The Huron Expositor, 1995-08-16, Page 611 -TNI HURON RXPO$ITOR, AMINO, 16, 1995
Local
ust misses
BY TIM CUMMING
Expositor Editor
In the Stratford Festival
production of Amadeus there is
a scene where rival composer
Salieri explains that a figure
from Don Giovanni is based on
Mozart's father.
A gate opens. An imposing
larger -than -life figure, not
unlike the Grim Reaper, comes
on stage in a cloud of mist. As
soon'as he has appeared he has
gone.
It is just a moment but it lets
the audience into the mind of
one of the greatest musical
geniuses the world has ever
known. For one second the
anguished thoughts of the child
prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart, become clear. The
audience can understand at last
how inspiration and genius can
come out of the mind of a
spoiled man -child.
There are few words during
that scene but it is one of the
most poignant moments in the
Stratford Festival production.
Show, don't tell.
It is a lesson not entirely
learned by playwright Peter
Shaffer.
The play Amadeus could
have made better use of its
breathtaking set and fine actors
if the audience is not spoon-fed
every last idea in narration.
Brian Bedford, as Antonio
Salieri, spends much of the
play talking to the audience.
Why talk to the audience when
there are so many interesting
characters on stage?
The play is, almost without
reference to anything else,
Brian Bedford. The audience
fell in love with Bedford's
performance as the tortured
Salieri, rewarding him with a
thunderous standing ovation.
To criticize Brian Bedford,
one of the greatest actors of the
EMANN PHO
FOLLOWS DELIGHTFUL Megan F lows iVONns delightful in
Amadeus while character actor Stephen Ouimette is uneven
in his portrayal of the title role.
English stage, would be folly.
It impossible not to compare
his performance, however, with
the movie portrayal of Salieri
by F. Murray Abraham. The
movie actor realized that
Salieri should be possessed and
haunted by Mozart. At times
Bedford acts as if he is only
irritated by his rival.
Whereas Abraham projected
a frightening intensity with just
a glance, Bedford is weighed
down with words. In fact, it is
so enjoyable to listen to Bed-
ford speak, the play loses the
dramatic impact of Salieri's
war with Mozart.
Which is more interesting, to
have Salieri tell what he is
thinking or to have him show
what he is thinking through his
actions? It is one of the basic
lessons of drama, sometimes
lost on the playwright and
director.
Stephen Ouimette puts for-
ward a valiant effort as
Amadeus. The character actor
is an unusual choice to play
this pivotal part.
At times he shows the range
necessary for this demanding
role but at other times he is an
bland cardboard cutout who is
no dramatic match for Bedford.
This is more a ploy about
Salieri than a play about
Mozart but Amadeus can't be a
puppet to the story. Are we to
tell the audience that one of the
great musicians of all time is
simply boring?
There is definitely a dilemma
in determining how to play the
character Amadeus.
The play is seen through the
eyes of Salieri._ The play is
about how God's gift of musi-
cal genius was evident in the
work of a man who, in
Sulieri's view, is a spoiled brat
without sophistication. So, the
dilemma is how can one make
Amadeus sympathetic when the
whole point is he must be
unsympathetic. Ouimette and
director Richard Monette
wrestle with this difficult task.
Unfortunately, I believe that
a chance is lost to make
WORKSHOPPING - Francis Teatero, Chairperson of District Two of the HPAUL CIUFO PHOTO
ospital Auxiliary
Association of Ontario, and Anita Billo of the Stratford Hospital Auxiliary, facilitate a
discussion during the Seaforth Hospital Auxiliary District Two President's Workshop. The
workshop took place all day on Monday.
Amadeus a character who is
disagreeable but yet endearing
in some way. I can't accept the
premise that a man who wrote
such wonderful works didn't
have some inner power as a
human being.
Again, Ouimette must com-
pete with the audience's mem-
ory of Tom Hulce, who created
an Amadeus which was annoy-
ing and enchanting, childish
yet inspired, .dislikeable yet
very likeable, spoiled brat but
everyman. Perhaps the great-
ness of the film version of
Amadeus is blinding me to the
greatness of this stage ver-
sion...please take the chance to
find out for yourself if I am
being fair to this wonderful
production.
Megan Follows is delightful
in her role as Mozart's wife,
Constanze Weber. TV's Anne
of Green Gables is entirely at
home with the Classical actors
who surround her.
Amadeus is a play in which
music plays an integral part.
The Festival does a good job
of weaving the music through
the play but I would have liked
each piece to go on longer. The
canned sound of the recorded
music was also distracting.
Ultimately, however, it is a
piece of drama and the music
can't play forever, no matter
how much some audience
members might desire it.
There are so many wonderful
things about Amadeus it must
be seen. Most audience mem-
bers would be aghast that I
would suggest there are any
flaws at all.
It is interesting to note that
playwright Peter Shaffer orig-
inally wrote the character of
Salieri with Brian Bedford in
mind. This is the first time
Bedford has played the role.
Amadeus runs at the Festival
Theatre until October 28.
4-H members in
judging event in
Seaforth
About 90 members of 4-H
clubs throughout Huron County
learned the fine art of judging
in Seaforth on Wednesday,
August 9.
The youths judged nine
classes ranging from livestock
to photography. They were
asked to give reasons in four of
those classes. Official judges
would then follow with the
official reasons.
Hensall
Shuffleboard
Hensall Shuffleboard
There were six game winners
in Hensall Shuffleboard:
Dave Kyle 583
Hazel McEwan 521
Alice Thiel 509
Russell Ferguson 496
Pearl McKnight 487
Lloyd Lovell 461
Doug Insley 463
Tom Williams 456
Service officers return from overseas
FROM THE PAGES OF
THE HURON EXPOSITOR,
AUGUST 23, 1895
As Wm. Dynes and R. B.
Scou, Harpurhey, returned
from Clinton they drove to Mr.
Scou's residence. Mr. Dynes
got out of the rig, just as the
horse got frightened and, fum-
ing suddenly, the buggy upset.
Mr. Scott was thrown out and
has a sprained ankle. The
buggy passed over Mr. Dynes
but he was not injured.
* * *
Major James Anderson, of
town, spent Civic Holiday in
true sportsmanlike manner.
Shouldering his gun he went to
Beechwood where he indulged
in fox hunting. He captured
two fine foxes.
* * *
Twenty-eight tickets were
sold at Seaforth station for
Manitoba on Tuesday.
* * *
Robert Patterson Sr. of
Hensall has a force of men
framing timber for his new
planing factory.
* * *
A very pretty wedding took
place in Winthrop and the
contracting parties were Gal.
A. Laird, a prosperous young
merchant of Crystal,ota
and Miss Euphemia, daughter
of Andrew Govenlock.
* •
T. E. Hays has rental his
farms in McKillop Twp. near
Seaforth, to the Messrs. Strong
of Tuckersmith and intends
In the Years Agone
coming to Scaforth to live.
AUGUST 20, 1920
Isaac Jarrou, of Kippen, who
was cutting grain had a narrow
escape from being seriously
injured, when the horses
became frightened by the train
and ran away. He lost control,
by the breaking of a line, and
was thrown from his seat and
his leg was caught in .the
binder, but luckily after being
dragged a distance, he was able
to free himself and suffered no
serious injuries.
* * *
Gypsies frequent the Village
of Dublin too often. When
every other place turns them
out, they can settle in mid-day
in the village and pasture their
many horses on the street.
* * *
Wm. Walper, of
Egmondville, . has purchased
from E. Dinnen, what is known
as the Leatherland farm in
Tuckersmith, the price being
$10,800.
AUGUST 24, 1945
Cpl. Fletcher Whitmore, son
of Mr. and Mrs. S. W.
Whitmore, of Tuckersmith,
returned from overseas after
serving two and a half years
with the R.C.A.F.
Capt. Basil J. Duncan, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. J. Duncan,
returned from overseas on the
hospital ship Letitia. He has
served in North Africa, Sicily,
Italy, France, Belgium, Holland
and Germany. He was
wounded in Italy and spent
several months in hospital.
Donald Stephenson, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Leo Stephenson
of Constance, topped the list in
the Upper School results of the
Seaforth High School pupils.
Allan G. Ryan, of Seaforth,
was a close runner-up.
* * *
Miss Margaret Dale was
hostess to twenty girl friends at
a cup and saucer shower in the
honour of Miss Thelma Scou,
bride -elect of this month. Mrs.
Roy McGonigle and Miss
Shirley Oldfield presented the
gifts from a decorated basket.
* * *
Joseph Coyne, of Dublin, was
taken to Scott Memorial Hospi-
tal, Seaforth, for treatment
when his foot was injured
while he was changing a tire
on the Hibbert Township
grader.
* * *
AUGUST 20, 1970
The Seaforth Volunteer Fire
Department rushed to the farm
of Nelson McClure in
McKillop Tuesday shortly
before 6 o'clock. However, by
the time they arrived every-
thing was under control and the
fire, which was in a large
combine, had been extin-
guished.
* * *
The Family Paradise Camp-
ing Park northeast of Winthrop
was officially opened on Sun-
day. Reeve Allen Campbell of
McKillop spoke to the large
crowd in attendance. In his
speech, Mr. Campbell con-
gratulated the Mott family,
operators of the park, on their
initiative and hard work to
develop the area.
* * *
Robert Elliott, Goderich
Township, was the only board
member who voted against
approving the list of literature
books to be purchased for
Huron County Schools. The list
included such books as The
Graduate and Tom Jones.
* * *
Announcement was made this
week of the sale of Mitchell
Fertilizer and Supply Ltd. to
W. G. Thompson and Sons
Ltd. of Blenheim and Hensall.
* * *
A car went was sent spinning
through Scaforth's main inter-
section after it was in a colli-
sion.
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