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November 26, 2004
Take the trip to Idle Arm
Studio 58 show features Adrienne Clarkson imposter.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
Very Canadian. Very funny. Studio 58's production of Being Adrienne
Clarkson is definitely worth seeing.
Written and directed by Colin Heath, the play takes place in the
fictional B.C. town of Idle Arm. The town's council, headed by Mayor
Midge McMilkentoast (played wonderfully by Dawn Wendy McLeod), has
partied away $30,000 of federal government funds procured, ostensibly,
for Idle Arm's first Festival of the Arts. That the community could
even round up enough artistic talent to put on such a festival evokes
laughter from the residents themselves. Their collective forte seems
to be drinking beer.
As the taxpayer-funded party comes to a close, the mail boat arrives
and, with it, a letter saying that Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson and
her husband, John Raulston Saul, are visiting a near-by village
and may be making a "low-profile" stop in Idle Arm. This
rumor sets the stage (no pun intended) for a human trafficker and
an illegal Chinese immigrant, both literally right off the boat
and running from the RCMP, to be mistaken by the Idle Arm residents
as Canada's "royal couple."
Heath's script and the few songs that make their way into the production
are not what one would call high-brow humor. This is a very physical
show that relies more on stereotypes and sexual innuendo than on
wit, but that's OK, because it works. Being Adrienne Clarkson
is a funny play that's well-acted by the entire cast, which includes
Jewish community member Lisa Oppenheim. Sara Bynoe is a standout
as the mayor's robe- and slipper-wearing, hard-of-hearing, curler-enshrouded
mother in a performance that would make Carol Burnett proud. And
Donna Soares captures perfectly the bewilderment of Hay Mong, the
Chinese woman mistaken for Clarkson.
The imaginative set designed by Bryan Pollock, which runs down the
middle of the theatre, is almost a character unto itself. And its
narrowness and unevenness (evoking a hilly landscape on one side)
make the energetic choreography (and stunts) all the more impressive.
Performances of Being Adrienne Clarkson run until Dec. 5,
Tuesday to Saturday, 8 p.m., with 3 p.m. matinées on Saturday
and Sunday. Tickets range from $9 to $16. Call 604-257-0366 or order
online at www.festivalboxoffice.com.
Studio 58 is located in the basement of the Main Building of Langara
College, 100 West 49th Ave.
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