sennatea —————— THe the hier Press August'95 AND THERE YOU GO, AFTER WASTING YOUR ENTIRE SUMMER AT DOUGLAS COLLEGE, THERE IS A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. FOR THOSE FEW WHO HAVE STUCK IT OUT HERE, THE OP HAS A SPECIAL TREAT FOR YOU. WE'RE RUNNING A BIG BIG GIVEAWAY CONTEST. JUST SEND YOU'RE NAME, AND A NUMBER WE CAN REACH YOU AT TO THE OP (rooM:1020), AND YOU CAN WIN! PRIZES INCLUDE CD's AND OUR EXTRA SPECIAL OP TEE-SHIRTS. ACTUALLY. THE REAL REASON FOR THE CONTEST IS TO SEE IF ANYONE ACTU- ALLY READS THIS. HELLO? HELLO? ANYBODY? PLEASE? TELL ME YOU LOVE Boy, Life is a Beach sometimes Shakespeare on the sand? by Trent Emst- Comedy of Errors In the tent at Vanier Park until September 17 Why is Bard on the Beach called Bard on the Beach when the actual site is located on an expanse of grass in Vanier Park a good stone’s throw-and-a- half from the actual water (and the closest expanse of sand is across English bay, which makes it all the more confusing)? Nonetheless, Bard on the Beach it is called and Bard on the Beach it shall remain. This year’s pro- duction of Comedy of Errors stands apart from the usual resetting of Shakespeare’s plays by actually incorporating the setting into the play as modem day Ephesus. Comedy of Errors, for those of you who haven’t been paying attention the last 400 years or so, is about two pairs of twins (for some unexplained reason having the same names) who are raised in different towns, yet (again, inexplicably) dress identically. The Comedy begins when the second set of twins, Dromio and Antipholus arrive in the hometown of the first set oftwins \iistaken identities abound, until the climatic scene where all four of the twins (!?!) wind up in the same place at the same time. Standard stuff, for Shakespeare. The joy of this production lies in the execution, rather than the ac- tual plot (which has been a staple in the entertain- ment business for’¢lose to 2 000 years.) The twins ~ Dromio, played by David Hay and Laurier DuBeau, respectively, carry much of the comedy through their mannerisms. Dromio One rides a bike across the set; while Dromio Two carries around a video camera, as befitting his tourist status. When he and his master are confused for the local Antipholus and Dromio, he makes his “The world has gone crazy...send help!” speech not to the audi- ence, but to the camera, adding an extra dimension to an already funny scene. When the local Antipholus and Dromio return home to find the door locked and the foreign A&D inside, they argue with the porter via the intercom. A nice touch, which helps to ex- plain away one of the weaker scenes in the play. . Range of .D.G Black is the OP foriegn correspondant. When he's not off covering the lat- est war in Armenia he likes to wax off about food. Some sort of fixation, or something. Mr. Black is currently lost in the wilds of Saskatoon. VANCOUVER (OP) - Here at the 18th an- nual Vancouver Folk Festival at Jericho Beach Park, white folks mill about the music stages. White folks, who feel left out of Canada’s official multi-culturalism. They sample a variety of music from many parts of the world, purchase exotic food from wheeled kiosks in a grassy mall-like food fair, and lay out blankets at venues in predictable territorial fashion. It’s music ap- preciation in a buffet format; all you can absorb for a Lollapalooza price. Visibly devoid of CFOX and Labatt Genuine Draft signage, the Folk Fest features music that doesn’t fit into the “REAL ROCK “ category. That’s a good thing. This is the real “alternative,” not the I AM of some media-constructed target market. Folk music ranges from fiddle-playing American hillbil- lies to fez -topped African drummers, from Lesbian folk singers to Taiwanese Aboriginal song and dance troupes. No stringent playlist rules about “REAL FOLK” or hit songs, just music as it comes out of Hardly. Sure, a lot of the stunts pulled within the modern day setting could be classified as ‘gimmicky,’ but that does not mean they are any less comical or, in the case of one or two nifty stunts, any less thrill- ing. Perhaps the modem interpre- tation does not have the same last- ing power as Shakespeare’s words themselves, but one of the joys of seeing Shakespeare cast in a dif- ferent light is to see what new shad- ows are cast. Dean Paul Gibson and Rhys Lloyd are less than a perfect match as the twins Antipholus. Gibson is harder of feature than the puppy doggish Lloyd. Even so, these differences fit the characters, too, as Gibson’s Ephesian Antipholus is a harsher businessman, quicker to anger and sharper of tongue. Hilary Strang, as the Ephesian Antipolus’ wife is a painful blight on an otherwise solid production. Not to be hard on the lady, but her acting dynamics lend themselves more to low budget B-movies than to Shakespeare. Denyse Wilson, as her sister Luciana is a much more palatable actor. Comedy of Errors is a nice, light evening out at the theatre. For Shakespeare virgins, Comedy would be a better ‘first time’ than the long, serious (though well done) Hamlet. Comedy will love ya and leave ya...but it’ll leave ya laughing. Hamlet in repertoire with Comedy of Errors until September 16 ; I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but the stag- ing for Hamlet is even sparser than for Comedy of Errors. The only noticeable bit of stage dressing is a long black curtain, stage left. The money saved on staging must have gone directly into the costumes. Rich, elegant and effective, the Napoleon-era cos- tumes defines the look of this Hamlet. Because the characters wear the sets on their backs (besides the occasional chair, bed or grave) all the attention is the Folkkryes different cultures, in different tongues, with instru- ments that make new and odd sounds. There’s Celtic, North American, African, Asian, and Aboriginal artists; even folk for the pre-folk set at the children’s “Little Folks” stage. But wait, that’s not all. You also get acoustic workshops where the performers, from a stage, teach riffs to amateur musi- cians. All this entertainment. But no REAL ROCK. There is no stage diving either; not even tradi- tional moshing. Instead, there is consentual moshing. Stand beside face-ringed and weekend tie-dyed Folkies and move to the music, occasionally swaying into other people with the same grin that comes from too much cannabis and the extremely hot weather. Those who want creature comforts bring a blanket and take up a piece of real estate in front of the main stage. When hungry or thirsty, they reach into ac- companying, packed coolers. Late comers stand on the periphery of the crowd, squinting through the blowing dust for a peek at the acts. For those that haven’t made butt circles on the flattened grass, the Folk Fest’s version of Food Fair circle their wagons off near the east gate, partially surrounded by orange, plastic snow fence. Resem- bling more a gypsy’s caravan than local restaurants David Hay and Laurier Dubeau. No wait, it's Laurier Dubeau and David Hay... No, it's uh..... given to the players. Fortunately, the quality of acting is outstand- ing. Ron Halder, who plays the Duke in Comedy, plays the King here (hmm.) He looks every inch a noble, and his acting is terrific. Eric Schneider fulfills the promise of his bit part in Comedy, here playing Polonious. Schneider puts in a strong per- formances as the doting old fool. He is laughable, yes, but he brings humanity and depth to a character ‘ who is oft portrayed as no more than a scheming, conniving snake. His every word stands out crystal clear, conveying the spirit of the words so often lost in the convolutions of Shakespeare’s archaic prose. Director Douglas Campbell plays the ghost of Hamlet’s father, and he speaks in those low, hollow, ponderous tones as befits a Shakespearean ghost or a Blackadderian king. His soliloquy to Hamlet is overly melodramatic, and though he tries to capture the spirit (no pun intended) of the more classical in- terpretations of Hamlet, it is a style oft mocked, and well it should be. His speech borders on the risible, and Hamlet (Scott Bellis) writhes and quavers be- fore his words - though in a form of ectoplasmic sympathy for his dead father or just because the ghost is shouting so loud, one is unsure. Campbell returns to the stage later as the mad gravedigger, and here his talents are used to greater effect. True Shakespeare aficionados may be disap- pointed that the scene is cut short in the interest of time. Uncut, the play would have ran over 4 hours. on wheels, the food kiosks straddle parched grass, doors thrown open to the ravenous hordes. I shelled out $5 for a cheese Tortellini and caesar salad plate from the pasta kiosk and was doled out swirled Rotini instead, with a thin, soupy white sauce (choice of red or white) and a child-size caesar salad portion. The man who served it up smiled like I should feel ex- tremely fortunate to find Italian cuisine at an outdoor concert site. Skimpy was the case with several others I tried as well. Too bad the vendors chose to betray the hungry, swollen folks. May the portions rise to meet expectations. Just past the food plate exchange (where the $2 melmac plate fee is returned), the temple-of-the- money-changers have a circus tent. Inside, Me-firsters tub T-shirts with the Hemp clothing of Earth-firsters. Umpteen tables display stacks of Guatemalan/Andean clothing; a micro-music store with oodles of small reed and percussion instruments; Folk Festival T-shirts and other paraphernalia, and promotional material for various Eco-organizations all plying their wares. Like in the Bible, capitalism weighs down lofty ideals. This is communal-capitalism in fine form. Jesus would have grimaced. Musical performances are short and frequent. On ME, MOMMY... Here it is trimmed down to a slightly less daunting three and a half hour performance. Hamlet himself is a handsome, impish sort of lad - picture Liszt with a dash of Eric Idle thrown in. Before he meets the ghost of his father, he walks about the court with a wooden solemn-ness. After the midnight meeting, he rages about with a gleeful lunacy that is only half an act. Scott Bellis does a marvelous job at conveying the character’s many complexities, and if I dislike the way he delivers his “To be or not to be...” soliloquy, his “Get thee to a nunnery” speech to Ophelia is heartwrenching in it’s intensity. I could go on lauding praise to individual per- formances, for they were all outstanding - save one bit part by the amazingly flat Hilary Strang who moves well, but brings the depth of a wading pool to her role as the Player Queen. But for every Player Queen there is a Player King (Kurt Max Runte, whose over the top postur- ing as the actor mock the selfsame melodramatics that Campbell’s ghost fell prey to). For every “To be or not to be...” there are ten “Get thee to a nunnery”’s. And even if the play suffers from mild schizophre- nia - trying to find a balance between the classical and modern interpretations of Shakespeare - by the time the lights go down on the haunting final scene, the pros have far, far outweighed the cons. D.G. Black with a dispatch from the Vancouver Folk Festival, 14/07/95. Sunday afternoon, the mainstage has a matinee from 1:30-3:30. The Cuban version of the Schmenges, Los Munequitos de Matanzas, play a lively set with more Latin dancers on-stage than is necessary, perhaps one solution to chronic unemployment in their socialist homeland. The Latin Schmenges perform later into the evening as well. So does so-called blues legend ( if you’re old and black, is that enough? ) Harmonica Fats, who sits and harps his way through some blues. UHF are next, featuring Shari Ulrich, Bill Henderson, and Roy Forbes. They’re westcoast driftwood from way back. Remember the Hometown Band?Chilliwack?Bim? I don’t either, but these peo- ple are still writing and playing music, and that’s okay. Awhile back, the Vancouver Sun’s Katherine Monk wrote that Melissa Etheridge’s career rocketed after she announced her Lesbianism; high-voiced hetero- sexual Roy Forbes’ career has spiralled downward since declaring that he was indeed straight all these years. Was Folk Fest ‘95 worth attending? Good music; hot sun; overflowing porta-potties; wading through baby boomer Volvo families and septuagenarian cou- ples away from CBC Stereo for a few hours. Sure, but now it’s time to find an altemative to Altemative.