Savage comed

Beggars !n The House Of Plen-
ty by John Patrick Shanley. A
Fend Players production
directed by Paul Crepeau at
the Station Street Arts Centre.
930 Station St., Vancouver.
Runs to Nov. 14. Information:
688-3312.

HE STATION Street

Aris Centre is the

perfect locale for
Beggars in The House Of
Plenty.

If you are going to spend an
evening rummaging through the
dark and not very dear psyches of
the ultimate dysfunctional Irish-
American family a quiet meander
beneath the Georgia Street viaduct
will quicily get you in the mood.

And les:. o fiteral readers, you
are now goa'ng to use the locale as
a reason to av nid the theatre. ...
Don’t!

OK. | know the theatre is more
down than town, but the changes
Fend Players have wrought over
the last two years in this vibrant
little space are just short of mirac-
ulous, and nobody has had a
problem in the neighborhood that
i've heard.

Should you brave the tenement
steps for a visit to playwright John
Patrick Shanley’s tortured soul?

Yes, | think so.

Ever wondered why your
mother seemed only too eager to
have your aunt look after you,
why your father expressed love
with his fists or whether your
brother would end up killing
somebody?

No? Too far-fetched?

Well, have you ever asked
yourself why family love can be so
difficult?

Of course you have. Most of us
have taken that unseeing stroll

Martin Millerchip
THEATRE REVIEW

the weakness in Johnny's
marine-honed brutality.

And in the only naturalistic act
of the play Gale and Kondrashoff
combine in moments of aching
honesty to create not only the best
scene of the production but the
best scene of the season so far.

Ron Sauve’s demonic Pop is a
convincing explanation for
Johnny's problems, if not his own.

But because Joey still does not

his subterranean journey
(“You're a mystery to me.”’)
perhaps Shanley has another play
still to write.

joey’s problems seem to stem
from his thwarted love for his Ma,
Babz Chula, rather than the
slaughterhouse violence of his fa-
ther, but if explanations are
sketchy for Pop they are almost
non-existent for Ma and Sister
Mary Kate (Rosy Frier-Dryden).

| understood Ma’s pathetic sense
of self-worth is measured by the
size of the pizza pie she can binge
on, but | looked in vain for more
of her personal struggle.

And if Sister Mary Kate is in the
play for any other reason than to
crucify Catholicism it escaped me.

Perhaps, like Joey, I’m begging
for an honesty of my own making
rather than accepting what is of-
fered from the excessive feast on

along the edge of humanity while the table. _
we peer within for personal an- The taste is unusual, even sur-
swers. real. Enjoy!

Dysfunction in a family is rela-
tive and most of us wan't need a
flashlight to recognize some of our
own fears among the shades that
haunt Shanley’s central character,
Joey.

And if this is beginning to sound
like a dreary and maudlin play,
nothing could be farther from the
truth.

Joey’s guided tour through the
limbo land of his memory and soul
is savagely funnier than any of
Shanley’s works to date, anc
under Paul Crepeau’s direction
most of it works.

Vincent Gale’s Joey is the foun-
dation upon which this maelstrom
of family emotion is put together,
and when the writer's cement
leaves the odd gap, Gale is so
solidly centred we barely notice.

Joey’s older brother Johnny is a
tragedy waiting to happen.

Kim Kondrashoff gives the per-
formance of nis career in finding

Naeil & Cole. A musical revue
directed by Max Reimer at the
Arts Club Theatre Revue Stage
to mid December. Box office:
687 1644.
| AM always amazed by the
‘number of people who have never
heard the words to Noel Coward
classics like Mad Dogs And
Englishmen, A Bar On The Piccola
Marina and Mrs. Worthington.
My theatre companion, an ac-
tress (and English to boot), laughed
and chortled her way through all
three with a vestal relish that
Coward himself would have ap-
preciated.
|, on the other hand, white
marvelling at Denis Simpson and
Charlene Brandolini’s experience
in selling a song, could not help
hearkening back to the story that
Hugh Pickett had told at the of-

See Revue's page 42

Time to Register
for

BP

TEEN
DEVELOPMENT
COURSES

i} Adventure Tours:
presents

DEEP CARIBBEAN

TRAVELOGUE FILM

narrated live in person by
DALE JOHNSON

November
sessions
start soon!

NORTH VAN. CENTENNIAL THEATRE

Call
689-2215
today!

Sat., Nov. 7, 6:00 & 8:30 p.m.

Tickets: 12.75
plus service charge includes GST

TicketMaster
Info and Chargeline 280-4444

understand his father by the end of

Photo submitted

Babz Chula, Vincent Gale and Ron Sauve are half of the archetypical Irish-American family play-
wright John Patrick Shanley creates in order to examine the surreal psychology of family pain in
Fend Player’s excellent production of Beggars {n The House Of Plenty.

> nere’s no better time OVAXLODGE
to fail in love with B.C. ZpAvel2 NIGHTS
— all over again. Now ‘til §
December 15th, BC Rail and xa
Farwest Adventure gan offer os
you Super Saver Fail Pack- «| In famous
ages that are as spectacular 7) Tyax Lodge.

as the scenery.
Whether you want to get away
for a romantic weekend or treat
the whole family to a mini-vaca-
tion, there's something for
everyone—from fishing, hiking
and horseback riding to simply
resting and relaxing. And you
won't have to drive anywhere!
So this Fall, come aboard BC
Rail and be anything but bored.
Lean back and enjoy good food
and attentive service while we
whisk you to some of the best
vacation spots this side of the
Rockies.

@ tHe UtTaTE
ISTLER HIDEAWAY
2 DAYS/1 NIGHT
FROM

59... t

up to
exciting
Whistlec
I Resort
for hiking. ..%.
By biking,
=44 tennis
Phakic, and more.
We have some great package
deals in the Village. But, if a
relaxing forest hideaway is your
ultimate desire, ask us about
Brew Creek Lodge, just outside
Whistler Village.

just west of
Lillooet,

you can

FA enjoy hik-
ing, horse-
back riding ‘til the snow flies,
and lots of fishing before the .7%
winter freeze sets in. And = -.[- 3
you can do it all without
missing any creature com-
forts such as saunas in the
Fitness Centre, hot
tubbing, and billiards.

fot

{ Breakaway to the heart of
cattle country just outside of
® Clinton and stay at historic
Big Bar Guest Ranch, where
r hearty homestyle meats are
included. Here, you can
enjoy year round horseback
riding, relaxing in the fireside
lounge or soaking in the hot
tub while gazing at the stars.

© eae Hari

R Whether
it's fishing,
hiking or
= sf simply
SSS telaxing,
100 Mile House has the best of
it all. This jewel in the Cariboo
crown offers outdoor enthusi-

activities, including opportuni-
ties for snowmobiling as well
as horseback and wagon rides.
And if you really want to get
away from it all, ask about our
secluded lakefront cabins in the
Interlakes District.
© GOLD RUSH TRAIL

4 DAYS/3 NIGHTS

FROAL $
Go the dis-
tance and
experience
our exciting
Goid Rush
heritage.
You'll spend ainiedZ
2 nights in Prince George whe:
you Can go mountain biking,
stroll through Cottonwood Isiand
Nature Park—part of the Heritage
Trail on the Nechako River, visit
Fort George Museum and the
Native Friendship Center to see
works by the Sekine and Carrier
tribes and the Lheit-Lit'en
nation. And you'll have one
night in Quesnel, the entrance
to the gold fields, where you
can visit historic Barkerville.

ee.

S

re

For more information and reservations, visit the

8C Rail station at 1317 West 14st Street, North Vancouver or call:

FARWEST ADVENTURE

688-0533

wv.

All packages include transfers, room) tax and return Coach Class adult ticket on 8C Rail where applicable. GST is extra. Prices are per person, double occupancy.
Choice of accommodation subject to availability. All departures from North Vancouver. Some time resinctions may apply. One-way air options available to most
destinations. Specia! packages for holiday weekends and the Christmas season, as well as scheduled and custom group packages, are also available.

a)
prin

PsN
K,