The Huron Expositor, 1985-07-24, Page 20Al2 — THE HURON EXPOSITOR, JULY 24, 1985
-ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT
Beaux Gestes works despite its cliches
There are times when cliches work.
Such is the case with Beaux Gestes and
Beautiful Deeds, now showing at the Blyth
Festival Playhouse.
Set against the charming old-world arch-
itecture. of the theatre, Beaux Gestes
attempts to examine the clumsy and
tension -filled relationship between Canada's
French and English communities. On most
levels, it succeeds admirably.
Beaux Gestes is the story of two grand-
mothers, one Canadian and one Canadienne.
The occasion is the marriage of their
granddaughter, Marie -,Lynne, who is about
to betroth herself to a young English-
speaking gentleman.
The part of the granddaughter is played
PARTY.
for
STEVE
SARARAS
FRIDAY,
JULY 26
For more Information
CALL 262-2101
with sensitivity by playwright Marie -Lynn
Hammond. She speaks nary a word through-
out, instead setting her feelings to song while
trying to placate both grandmothers. She also
engages in •some typical French-Canadian
folk music, complete with toe -tapping and
wooden spoon accompaniment.
The ethnocentricity, which as usual is
based on ignorance, stokes the memories of
both Diana Belshaw as Anglo relation Elsie
and Louise Phillippe as Corinne, the
Francophone grandmother. On the eve of the
wedding, they set about reminiscing on their
own lives, reliving every failure and withered
hope to explain away, as they see it, the
marriage's impending failure.
Both women are caricatures. As such, they
serve as a parable for the French -English
conflict which plagues the country even
today.
Elsie is the picture of W ASP upbringing.
She comes from a good home with impeccable
credentials, wears stylish clothes and knows
virtually nothing of any culture outside her
own. Her one ambition in life - since she's
always had someone to protect her, she's
never had to worry about anything more
mundane, such as earning a wage - is to learn
how to fly.
She muses at one point that, although her
Ntevens
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incessant flirtations have won her the chance
to take the controls of somebody else's plane,
she's never had the opportunity to "fly solo."
In time, her desire to fly becomes synony-
mous with her own lack of independence.
Corinne has never known anything but
hardship. Married at 16, she has always
obeyed the dictates of her church, her family,
and her husbands. She's never really had to
think for herself either. She has been
burdened with too. many children, a miser-
able family life and no hope of escape.
She's street wise and knows how to scrape
by, even if only temporarily. She may feel
guilty over her one afternoon of indulgence,
but that doesn't mean . she regrets having
done it. She has only one good dress, which
she must clean and repair just 10 days after
her second husband's funeral.
This is a thinking play. It relies not on
action or elaborate sets to convey its
message, but on the sheer credibility of the
actresses. For example, Corinne, ruminating
about her first husband, says at one point,
"For Maurice there was God and there was
'—the Liberal party," a line which she delivers
with unabated conviction and believability.
The result is play which provides a
tightly -woven production of interlocking
ideas.
There is no one, stand -up -and -shout
memorable song, which seems to be the way
playwright Hammond intended it: Instead of
hogging centre stage, her tunes underscore
on an emotional level the cross-cultural angst
from which this work was born.
Sometimes the play strives a little too hard
to make the cliches work. Corinne's deter-
rence to authority, and Elsie's habitual
drinking, may have cultural significance, but
they're overdone. A little less harping in
these areas might have lent some much -
i
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DANCING 8:30 - 12:30
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TEENS (13-18) 1:15 p.m.
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FRIDAY,
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FOR INFORMATION CALL
262-0416
The Classified
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an-tek: existing since anci-
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Older is definitely better
in the Classifieds where you
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Shop the Classifieds. It's
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where value and quality al-
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need in the Classifieds.
Huron
L
F xpositor
;:"7.1- 527-00240
LIVE AT BLYTH — This is a scene from Beaux Gestes and Beautiful Deeds, now showing at
the Blyth Festival Playhouse. The play is a metaphor for French -English relations in Canada.
(Photo submitted.)
needed breathing space.
This is an intrinsically Canadian play. It's
difficult to see how anyone not from this
society could relate to some of its more
deeply -rooted sentiments. But that doesn't
STAG
PARTY
, for
BRAD KNIGHT
SATURDAY,
JULY 27
Love Todd, Missy,
Jamie, Barb & Brittany
mean it's all hot and bothered, with no
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In fact, it's downright delightful in places.
It's also a solid evening's entertainment. And
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For infprmation call 228-6548 or 527-1413
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for
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8 p.m.
SAT., JULY 27
TICKETS AVAILABLE
AT THE DOOR
LUNCH PROVIDED
For More Information Call
527-1159
You are invited to attend an
OPEN HOUSE
in celebration of the
90th BIRTHDAY
of
ELIZABETH MACHAN
Guests are invited to visit with
Elizabeth between the hours of 1:30
p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on
SUNDAY, JULY 28th
at the Blyth Legion Nall
Best Wishes Only
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Call the Pro Shop early to reserve your
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