Loading...
Times-Advocate, 1988-08-17, Page 3Page 2- limes -Advocate, August 17, 1988 Audrey II gives Playhouse some teeth 13v .hark HSi..rt GRAM?. BEND - Thursday morning. The Huron Country Pla 'house is alive with activity. On glien lawns under frees, .mem- bers of the Young Company help gaggles of children. through skits. Piano music floats out from the main. buildings, punctuated by an occasional chorus of voices. But behind the' stages, deep in the heart of the PI : - ouse, some- thing monstrous is growing, grow- ing..... • Audrey II could well change the, way you approach your vegetable patch. She is -the. star of Little Shop of Horrors and .she will be . eating people on a regular basis from August 23 to September 10. Tom Levely and Brian Jackson.arc the two ... Di. Frankensteins, shall we say? They are working gleefully away in the bowels of Hu- ron Country Playhouse amid.st strings of hanging foam fangs and multi -coloured warts, building the four versions of Audrey II -- a man eating plant. - . Audrey begins as an unassuming little piece of carnivorous greenery - and grows through four stages to a monstrous plant which. takes up 25 feet of the 35 foot stage. A simple hand -puppet at the beginning, the final version of the monster requires nine people to run it. • - Levely, who, has taken time out from managing The Players Guild of Hamilton, is constructing the beast.with the help of 20 people in- volved with wardrobe, props, paint- ing and staee managing. • Made of foam supported by a stur- dy wire frame and covered with a va- riety of materials, Audrey 11 is then brought to life in her various stages by Jackson, a renown Canadian de- signer affiliated with the Stratford Festival. Jackson is responsible for Au- drey's fabulous colours._ • "Thin Audrey paint -job is going to be .different than any other Au- drey ever seen," Leanly says in praise of Jackson's work. "She's a work of art.' : - Working freer- patented plans from the Off-Broadway production • of Little Shop of Horrors, Levely is designing a Tight -weight monster that is both costume and set. The plans, sometimes vague, have led to certain problems. - "You get something done and you • use the wrong kind of adhesive and - it (foam) disintegrates," Levely ex- plains. But through -a system of trial and error, Audrey is emerging with hoi- rifying-clarity. - The final version of the plant, - - which sports a seven loot jaw, cats three people. in the final act -- no -tricks, Audrey -swallows them whole. - - "It's a mean eating machine,"' Levely says. "That's y by the jaws look like a shark's. Referring to his monster as a "glorified stuffed toy", Levely guar- antees Audrey •Il won't be-disman tied after the play is 'finished. Peo= ple have suggested a number of uses for ha, among them a bed, an arm-. chair or "putting her on %%heels and - using her as a U -Haul", but I_c�•cly expects she will be sold to another theatre company.- . "Actually, I think she should go to the Botanical Society -- as a • unique species." - MIGHTY JAWS -- Tom Levely inspects some of the stitching on the in- side of Audrey 11 in her third stage. The giant jaws are the business end of a man-eating plant. the central character in Little Shop of Horrors. Windfall couple enjoying roles GRAND BEND - -For two- wccks- this summer, Peter Elliott and Deborah Turnbull arc multi millionaires-. While it sounds good, there arc a couple of hitches. Elliott and. Turnbull play Walter and Louise - -in the 1luron Country Playhouse production of Windfall. They are an average couple who won S5.6 million in a lottery 16 years ago and never left their house again. Docs that sound like -a difficult couple to portray realistically? El- liott and. -Turnbull find! the roles natural. "I don't think it's all that far- fetched," Elliott says -of the con- cept, adding when you have mon- ey, you can do what you want. • Turnbull explains that the couple; who have been married for 38 years, are from a different era: - Pcoplc used to put up with each other," Turnbull -says. "They don't tend to do that. anymore. Really, other than that (their se- clusion), I think Walter and Louise arc pretty normal people." That factor is the key to play- ing Louise successfully. I just have a. ball with Louise," Turnbull admits. "Louise is a little scatty, but bas- ically sound. i think I'm having more. fun with -this part than+ many I've played before." ,xsomeitlbrillIrrortr is not without its ' pitfalls.. , "The .big challenge playing Louise is just keeping her real." The play ccntrcs on Walter, leaving Elliott with the more de- mandin-g of the two roles. He is hardly off the stage over the course of the play. "It's primarily Walter's little world -- Walter's world of games," Elliott says. "-Walter is about as long as hamlet," Turnbull chimes in. The age. difference between Elli- ott and his character had the actor worried at the beginning of pro- duction. - "Walter is in his sixties. 7'm 48 and I don't use any kind -of make- up. I think that was a thing I had in the back of my mind -4--a con' - cern," Elliott says. While thc. two actors are im- pressed with the Playhouse facili- ties and the community atmos- phere it exudes, they found it challenging to put together their roles in two short weeks. "To put on any play in two weeks is a fair undertaking," Elli- ott notes. Turnbull agrees: "I think actors usually -- they 'like to kind of work things out and explore. You don't havc-timc to do that." "Comedy is very, -- it's sort of cliche' -- but it's hard work," Elli- ott adds. But everything has fallen to- gether and the play is being re- ceived well by the public. Wind- fall, according to Turnbull, is full -of life. - "Somc of thc scenes are really off the- •-waft- and sonic -uf the scenes are really moving," she Says. . "It's like life. it has its ups -and - downs." Levely has been busy- working on the fourth stage of the plant, which takes nine. people to operate. . - • z�y HUMBLE BEGINNINGS -- Brian Jackson takes a close look at the smallest of the four versions of Audrey. Jackson is responsible -for the fabulous paint -job on the plant -monster. The Audrey he -herds -has- yet to be painted. Windfall just the ticket for P la h ouse • By Adrian Marto While many of us fantasize about winning a lottery, we also harbour jealousies about those who do win. We can't wait to Jiear how they waste the money or how it ruins their lives. So it would seem that Norm Foster's new play Windfall about a 'pair of reclusive lottery winners would be a good idea. And it is. - Pcrsistcnt reporter Carl .Ritchie. discovers that Walter and Louise Brookside (played .by Peter Elliott and Deborah Turnbull) bought a, mansion with their S5:6 million lottery win and haven't left the grounds in 16 years. The humour in this play is intel- ligent and subtle_ while gently rc- waling the eccentricities of the iso- lated couple: - they spend their d playing games. "Life is a game," Walter tells the reporter. - The superb set is complete with a pool table, a pinball machine, a chess table, a card table, and two towering bookcases cluttered with dozens of board games. Apparent- ly, there is more. "What's the use of having a golf course in your own back yard 11 you don't -know how to use it," com- 'plains Walter of his wife's crude, but effective golfing. More serious undertones develop within the play without spoiling the excellent humour. Walter tells the reporter he be - Heves in an honest day's pay for an honest day's work. "1 still believe it: I just. don't have to practise it any more." The reporter finally causes the se-. crets of the daughter and son (Col- leen Ernbrec and Mark Wilson) to be revealed and brings Walter and Louise to question their years of sc- - elusion. rctr ass "Di) make a mistake? Was it aria mistake?" asks Walter. The Huron Country Playhouse deserves full credit for selecting and - producing this excellent play. Sandy MacDonald's direction has obviously made full use of the act- ing talent available to roll Windfall Contracts completed for Twelfth Concession WEST McGILLIVRAY - Coun- cil were informed that contracts had been competed for reconstruction of the Twelfth Concession Road, road gravelling and application of dust control. By-laws were passed confirming agreements with the Lucan- Biddulph, Ailsa Craig and Parkhill Fire Departments to provide protec- tion to McGillivray. It was reported that simulated • Police praised Continued from page 1 leave little time for meeting the general public on the streets. "i would suggest you take a day and go down to the force," chal- lenged Chapman, "and sec just how much time it takes -for just one col- lision report." Mickle wondered why time could not be found for foot patrols. "If there's time for patrolling in vehicles, there's also time for pa- trolling on foot," he suggested. Chapman later stated that these negative commcnts should not be to spoil a very favorable police inspection report. Motorists in a hurry down Main Street will now have to worry about the Exeter Police Force's newest equipment. A radar gun is • to be purchased for $3,100.- Mickle pointed out it was unfortunate the gun could not be loaned td the de- parUntnt at no cost like the breatha- lyzer to be received from the depart- ment of Forensic Science. Wil Chisolm has been promoted to a First Class Constable follow- ing an evaluation and review by the Police Committee. emergency runs by the Lucan de- partment to the residence of Lloyd Mathcrs and by the Craig depart- ment to the residence of Ray Glavin had each been completed in 11 min- utes. Council received a delegation of John Russell and Frank Turncr from Bosanquct township. It was agreed to join with Bosanquct, For- est, Arkona, Thcdford, Grand Bend and Parkhill in discussing thc ad- viscability of a feasibility study of a. recycling program to reduce the volume of materials going into their respective waste disposal sites. Balloons carrying a message from Anne Rettig, a Grade 2 student at Salem Elementary School in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, recently landed on Reeve Corbett's farm at Brinslcy. The balloons had completed a jour- ney of 225 km (135 miles), February 1853 With Patrick Flanagan presiding as Rccvc. Council passed By -kw three providing for the licencing of Inns or Houses of Public Entertain- ment. A person wishing to establish an inn on the London and Goderich Road (Highway 4) must have at least four spare beds other than those they have for family use in at least three spare bedrooms, a bar room, a sitting room, and a lock up. stable to contain at least four span of horses and will pay an annual fee of three pounds ($15). A person wishing' to establish in the interior of the township need have only two spare beds, stabling for two Span of horses and will pay an annual fee of two pounds. The by-law further notes .that li- cence holders are not to harbour b- itters or dram drinkers in their bar rooms on -the Sabbath day and arc at all times to maintain good order or they shall be liable for every such offence to a fi uc of one pound. into a smooth package with just Anyone looking for a summer .enough rough edges to remind you theatre treat should not let Windfall this is still live theatre. pass diem by. WINNERS - Peter Elliott and Deborah Turnbull in Windfall at Huron Coun- try (Playhouse from August 9 to August 20'Main Stage. Former publisher dies Andrew Y. (Andy) McLean, former publisher of the Huron Expositor, dial Sunday in Victor- ia Hospital, London. - McLcan, one of the most high- ly regarded leaders in the weekly newspaper industry, was the third generation of his family to pub • - lish the Scaforth paper. The pa- per was sold to Signal Star Pub- lications in 1982, after beingin the McLean family for 112 years. McLean was elected president of thc Canadian Community Newspaper Association in 1973, and maintained 'his interest in both that association and the On- tario Community Newspaper As- sociation after retiring. in 1985 he, -rias appointed- editor of the Huron County historical Atlas, published by -Huron County council: N-lcLean was an RCAF Squa- dron Leader during 1Vorld War 1.1. and was later awarded the Order of the British Empire. He served as federal Liberal Nit' for the former Huron -Perth riding from 1')49 to 1953. He- was actively involved in his community all his life. McLean was one of a rapidly. vanishing breed, a newspaper owner w ho was also. a working newspaper man. Ile wili-he re- membered with affection and re- spect by those who worked with him.