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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-06-05, Page 16Page 16—The Wingham Advance -Tunes, June i985 a `The Spirit of Broadway' Madill drama club presents a fantastic musical evening,. Extremely talented. Those are the only fitting words to describe the F. E. Madill Drama Club members. On Thursday, Friday and Satur- day evenings last week, they performed a musical entitled "The Spirit d of Broadway", which was composed of seg- ments of six Broadway shows. Depicting the history of Broadway, the show began with the classic "Sound of Music" and' carried right through to the more modern "Cats". Thomas Bailey, the club president, chose each number and rewrote the sur- rounding lines to blelyd the songs more smoothly into one another. He did a fantas- tic job of producing the show and directing the actors into the high-calibre preform- ante they gave. Bravo, Thomas! Marilyn Jamieson and Debbie MacRaw, two musi- calwonders; set the mood with introductory portions of the songs to come. The com- pany then started the show with a magnificient tribute the "The Sound of Music". Kelly King lead them through two numbers and sang a solo, "My Favorite Things", in a beautifully strong Austrian accent. Julie Andrews, watch out! The-, closing number, "Eidelweiss," was sung by Cindy McNeil. She suffered laryngitis the week before, but her clear voice showed no signs of this affliction. "Jesus Christ Superstar" was the company's next rendition. Suzanne Alton captured the audience with her solo, "I:Don't Know How to Love Him", with an amaz- ingly strong, true voice. Comic relief was provided by the humorous number, "King Herod's Song", per- formed to perfection by Celia Chandler. Between the different acts, the "Spirit' of Broadway, played by Michael Cameron, narrated thehistory of famous musicals. - "West Side Story" was fully depicted in four well- chosen. numbers. Kevin McKague and Louise Yoeco, who starred as Tony and Maria, sang a moving "One Hand, One Heart" to show the love between an unlikely pair. "America" was sung by six members of the com- pany who played 'off each Other for laughs delightfully. Barbara Thompson put on an Puerto Rican accent that seemed as natural to her . as her obvious acting abilty. Karla King, Paulette Lippert and Louise Yoeco expres- sively and humorously dis- played "I Feel Pretty." The entire company closed this magnificient segment of the show singing -Tonight."` ' `The Pirates of Penzance" was thefirst time in the show that Jennifer Sanders and Carrie Fortune got a chance to show their stuff. Jennifer is a fantastic comic actress and set the stage for the en- trance of the star of the seg- ment, the hilarious Julie Mulvey. Kevin McKague and Julie had the audience ach- ing with laughter over their number, "Poor Wand'ring One". Thomas Bailey played the part of the Major-Gener- al and did a fantastic job, singing and acting the part to a fine art. Just when I thought I had. witnessed all the talent a school of our size could con- tain, the, cost of "Grease" came on stage. Paulette Lip- pert astounded the audience JELLICLE CATS—Diane Raynerd, Barbara Thompson, Louise Yocco, Dean Galley, Joanne Taylor and Paula Lippert parade across the stage in this scene from "Cats", presented as part of last week's musical extravaganza by members of the Drama Club at F. E. Madill Secondary School. (Clint Pewtress Photo) `Spirit of Broadway' is alive at F. E. Madill By Alan Rivett To see one hit Broadway platy performed in an evening would be enough to keep ' most audiences con- tent. But, highlighting six of the all-time greats was more than a feast for localtheate goers. , The drama club at the 'F. E. Madill Secondary School, under the supervision of Paul Elgie, presented "The Spirit of Broadway" last Thursday, Friday and Saturday 'nights.- Ther play contained excerpts from such classic musicals as "The Sound of Music"; "Jesus Christ Superstar", "West Side Story", "Pirates of Penzance"; "Grease" and "Cats", much to the delight of the audiences who attend- ed. The idea to cdmbine, scenes,and music from various roadway plays into one big show began in earn- est earlier,„ this year. Mr. Elgie, the originator of the idea, turnd it over to 'Thomas Ba' ey, the Grade 13 president o the drama club. Songs were chosen from the plays and a script was drawn ".up with auditions following in April. The play not only saved the club money on royalties, 'but was a grand way of exploiting the talents of the eompany. The play began, oddly enough, with a group of actors pondering how they couid approach Broadway plays using a different avenue. They sing "That's Entertainment"; but the director (played by Mr. Bailey, who also is the director of the "real" play) informs them it just doesn't capture the spirit of Broadway. Enter Mike Cameron who, ironically, is the "Spirit of Broadway". He guides the company and the audience on a merry journey through the magic of Broadway musicals. The play worked, well with Mr. Cameron as • the narrator. The technique served .as ..the glue which. bonded each individual play segment together as well as giving the audience a cap- sule of information about each of the plays presented. What also was refreshing about the technique was that the ,"Spirit" was not strictly a stationary character. He popped up on the gym balcony and on both sides of the stage which added an element of the unexpected to the play. Rodgers and Ham- merstein's "The Sound of Music" was the first Broadway segment. The songs "My Favorite Things" and "Eidelweiss"• were beautifully rendered by Karla King and Cindy Mc- Nei'1 respectively, which eased the audience into an evening of exceptional song and dance. The play went further than simply singing the songs attached to the musicals, but 'added some first-rate acting to accompany the segments. A particular s ne in "Pirates of Penzan e" in- ,' volving Mabel, pla d by Julie Mulvey, swoonin over Frederick, played by Kevin McKague, elicited a hearty laugh from the audience. In the same segment, mention must be given to Mr. Bailey, playing the Major-General', who handled a particularly difficult passage with relative ease. The singing, the .element that would ultimately make or ' break the ° play came through with flying colors. The principal singers chosen ,,for the play truly gave emotional performances which kept the audience listening intently. In addition the background singers provided a solid base for the soloists throughtut the entire program. The use of microphones placed discreetly about the stage further enhanced the quality most apparent in the vocals. Make-up and costuming also4made a big difference to' the play. This was especially evident in the "Cats" segment. The make-up gave the actors a convincing cat- like appearance which would have kept even Garfield guessing. In the end the cast, after seeing , "The Spirit of Broadway" decided to re - rehearse "That's En- tertainment" and, to the director's pleasure, finally captured the elusive essence of Broadway. The play was bright and ambitious and the "play within a play" technique worked well. The audience was left with the feeling the spirit of Broadway is alive and well at F. E. Madill. with her dancing skills and her powerful, clear voice. Dean Golly arid Paulette re- captured young' love in the '50's with, "Summer Nights". Once again, , Jennifer Saunders left ' the audience laughing with her great ornic acting. Joanne Brown did a splendid job of choreo- graphing the, entire show, but "Grease" had the most elaborate, eye -pleasing rou- tine. "Cats:" was the final scene, and posibly the most dyna- mic. Louise Yoeco perform- ed a beautiful number, "Memory", infront of the curtain. She hit every note strongly, correctly and never missed a beat. The re- sult of. this, combined with her costume,, movements, and expressions, was stun- ning. - "Gellicle Songs" was per. formed by eight members of the cast, who sang and danced to a program choreo- graphed by Paulette and, Louise. The girls captured the lives and essence of felines masterfully., Super job! These two talented people are definitely on their way up! Paulette stood out in this number with her energy radiating out to the aud- ience. Louise closed the show with the final verses of "Memory" to a `star -struck' audience. The finale was made up of the entire coast singing to "That's Entertainment" and Mike Cameron giving the - closing message. Mr. Paul Elgie and Thomas Bailey certainly are to be congratulated. It was a wonderful musicale showing the public the enormous amount of talent ' contained. withinthe walls of F. E. Madill. Once again, Bravo. ° Angela Petten .Newsy nothings Hello my favourite, Madillites : We are near the end of one more year of our scholastic life. How ever have we en- dured so much this far? First on the agenda is a hearfelt thank -you to Marilyn Jamiesn and Jan Gibson for their hard work and excellence on this year's Courier. The book looks won- derful. (But why did all the guys pick on Tracy K?) . The Prefect trip to Toronto was held on Tuesday, June 4th. Some of their antics just aren't suitable for print (but when has that ever stopped Maud before?) I sincerely (note emphasis on SIN) hope all the defects had a great time, especially the HP (Head This weekend marks the feast all the erudites have been long awaiting — the -Grade 13 banquet. Rumors have it that the entertain- ment schedule is, well . . . quite entertaining (but Mel, please keep your clothes on that night!). This is about it for this week. Join me next week for the End -of -the -Year Special, Love, Maud Legion holds euchre party A total of 12 tables were• in play at the Wingham Legion Haillast Thursday evening. The winners were: high lady, Agnes Williamson; high man;) Sara Anstett (playing as a man); low lady, Florence McKinnon; low man, Andy Scott and most lone hands, Nora Finnigan. A few draw, prizes were given out.' The next euchre -party is scheduled for June 13. 1 irr THAT'S 'ENTERTAINMENT!-1Paulette Lippert, with support from Donna • Steckley Kim Harris; Michelle Goulet and Kevin McKague, b lts. out a number from The soaps: All in a day's work Can a small-town girl be happily married in the lime- light to a multi-millionare? Will her ex-husband's niece's brother succeed in black- mailing her with the inform- ation on her previous life? 'Will she be able to conceal. her true identity. Much long- er? When her husband finds out, will his love be strong enough? Ah, the heartbreak, and the heaven, of the soaps. Sure, you know:. Dallas, Dynasty, Another World, Falcon Crest .. those seem- ingly senseless dramas that keep you tuned in day after day to watch characters suf- fer and to observe their lives crumble, before their .,eyes. What keeps us hooked? Is it the -spectacular mansions, estates or ranches they live in or the expensive, designer clothes they wear? Is it the gorgeous, tanned hunks 'or the actual plot that we enjoy' most? Who knows?! But no mat- ter which way you look at it, tragedy seems to be the main idea, with everything from people being murdered to robbery, kidnapping, blackmail, drugs, alchol, fires, amnesia, car accidents - and the depressing list goes on. As you can see, all you "non-soapers'•, it is a rare occasion when happinesspis the issue because it's usually short lived. And so the plot goes on, and on, and on, and on, with the glamorous, and not -so -glamorous, char- acters carefully linked and intertwined and all afterthe same things: love, money, power and fame. Who has it, who doesn't and who has more. It's family vs. family, person against person and every man (or woman) for him (her) self, and it's usually the most powerful, scheming people who win in the end. But meanwhile we go right along with them from devas- tation to ecstasy to •heart- break and then to bliss again when the storyline ends and the cycle starts all over again with a completely dif- ferent and even more trau- matic situation. Take this for example: On Dallas, Bobby finally decides he loves his ex-wife Pam more than Jenna; his fiancee, and promises to marry her. Terrific, how ro- mantic..But, the next morn- ing as he walks out of the house, he is hit by a car, driven by Pam's half-sister, Katherine, who has been in love with Bobby since the,be- ginning. • Confused? You should be. But to an avid soap opera fan its all in a days "work"!. Julie Stewart Board considers ministry's study A study of the Huron -Perth Roman Catholic Separate School Board recommends a few internal changes at the Board level as well as ways to improve the school system. The Co-operative Evalu- atitn and Development of Institute holds the final party of card season FORDWICH—A total of 13 tables were in play at last Friday's card party at the community hall, sponsored by the Women's Institute. Thosewinning prizes were: high• lady, Mary Kennedy of Listowel; low lady, Mrs. Edna Doig; high Man, Alma Hargrave (playing as a man); low man, Roy Kennedy; most lone hands, Mr. and Mrs. Alex Wray of Scarborough; May birthday, Mr. Kennedy and Mary' Kelley; hidden scores, Mrs. Etta''Deitz of Kurtzville and Bruce Agla; wedding anniversary; Mr. and Mrs. Wray and special draws, Mrs. Russell Nickel, , Anna Smith and Mrs. Jean Clarkson. The card parties will resume again in the 'early fall. Those who supported the parties are thanked and the Institute members hope they all will be back again in the fall. School wsystems (CEDSS) study was conducted in the, Huron -Perth system by the Ministry of Education over a year ago. A board committee has gone over the study and made ae, few recommend- ations of its own. The study was reviewed at the board's May meeting. The major recommenda- tion concerns Kindergarten to Grade 8 organization, ver- sus. Kindergarten to Grade 6. It will affect the board's 19 schools. Now, only four of Stratford's Catholic schools are organized on a Kinder- garten to Grade 6 basis. The fifth school is a Grade 7 and 8 only school. School board administra- tion will report to the board on grade structure in Nov- ember. Patient wins hosp. lottery The final icash draw of $1,000 in the fund-raising lottery at the Wingham and District Hospital was made last Friday and the winner is Jackson Dunkin of RR 2, Wingham, a patient at the local hospital. Another patient, August Wilkie of RR 1, Clifford, made the draw. The draw •for the grand prize, an automobile, will be made at the June 20 annual meeting of the hospital's boardof governors. "That's Entertainment", part of last week's, impressive tribute to 'Broadway musicals produced . by the Drama Club at F. E. Madill. (Clint Pewtress photo) at the Wingham Public School Editors: Jeff Wall Nikki Reavie Guess what? The winning athletes from our school are going to go one step further and compete against other • North Huron students Jutle 3 at the. Howick Cen.4kal School. We hope the weather is fine to make this day of competition truly enjoyable. Another event that is going to take place for the pupils of the school is the "Child Protection Program". Beginning June 4 Constable Ed Daer and other members of the local police force will pay a visit to our school to fingerprint eachwchild. These fingerprints, as well as photographs for iden- tification purposes, will be kept on file at the Wingham Police Department in case of disappearances or •ab- duction. We all hope wenever have to use this service, but it is very helpful to have on hand. —Ria Linardatos Have you had great fun planting flowers this year? Well the pupils of Mrs. • MacRae's room sure have. They planted balsam, mari- golds, daisies and snap peas and they found the marigolds blossomed first. They also have planted a carrot top garden and put bean seeds in a clear plastic cup so the students can see them grow. Also each pupil planted a spider plant. Now remember: try to get ]; outside for some exercise by planting those flowers and • gardens. ' ' —Tonya Stainton "Not much of the work in Mrs. Schedler's and Mrs. King's class has changed. The Grade is still are working' on money in mathematics. They ' are working with pennies,. nickles and dimes. The Grade 2s are working with T change up to $1.00. In science the class is working with plants. The students are talking about what things plants need to survive, such as light, water and good soil. The students also are talking about what kinds of food we get from plants. -Anna Sakasov The students in Mr: Shaw's class have been working on their own personal history, scrapbooks. The Grade' 7s are planning and preparing for their upcoming third - term tests. The Grade 7s are making last-minute prepara- tions for their big trip to Que- bec and Ottawa, Last Wednesday, the Huron Hearts Jump Rope Team participated in a' fitness show at "Clinion,. spon§ored by the town recreation department: —Darryl Daw Mr. Martin's class traveled to the Wawanosh Conservation Area May 24 where members, had. a barbecue lunch consisting, of hamburgers and hotdogs. In the afternoon they ventured out on a nature study. While out, they exploredmany different aspects of nature. The 'class will visit Camp Wyoka near Belmore on June 13 and 14': where the students will go canoeing, swimming and enjoy"'many other nature -related ac tivities. —Allan. Bailie Last week Miss Buist's class went to the Wawanosh Conservation Area and they saw many different animals in their natural en- vironnient. Before they returned they had a bar- becue lunch consisting of hot dogs and. hamburgers. —Charles Trapp .The Kindergarten class is working on personal dic- tionaries and they are showing farm animals in the spring and the chores and activities that go along with this time of year. The class also has seen movies on how a calf is born. —Mike Cullen Mrs. Martin's Grade 3 bird feeders were not being used much by the birds during the winter. They are finding the birds are eating the feed now and have found a bird's nest above the lights. —Joe Walker Congratulations to Paul Dawson of Golden Circle, Mary Jane Edisbury, Barry McArthur and Kevin Scott in the Region 4 track meet for the Special Olympics. Paul received tlfr-ee firsts: in standing long jump, in the running long jump and the softball throw. He also received a second in the 50 - metre run, in the category for 10 and 11 -year-old boys. Mary Jane received third in the standing long, the running long, the softball throw and the 50 metre for girls 12 and 13. Barry got two seconds in softball throw• and in the 100 - metre. Kevin took first place in the 50 -metre and the shot put and was second in the 100 -metre dash and the running long jump. Congrat- ulations to everybody. —Christa Curzon