Cinema showtimes

THEATRE

vo ordinary Joe

AS I left the Arts Club an old main
asked for money. “Here’s &ve dol-
jars,” I sang.

It had been raining during the pertor-
mance. As I opened the car door I stepped
into a puddle that soaked my sock. No worries:

“The sun’ll come our tomorrow,” | gaily
. hummed.

Instead of treating the notorious four-way x
stop under the Granville Bridge like a bone-
head on booze I serenely serenaded all the drivers [ waved
through the intersection ahead of me.

Jocy Shine, the play, worked on me just the way the tide
character of David King’s new plav works on his fellow
human beings: as a breatis of sunlight, a ray of fresh air. (It’s
OK to mix metaphors when you're crooning like Joey!)

Ifyou haven't already figured it out, pal Joev’s take on
life is optimistic. And when he simply can’t hold his feelings
in check he is apt to let rip in original, unaccompanied song
to the initial consternation of assorted bus terminal trav-
ellers, diner counter-hands and boar passengers.

Needless to say, in the manner of good Hollywood
movies from the late 1930s, all are ultimately charmed with
Jocy’s take on life and some will even be improved.

Plot knowledge might rub some of the stardust off this
litde mote of sunshine, so be warned if you read on. Dream
worlds work best as surprises.

Joey diows into town trom the little town of Cider Falls
B.C., and promptly goes about the business of finding a job
(diner dishwasher) and a ga! — from the “discreet” personal
ads in the West Ender. (He’s blown away by the fact thar the
paper is free!)

It goes without saying she will be a hooker with a name
like Glory, a heart and a plan, played with perfect husky bal-
ance by Jillian Fargey. The plan? Break out of the business by
shooting porn movies, cross into mainstream roles and end
up as a politician. Works for me.

Joey also looks up hometown hero Liz Bryant, who, as a
published author, is honor bound to receive arry Cider Falls
well-wisher passing through Vancouver,

Bryan: has just been let down by her boyfriend and needs
an escort for a Harbor boat cruise with influential director

Martin Millerchip

Roger Porteus who has just read her new play.
HW you can sense the coincidences building up
vou ain't scen nothing vet. King even tosses in
a debate about the nature of wit (the lan-
guage of smugness”) and Dickensian coinci-
dence in case we want to fall into the trap of
analyzing his play's style.

Anyway, Liz, who's become the queen of
uptight, psychological protilers, takes a chance
on Joey (“PH just assume you are a restrained
individual,”) and drags him off on the road to
his (musical) destiny. Wonder if her lite will change on the
way?

Along the road, they'll meet Andrew Rhodes in tine-
voiced fettle as the lugubrious dinner-hand with a secret who
may be too blue for even Joey’s charms, Greg Kramer as
Liz’s smarter friend Harry and Kim Kondrashof? as a
one-eyed heavy.

It’s nice to see Kramer back on Vancouver's stage.

Ir’s his detailed work with King’s version of the sensitive
gay sidekick who we've all scen a hundred times betore
that stops the stereotype from becoming precious.
Kramer has the best scene in the play, as Harry frantical-
ly struggles to mend a broken Joey se that we can all
continue to feed off his optimism.

Kondrashoff has less luck with Gary, but it’s not all
his fault.

Director Peter Hinton deftly handles the mood of
King's play as it weaves between farce and satire but has
allowed Gary the gangster to become a caricature of
himself. | mean: a bad wig and a wlack leather car coat
when King has already given us the eve patch. Come on!

‘The rest of the cast, however, are so strong that it
almost doesn’t matter that the threat in the play comes
from an unbelievable source.

Alec Willows, is at his most-relaxed best as the jaded-
cynic-turned-optimist while Tamsin Kelsey never allows
the attitude that protects Liz's feelings to tp over the
top.

But Tyley Ross outshines them all as the irrepressible
crooner dedicated to sharing joy and love with everyone
on the seawall.

Congratulations go to Ted Roberts for a set that

Park & Tilford Cineplex
200 — 333 Brooksbank,
North Vancouver (985-
3911):

As Good as it Gets — 7,
9:45 p.m. daily, Weekend
motinee_1:30 p.m.
Spice World — 7:15, 9:25
p.m. daily. Weekend mati-
nee 2:15 p.m.
Wag the Bog — 7:25, 9:35

sm. daily.
Kousehunt — Weekend
matinee 1:55 p.m.
Good Will Hunting — 7:05,
9:40 p.m. daily. Weekend
matinee 1:35 p.m.
Half Baked — 7:30 p.m.
daily. Weekend matinee
1:40 p.m.

* From the Sea. —

Great Ex tions ——-
7:20, 9:50 p.m. daily.
Weekend matinee 1:45
p.m.

Esplanade 6 Cinemas
200 W. Esplanade, North
Vancouver (983-2762)

Titanic — 12, 8 p.m. daily.
Weekend matinees 4 p.m.
Mr Magoo — Weeken
matinee 12:15, 2:15 p.m.
Tomorrow Never Dies —
4:30, 7:20, 9:55 p.m.

daily,

Kundun -— 3:45, 7:05,
9:50 p.m. daily. Weekend
matinees_ 12:3 pm

Deep Rising — 3:30, 7:40,
10:05 p.m. daily. Weekend
matinees 1 p.m

1:15 p.m. Desperate
Measures — 3:50, 7:15,
9:30 p.m. daily, Weekend
matinee 1:30 p.m.

Caprice Park Royai South
West Vancouver (926-
6699)

At Premiere Prices:
Phantoms — 9:30 p.m.
daily.
The Full Monty — 7:10,
9:05 p.m. daily. Weekend
matinee 2:10 p.m.
At Requlor Prices:
The Boxer — 7:05, 9:20
.m. daily.
Confidential — 7 p.m.

aily.
Flubber — Weekend mati-
nee 2:05 p.m.
Wings of the Dove —
Weekend matinee 2 p.m.

Island Cinema
Bowen Island (947-9438)

The Sweet Hereafter —
Saturday, Jan. 31,7 p.m.

Anastasia — Sunday, Feb.
1, 1:30 p.m.

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Friday, January 30, 1998 — North Shore News — 25. |
YE i

tate
Photo David Cooper

LIFE ain’t the pits around Joey Shine, even if
you've been shot under the arm. Tyley Ross, left.
gets a song out of Alec Willows.

holds the action while providing a boy full of surprises thar
suit the unexpected joys of King’s quirky script.

Part of the package are the students of TooBa, a
Vancouver schoo! of physical theatre, While the level of
inventiveness and execution comes nowhere close to the stan-
dard set by the Langara students of The Overcoat, they do
provide welcome locomotion te many of the scene changes.

King’s message (he'd hate that word) urges us to
embrace uniqueness and value individuality. Yes, indeed.

Go see Joey Shine. It might just have vou singing to a
rainbow on the way home.

Keith A. Cameron
Barrister & Solicitor
30 years experience
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