The Goderich Signal-Star, 1982-08-04, Page 3Viola Leger is the Scrubwoman
. P
&rubwornan is sensitive'
BY JOANNE
BUCHANAN .
The • Scrubwoman (La
Sagouine ), a• one -woman
show starring Viola Leger
which opened at the Blyth
Summer Festival iast
' • Tuesday evening, is a sen-
sitive production. It is both
funny and • philosophical,
offering a glimpse at life as
seen through the eyes of a
poor Acadian scrubwoman .
who lives • in a shack,- wears
----- -inand-me-dov afraan `i►ec
wealthy clients and spends
most, of her- life, on all fours
cleaning up other peoples'
dirt. „
In the opening scene, the
scrubwoman talks about her
trade and observes that her
face may be dirty and
cracked but her hands are
white because they spend
most of their time in a pail of
water. And she reminisces
about her once youthful good
looks ("I didn't make
anybody sick," she says). ,
The scenes which follow
are perhaps the funniest in
the whole play. They deal
with religion (The Pews) and
government (The Census).
The scrubwoman notesthat
maybe . she doesn't have
much (she's not evensure
about her nationality) but
she is alive and the gover-
nment cannot take that away
from her. °•
The second act features
two scenes, one on& Spring
and one on death. In the
Spring scene, the audience is
enchanted by the simplejoy
felt by the scrubwoman as
she observes the melting
snow and a flock of geese.
She doesn't even have a
calendar but She senses the
term of year and .memories
of past Spring seasons come.
flooding back to her as she
breathes in the fresh air (for
example, she remembers
her husband when he was
young and handsome and
had all his teeth). In Spring,
one can look forward to
summer and its not always
having something that is so
good but looking forward to
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having something, she tells
the audience.
In the final, perhaps most
moving scene, the scrub-
woman reveals her aches
and pains and talks of her
dead children (of 12 born to
her, only three lived).
1A—the —'l
Acadian-borh author of The
Scrubwoman,' gives Viola.
Leger -,many. beautifid lines
to deliver and with, her
hoarse voice and French
accent, Miss Leger is so
convincing as the . scrub
woman that even • when she
takes her bow at the end of
the performance, 'one cannot
picture her as anyone else.
She was born in. Fitchburg,
Massachusetts, an Acadian
enclave . • near Boston, but'
returned to Moncton to at-
tend
ttend college. Since thattime,
she has been performing The
Scrubwoman (La Sagouine)
on stage, along . with its
sequel (La Sagouine II) on
television as a Radio -Canada
series and on disc for London
Records: She has toured
Canada and abroad as La
Sagouine in the French
language version. The
English translation
premiered last year in
Montreal and also played in
Toronto.
—Sagouine runs in
repertory at the Blyth
Summer Festival . until
August 20. The last per-
formance will be Viola
Leger's 100th English
language show.
GODERIC31 SIGNA1ATAR, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 192—PAGE 3
di:'LdAbout
with
What is wrong when a dog
CRIES?
We have a dog in the area
who is tied up - as the law
instota - but tits fellow,
lately, has been
crying, barking - not the
warning - but a "I waist
attention" bark
This morning, very early, I
heard him moaning and
crying - it wasn't loud - I
could hardly hear him - I.had
to really listen at the open
door until I sawed myself
that it was not a person
eaTing.
Now, don't you think that
is hard on a ate"
I'm afraid to talk to the dog
since I would be a stranger in
his territory and he would
just bark louder and get all
excited. I suppose he is
lonely - no youngsters to play
with and run with in the field
or along the lake - not even
another dog to romp with - I
love to watch animals
Playing together.
You should see the com-
bination one family has - it
really draws your attention -
a dog and a duck.
Last Easter someone
brought home two or three
cute yellow ducklings. They
have just the one, now, but
I'm sure there must have
been at least one other to
start with, anyway it created
quite a lot of excitement at
Easter when all the Tittle
grandchildren came to
grandpa's house.
Later on when visiting,
they would ask where the
little duck had gone - they
couldn't understand that it
had grown up. By this time
the dog and the duck were
great pals - the duck believes
.-it1s his.-"mother—and ..��
with the dognomatter where,
he goes. When `Doggun° runs
_ about, the duck runs and
jumps to keep up. Now that
the wings are developing, he
does some flying - flying low
that is - to stay with the dog.
Not long ago, the dog broke
away and went roaming - we
don't know what happened to
the dog who was gone many
days before returning with
paws all cut and worn and
Dog tired. People living over
a mile away from the dog's
home .returned .the _ rinrk .
They had seen the pair
playing in the yard and
wondered if the duck was
missing. The family was
happy to see the duck safe
and sound and later when the
dog came back the friends
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Martha Rathburn •
were inseparable again_
Then there's the tale of the
wild kitten that was here
when we came home last
Spring. Wild, scared and
hungry — hungry I couldn't
stand and he was soon
waiting at the door for his
iileaL It wasn't until late in
the Fall that he ever came
into the house, but by then he
had adapted ME and that
was it. I still feel that my old
cat of 16 years - had sent this
kitten because I mid HIM
so badly. Stranger things
have happened!
So, when I knew this was
not a wild cat anymore, I
decided there were enough
Tom cats yeowling In the
area so I took him out to the.
vet. Thefirst time Mr. Cat
•hadbeen in a car. I'll bet you
won't get him in a car again
without a struggle. Anyway,
he ran away from his new
home several times and I
think he either had to get
acquainted with the. new
area or he pc ouldn't find his
way back a the river.
His adopted family inherited
a beautiful black and white
kitten and he was content to
stay home. But house
training had to be taught by
NEWBORN NEWS
PAQUET TE
_.Laurie and Phil are pleased
to announce the safe arrival
of their beautiful daughter,
Adrienne Jean, on July 27,
1982, at Alexandra Marine
and General Hospital. Proud
grandparents are Jean and
Jerry Ginn .of Goderich, and
Don and, Barb Paquette of
Ripley. Great grandparents
are Agnes and Les Gorrie of
Oshawa.
•Harold and Debbie are proud
to announce the arrival of
their daughter, Nicole Lynn,
born July 22, 1982 in St.
Joseph's • Hospital, London,
weighing 6 lbs. 91/2 oz.
Grandparents are Mr. and
Mrs. John Refflinghaus,
Goderich and Mr. and Mrs.
George Westlake, Saltford.
scHwErrzEit
Terry and Vicky are pleased
to announce the arrival of
their baby son, Jason James,
Tuesday, July 27, 1982 at
Goderich Hospital, weighing
8 lbs. First grandchild for
Ray and Gloria Schweitzer
and Jim and Joyce Oke,
_. _Eir st_greatt_.gr ndchild....fo
Nora Rohfretach of Stratford
and Mr. and Mrs. Gordon
Schweitzer of Kitchener.
Great. grandchild for Mr.
and Mrs. Jim Blake and
Mrs. Ila Oke of Goderich.
REFFLINGI US...__. •
the little cat, since he had
never stayed inside a house
but for a few minutes before
his new home- The two are
very beautiful - the tiny one
so black and white and shiny
and the big one a lovely grey
weighing all of 13 lbs. or
more! They, too, are in-
separable. Isn't that a nice
cat tale?
Over the weekend I was
happy to see my son and his
wife and a little later his son
Doug and wife Sue with one
of my great grandchildren.
tha
That's a big name for a little
guy tented NICK ! Now there
is a going concern. Over
three years old and he knows
all the right words put in the
right sentences to keep you
in
Talk_ about this new
generation - as I said before
he really knows what is
happening — already! So it
was a great expesienee - or
education for a few short
hours. I wish your All - the
same joys.
Love, Martha.
wooDeriartaliste
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