20 - North Shore News -— Friday. April 28. 2000 Comedy’s pace seemed slow Fram Page 1S within the logic of the play. Presentation House Productions and director Robert Duncan achieve much of the potential of Escape From Happiness. Put while there are many good clements to this production, there are a few significant problems. Now it’s possible that we saw a “night-after-opening” show on Saturday: one of those nights where the adren- aline of opening night has been replaced with the accu- mulated tiredness of technical week. But whatever the rea- son, the play got off toa slow start that never realized the comedy implicit in the open- ing scene: Junior, barely con- scious and badly hurt, is exhorted to get up off the RIAPLE RIDGE |. 465-2830 * RICHMOND 270-1955 SURREY 591-3737 floor and stand on his own teet by Nora in some sort of mame, life-affirming frenzy that is a metaphor for the whole play. Imagine Lazarus being exhorted by his steroid- pumped fitness trainer to pick up his bed and walk one more time for the Gipper. It’s a scene that sets the bar for the energy and pace needed in the play, but its one that director Duaean and Karen Austio fail to exploit. It's a shame because the rest of Austin’s understated scenes are quite effective. When she sits down to talk “fora long while” to the cap- tured “king of porn” who Elizabeth has already brutal- ized, Austin gets the laugh that says the audience has real- ized that the poor guy fied to the kitchen chair is about to ing. E Ann s face his real punishment. Of course the other prob- Jem with the opening scene is that Chastopher Ang’s Junior is in it. E know Junior is stu- pid. but thar doesn’t mean he lacks personality to the point that he sucks the life eut of every scene he is in. While the opening scene is Austin’s to wip or lose, later scenes with Junior, while a small part of the play, are disappointingly banal. There are some problems with other actors too, Alcheugh not to the same degree: Al Sturny’s cop charac- ter(Mike Dixon) pained in authori as the play pro- gressed but he never con- vinced me he knew the mean streets up close and personal. The other half of the cop relationship — and Walker is thes FANTASTIC b — ‘Ti East 4th Aven clear about portraving the partnership as a relationship — is Sue Moen’s Dian Black. Moen detinitely looks the part bat is stuck with Walker's least successtil character. Pve seen Escape from Happiness three umes now and T have yet to see anyone make this improb able role fully work, Dunean’s choice of physi- cal types for the roles shows a good eve — looking the part is one of this production's overall strengths despite the oxeasional poor execution of physical business. Taylor Redmond (Elizabeth i, Christie Caine (Mary-Anni, Tara Brockway (Gaili and Austin all looked right and, more importandy, embodied their character’s physicality excellently. [liked John Prause’s Tom as well, but did not believe that his character was focused on getting his family back. Dunean and tellow design- ppreciation End of ae Rol er Adam Parboosingh make a Virtue trom economy on the stylized set, although the huge (and empty) size of the kitchen is hard to justify, and the show is well fit by Tula Vandergrasph. While I have criticized ele- ments of the production, there is alko much that is good about this show. My compan: ion for the evening, loved the script and left the performance interested in reading more Walker -- so the cast obvious- dees en tee Now includes TR ASM VTA er SALES®RENTAIS © REPAIRS # IN-STORE FINANCING® TRADES ; @USED INSTRUMENTS BOUGHT ¥ SOLD 1615 LONSDALE AVENUE ly allowed the planwnght to shine through. [f some of the comedy is missing. all of the “truth” has been found. @ Evape Frou Happiurss is Presentation House Producuoens’ entry in’ the North Shore Zone of Theatre R.C.’s annual: Festival of Plays running May 7-13 at Presentation House. One play trom the week will be chosen to represent the North Shore at the provincial competition in Ladner, July 1-8. Siegert DTT aE AIT OY Long & McQuade PEM EY TS ER HEME GR BM Lt formerly WARD MUSIC Rent Electric Guitars from *15 a month Rent Acoustic Guitars from *15 a month Drum Set Rentals from £40 a month Microphones, Bass Guitars and other Musical Equipment Available for Rental Atk about our DA. Rentals Daily, Weellly and Mowithly All Your Schoo] Band Rental Needs! North Vancouver's Largest and Best Priced Print Music Svlection! Wikere The Music Begins 8 B.C. locations including N. Vancouver 986-0911 Vancouver : 682-5288 f 1615 Lonsdale Ave. 412 W. 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