D *hg Arts and Entertainment Magazine fiecord June 7-14, 1996 ' g . tV’l ............... ' MB SBips»l* ..Jfâ*® , *: jri 53&K t i*-, || BEATON PERRY PHOTO: RECORD Margarethe Ulvik brings her rich dreams to life 2—The Record—TOWNSHIPS WEEK— June 7-14, 1996 THEATRE Centaur: Friedman Family Fortune flounders By Eyal Dattel though. Fortune, which starts designer Barbra Matis and a Fiddler-inspired episode. Special to the Record For the Record off as a weak situation drama, lighting designer Howard Men­ Joan Orenstein (The Stone soon develops itself into an Angel) is only able to offer limi­ MONTREAL — It has been delsohn, whose warm lights this account of a tightly knit interesting study of parent- contrast the cold conflicts on ted support as the ironically quite a remarkable 27th sea­ Jewish family crumbling from child conflicts and strains. stage. cold but doting mother who, in son for Montreal’s Centaur atop their Westmount home. fact, singlehandedly runs her Theatre. Many meaty words are The set itself is a richly Centaur’s artistic director exchanged and Gow’s play has textured Westmount home in household. Her Annabelle does The Stone Angel kicked it off Maurice Podbrey probably a lively sense of humor. Alas, schemes of browns. It shows a not even hint at the range and with a bang before the compa­ thought he was on the road to the words and humor are offset classical, highly sophisticated talent which Orenstein ny received glowing notices for discovery when he chose this by the play’s inconsistencies. milieu surrounded by artwork possesses. its South African import, Take play by local actor and novice and capped by an extraordina­ Popular Montreal actor the Floor. Punchy scenes are followed playwright Gow. After all, Pod­ by badly constructed ones as Vlasta Vrana is also solid at Never mind that Antony and ry stain glass backdrop. Inven­ brey gave himself the plum role Fortune ping-pongs its way to a tive side sets serve up to open first as Sol’s lifelong friend and Cleopatra was Centaur’s first as the family patriarch. somewhat unsatisfying up the play in a few delicious colleague but his Edgar is later attempt at Shakespeare in over Yet, clearly this play could conclusion. smaller scenes. an accomplice in an absurd a decade, the season peaked have used some rewrites. Not While true that the road lea­ Chiefly responsible for situation that the greatest of with the Bard, then found fine all the dialogue works cohesi­ ding to the end is nevertheless downsizing the play’s talents would look foolish even performances in The Visitor vely or convincingly. filled with pithy observations strengths however is director attempting. and had a silly ol’ time with Shockingly as well, this local and wit, the disappointing cli­ Damir Andrei. His unrefined Then there’s Andrew Bowser and Blue as Trouba­ offering has a press release max resets the play’s tone back direction exposes five vulnera­ Akman. At the story’s center is dours Through Time. that dares to compare itself to to its flat beginning. ble performers with diverse his Geoffrey, the troubled Puzzling though, is this King Lear. In an ending that manages acting styles. artist with little interest in the year’s curtain closer, The Yet much to Gow’s dismay, to be both revelatory and pat, STEREOTYPES family business. Friedman Family Fortune. comparisons to Montreal’s too much happens too fast and Worse, he allows for stereo­ As Akman would have him, Written by Montreal-based real-life Steinberg family are way too soon. typing. What should be drama­ Geoffrey is just uncomfortable David Gow, this is the tale of more inevitable. Gow claims Family loyalty and corporate tic and tense ends up frustra- on stage. Being a part of such a fractured family ties, in­ his play is purely a work of fic­ takeover is not a new mix of tingly false. Without such cohe- clan as the Friedmans must be fighting and corporate tion, yet it is difficult to disre­ subject matters. A play must siveness in performances, embarrassing. Akman’s perfor­ takeover. gard the similarities while wat­ then find a new twist with nothing holds this family mance alternates between dis­ With intentions to keep the ching the play unfold. which to lure its audience and together. comfort with the material, family food chain afloat, sensi­ Perhaps Gow should have sustain their interest. Theresa Tova’s Stephanie is unnaturalness with the setting ble business decisions by savvy stayed truer to his source Beyond its superficial tones, a man’s vision of a career and an obvious hard-line daughter Stephanie forces the material. As it plays now, The The Family Friedman Fortune woman. She’s single at 37, car­ approach to enjoying his role. Friedman family to the Friedman Family Fortune is sorely lacks in inventiveness rying on a sly affair on the side. By the play’s end, I could not battlefield. filled with implausabilities, and is unable to provide either Her mind is strictly business believe that the family has After two decades as appren­ inconsistencies and complexity or depth. been fighting for two solid tice in the shadow of her pas­ and she’s ready to climb dad­ misdirection. TOO MUCH, TOO SOON dy’s ladder — if she can only hours and can all just reconcile sionate and hard headed dad Compared to the rest of this Surely Gow had not run out within the final minutes. Even­ Sol, Stephanie wants to claim prove herself to him. season’s crop, Fortune is the of ideas. Rather, it seems the Tova’s initially strong per­ tually Gow must have needed what is rightfully hers, a least successful production of play had a seasonal deadline to to justify every character’s higher position of formance soon degenerates this otherwise magnificent meet and is itself a victim of too into a one-note expression in darkest secret. But his charac­ responsibility. year. much, too fast, too soon. POWER & GREED an effort to ‘create’ the cold- ters do not need justification, FEW VIRTUES Successful efforts are accom­ only conviction. Power and greed meld in hearted woman of a new era. It is not without its virtues, plished by set and costume Too much force with very little The play’s sudden ending, conviction. where all passions bum away Podbrey assaults his role full so as to tidy it up neatly, provi­ ROYAL BANK force with cliches. Yet as writ­ des an abrupt thump to Gow’s Season Sponsor Quebec's Longest Running ten, his Sol is the play’s most piece and the Centaur’s year in fleshed-out character. Despite general. -m L.IItjEnglish-LanguageTheatre 11 t?ll" Ld I the stereotype performance, Sol slowly develops into a com­ The Friedman Family Fortune plicated, dimensional and sym­ continues at the Centaur Thea­ pathetic character. tre, 453 St. François-Xavier in Still, with Sol’s lines ringing Old Montreal, through June 9. Theatre so suspiciously like shades of Final performances are Friday Fiddler on the Roof, I wanted to at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 1996 Season shout, ‘Enough!’. Must every p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tel: Jewish themed play sould like (514) 288-3161. DEAD TOGETHER by George Rideout Cordes-a-Vent play Knowlton Presented by: JUNE 27 TO JULY 13 gjjg du Mourier KNOWLTON — For the fifth consecutive year, the Cordes-a- Vent orchestra is presenting its summer concert in Knowlton at Theatre Lac Brome on Sunday, June 9, at 3 p.m. WRONG FOR by Norm Foster The orchestra, composed of violinists, violists, cellists and gui­ tarists six years and older, has become a favorite of music lovers in the area. Once again this year, spectators can look forward to EACH OTHER a pleasant hour of classical and popular music. Sponsored by: JULY 18 TO AUGUST 3 POWER CORPORATION OF CANADA Cordes-a-Vent is directed by Françoise Turcotte, a well- THE SCOWEN FOUNDATION known violin teacher in the area. There are also four other music teachers in the orchestra: 2 PIANOS, 4 HANDS David McAdam, violinist, Helene Dion, violist, Iona Corber, cel­ list, and Serge Lavertu, guitarist. Selma Ludmer provides the created and performed by Sponsored by: piano accompaniment. Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt '/KtALCAN> ~' The eclectic program will include works by Vivaldi, Bach, Tour Product Sponsor:Spot Rimsky-Korsakov, Rossini and Puccini, as well as Quebec’s own AUGUST 8 TO AUGUST 24 mm Felix Leclerc. Tickets — $5 for adults, $2 for children 16 and under, $10 for Restaurant - Gill Shop - Kmih LeBaron Art Gallon families — can be obtained from teachers and participating stu­ dents as well as at the door. For more information, call Françoise Box Office: (819) 842-2431 Group RRates Vvuilahlc Turcotte at 538-7480. The Record—TOWNSHIPS WEEK— June 7-14, 1996—3 TALK OF THE TOWNSHIPS Summer's back; Piggery packs Canadian content After all the twists and turns The result is a season prou­ season you can get, sometimes the Record has gone through dly proclaimed by the staff of it’s all Canadian.” over the past year-and-a-half, the North Hatley playhouse as Tuck’s goal for this 31st sea­ some of you may have thought one that is “Made In Canada”. son is to re capture the audien­ the Record may not be around Three Canadian productions ces it has been losing steadily long enough for my seasonal are on the program this sum­ over the past few years. column to continue. Well, we’re mer, beginning with a thriller “We’re trying to re-acquaint still here and I’ve decided to go penned by Townships people with what a neat place ahead and count down the days playwright George Rideout, this is, because there’s nowhe­ of summer with optimism as also a professor at Bishop’s re like it.