of respecting the
other as an equal individual.
This evolution contains the
confused struggle parents and their
adult children face of honouring the
relationship, the love for one
another, and the sense of
responsibility for the other, while
continuing to be true to one's self
and to one's ideals.
By the final curtain, the Lost Heir
family bulldozes through this
morass and survives in reborn
relationships.
The minimalist set gave the
audience no opportunity to distract
itself with external details. The
focus was on the characters and their
contorted interactions.
Well-known to the Blyth audience,
Layne Coleman was convincing as
the aging father Samuel, concerned
about his daughter's happiness and
well-being, and determined that he
will get it for her. His slow speech
and movements, and initial
pomposity were perfect in the role.
As the play progressed, his
soliloquies revealed his increasing
disquiet and unsureness about the
absolute truth. Like all parents,
Samuel had parts of himself he
believed were hidden from the world
and, especially, his children. His
facing this reality created one of
several poignant moments of the
play.
Ingrid Haas is potentially one of
the future staples of the Festival.
Her performance as the maturing
daughter, Gundrun, seemed initially
subdued, but her believability grew
with the progress of the play. Her
portrayal of the conflict between
loyalty and love for her father and
her need to express the values he had
given her in her own way was
powerful and convincing. This was
arguably the most difficult role in the
play, and Haas completed the task
well.
Kieren Gallant as the irrepressible
Warren was a joy to experience. One
could almost believe that a
skateboarding drifter had made a
wrong turn on one of Memorial
Hall's benches and by mistake ended
up on stage.
Gallant did reveal some of the
insecurities and conflicts inherent in
growing up and homelessness, but
they seemed less pressing than the
central conflicts of the play.
He was less believable as the
resurrected lost heir. Perhaps there
was insufficient time on stage to
develop that character, or for
the audience to make the tran-
sition, despite the seer Kay's
forewarning.
The star of the show, although she
was in a supporting role, was Anne
Anglin. What a delight she was to
experience on stage. He'r
performance of the seer, Kay, was
empathetic, droll and pure magic.
Regardless of what was happening,
Anglin demanded our attention.
Michelle Polak as the hip
Margaret was fun. Her interpretation
of Margaret revealed that behind the
seemingly shallow, fun-focused
young woman, was a sensitive,
caring person who was willing to
fight for those in whom she believed.
Polak, like Anglin, was charismatic
when on-stage.
Ian Lake as Ben, the frazzled
artistic director, gave an acceptable
performance. Possibly his
interactions with the audience, or his
presence on-stage during
intermission muddied the audience's
perspective of who or what he really
was. Possibly his character was
simply less developed being less
critical to the central conflicts of the
play.
Director Paul Thompson has
modeled the play into a night of
provocation.
The responsibility for the overall
vision of a play is the director's. It is
the director who supports the actors
The Brubachers of Ethel
Restaurant & Bakery
Try our Cinnamon Buns
Mon. - Fri. 7-6:30;
Sat. 8-6:30, Sunday Closed
Bad breath can
be a sign of more
than garlic pizza.
Woe! you eat may not always be the
culprit Oral complications such as gingivitis,
periodontitis and gum disease on be room
serious causes of bad breath. Book an
appoinlment with your dental hygienist today
to learn more.
Visit www.cdho.org or call the College at
1-800-268-2346 for more intonation on
dental hygiene and oral health.
Collo,. of Daniel Hyolonitfo of Onlorlo
10 y..,, .11.11,•,Ieher,
in their interpretations of their
characters and pulls it all together.
With the exception of the return of
the lost heir, (possibly an issue of
time), Thompson has created a
seamless fabric.
This is not a play to see if one is
looking for a night of fun. But if one
wants to be challenged to overcome
.1.
'.. Buck & Doe
for .i'.
•-•i. Ang Sills and ?.'.
•Q Bob Steiss
: (ii Friday, July 21 ..:ii
Listowel Kin Station ::::: ..,,: Music by D.J. *• X
t.' 9:00 pm to 1:00 am ....:';
$5.00 in advance r;
-;q $6.00 at the door i:
Lunch provided
X. .:... Age of majority required
'-:c Call Steve .• :i...,.
y 519-887-6670 ?
!'*.Y.'!-V.:!*;itZ•.•::17::'-N4::A:::::4:•::k.,S 1,1i...
ft,,,A0110=unkt• *;1
You are invited
to a
50 112edding annivadafrui
Come & .eat
for
Edward and Joan Watson
Saturday, July 22
Trinity Anglican Church Hall
2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Best wishes only please
stereotypes and go home
a contemplating, Lost Heir will
deliver.
Lost Heir runs from July 5 to
August 12 at the Blyth, Festival
Theatre.
for
Tim Caldwell j
& Jen Herr
Saturday, July 29 ;?.
5:00 p.m.
at Les & Evelyn "A"
Caldwell's
39741 Moncreiff Rd.
ADVANCE TICKETS ONLY
* Tickets $10.00 each
) Available from
;eSA: Auburn Co-op, 519-526-7262, to?
Ian Caldwell 519-523-4994
0 & Les Caldwell 519-523-9324 4
tsn,
Stag & Doe
for
Heidi Meier
and
David Laing
Saturday, July 15
Q:00 pm - 1:00 am
Belgrave Arena
* Musk by D.J. * Age of majority
* Lunch provided " 'Tickets $5.00
FOR TICKETS PHONE:
Laura or Nicole 519-357-3360
Colleen 519-887-6340
Andrew 519.357-3170
'AMP tsA.
Wedding Celebration
Barbecue
11
l to
4
AWESVVIEJ "WICKEDLY FLINN Y1"
Uy:•••""4.4 1ci
is) to celebrate the
You are invited
)1 50th Wedding
‘ sInniversary )
of
*
4 • CV
• Edelgard & Hubert
*
•
4, •- Hoba 743.'
c
Open House
e Sunday, July 23, 1
from 2-4 pm
(11, BLYTH UNITED CHURCH (,:,
A "Best wishes only please" 'A
.A1..._......-46.
Fri, Sat & Tue
6:45 & 9:00
Sun, Mon, Wed
& Thur 8:00
lIA VAT R 36-1-2066
Fri, Sat, Sun & Tue
July 14 - 16 &
Showtime Approx. 9:15
W1.0 gr1O.11.1•11....1 1Iemor—
Consoafk4 vQ lUoivonmei
R E T U R N S.
LONG DISTANCE? CALL 1-800-245-3438 FOR TOLL FREE MOVIE INFO '