Popcorn not a cheap eat Gut Girls solid historical fare @ Popcorn by Ben Elton. Produced by Sea Theatre at Presentation House to June 3. Reservations: 990-3474. @ The Gut Girls by Sarah Daniels. Produced by Hornéd Moon Productions tonight and tomorrow at Capilano College Studio Theatre. Tickets: 218-2020. Martin Millerchip Curtain Call smmillerchip@usnews.com THERE are two good theatre productions to ' choose between this weekend on the North Shore (three if you include First. - Impressions’ Steel . Magnolias, reviewed last week), so there isno : reason tc brave the bridges in search of entertainment. — . mi Theatre is one of those --small professional com thar can us only dt to produce one show a year. But “the company’s standards are . high and this year’s visit to the - North Shore with Ben Elton's . Popcorn is one of their most successful productions to date. .__ Regular visitors to _ Presentation House will . immediately appreciate the “= commitment to excellence os ey and Lynda Chu’s shiny looking set that includes the stage right . ig space and the minstrel gallery that are usually left in lack by most designs. Michael Shaldernose’s lights and William Moysey’s sound design quickly add to the “The community is invited te attend an informal session to view display materials for the proposed ' _- Redevelopment: of the Park Royal Hotel. Owner atmosphere and we are in the Hollywood home of film director Bruce Delamitri on the eve of the Oscars. He doesn’t want to take daughter Velver to the event because respectability might spoil his maverick image as a purveyor of glamorized and sexualized violence — plus she might cramp his pick-up style at the later parties. The gods of cinematic schlock are kind and Bruce gets his Oscar for Ordinary Americans and artives back home with a Playboy model rry, actress — in tow. The roblem is that a couple ite trash psychopaths hie Wayne and Scout have already broken in and are waiting to effect Wayne’s plan for public ¢ redemption for their killing Dab ed the Mall Murderers by the press, the pair are said to be copycat killers, a matter of ratings, not moral concern to Bruce and “his producer, Karl. Popcorn is billed as a come- dy/thriller, and while I quickly saw where the thrills were going to come from, ! was more uneasy about the come- dy quotient as the plot unfold- ed. Playwright Elton is known more for his stand-up comedy NEWS: photo Julle Iverson BRUCE Dawson as Hollywood director Bruce Delamitri and Sarah Rodgers as Playboy mode} Brooke ehare a line of coke and a thoughtless laugh in the provocative comedy/thriller Popcorn at Presentation House. and the hand he had in the success of the Blackadder TV series and I worried that his art was imitating life for his own expioitive pi for the middle third of the play. But as the second act unfolded to its unique conclu- sion I relaxed into Eiton’s bizarre world that allows killers easy access to prime time TV because WE the audi- ence want it that way — issues of guilt, innocence and blame are ultimately less interesting than whether anyone will get hurt live on-camera. The con- clusion is not so far-fetched — and that is Elton’s very scary int. I suppose the play could be categorized as cheap expioita- tion itself, but it made me think with lines like “The law’s a piece of f***ing play- dough, nobody knows what .. and consultant representatives will be available to "provide information about the proposal, answer ~_ questions and obtain feedback. Park Royal Hotel Tuesday, May 30th, 2000 7:00pm - 9:00pm River Room, 2nd floor _ 540 Clyde Avenue, West Vancouver For additional information please contact Bob Heastip, Pottinger Gaherty Environmental Consuttants at 895-7612 SPS EIS MERLOT HP NP TY AY ERTL OER TN BS SL TALMUD EF RCS IN SEIN LSA REET HORS SFI Boe RE shape i it is going to be next time, Director Bill Devine choos- es to understate Hollywood to some extent in favour of reali- ty. Generally that’s the correct choice, but I thought there might have been more faughs found from Delamitri’s excessiveness than actor Bruce Dawson achieves. But the ensemble is strong, with Jamie Norris and Dawn Petten as Wayne and Scout and Sarah _ Rodgers as the wannabe Bteasaunscans, actress outstanding. Unfortunately, there is lit- de space left to discuss Homéd Moon's production of The Gut Girls and that’s a shame because this show deserves an audience. The company is not profes- sional and describes itself as providing opportunitcs for emerging actors. Don’t be put off. The work on stage, as seen last week at Pacific Theatre, is exemplary, and while the women outshine the 8 AE AO EWE ARENA ITD ELA GY SIG AISI NA ANSE AGED Good news for all music men there are no weak links. The script follows the lives of girls working in the meat sheds of Deptford at the turn of the century and looks at the different ways women were - entrapped by socicty. : Problems I had related to the script, not the production =~ (other than the excessive plackouts), but, despite its length and set-up I ultimately enjoyed the work on view. You will too. Give it a chance.” Commercial Electronics’ Ba0 Sp ad Sale | Starts Friday patie