34 — Wednesday, December 14,

in the box — Christopher Hunt's
title role — is delectable.

Unfortunately, there are a few
hard nuts to swallow around the
edges.

Hunt is mesmerizing in the cen-
tral role of the young Oxford under-
graduate who must impersonate a
Jate-arriving aunt in order that two
friends can properly entertain and
Sa to their girlfriends.

If Hunt is not especially British,

* his daffy joie de vivre never makes it
“an issue. ., ;
Unfortunately, it is an issue for
- other members of the cast. _

Craig Davidson, Duncan Fraser,
© Nora McLellan and Lisa Bunting |
- inhabit style‘and grace with consum-
mate English ease.

. Davidson especially knows what

7 it is to wear manners like a comfort-
able snit that does not restrict move-
ment."

"While Charley’ 's Aunt i is a farce, it

vis agentle one. . - .

. Dating from the era ‘it mocks

(1892), nobody loses their trousers

or gets locked i in a bedroom with a

“French maid.

“Instead, it owes far more ‘to a tra-
ditional comedy of manners with |

‘hallowed sccietal ceremonies like

From page 32

‘afternoon tea and after-dinner enter---

tainiment being sabotaged by the
: imposter aunt. °
: But director Susan Cox, who
does’a good job with pacing, cannot ”
resist the temptation to go over the
top, with the result that what should
« be meringue is oceasionally cream

Coo The first Ret ends with everyone
“'on'stage improbably falling over.
«Since everyone “knows” comedy is

= funnier in threes do you. want to bet

“whether it happens again at the end
~ of Act 2? And Act 3!

“Oh well, nothing succeeds like

excess and I am definitely in a

= minority here. © oe +
"If you haven't seen Charley's

Aunt before'and the ‘nuance of

‘Victorian society | is ‘unimportant to™

1994 ~ North Shore News

nxiety takes
polit

cal issues

Photo David Cooper

‘WHERE CAN t buy those long gloves to cover up my hairy
arms?” Christopher Hunt’s baby-faced sheep in widow’s cloth-
Ing romances North Vancouver's Lisa Bunting in the Vancouver

_ Playhouse production of Charley's Aunt.

you I have no doubt that you will
enjoy the Playhouse's Christmas box
of chocolates,
_ Local Anxiety by Mark Leiren-
Young and Kevin Crofton. At the
‘Arts Club Revue Cabaret to Jan.
7, Ress 687-1644.

Local Anxiety’s subtitle — The
Year in Review — tells you all you
need to know about the show. -

The format is straightforward:
song about news item; newscast;
sketch about political figure; news-
cast; song about news items; sports-

" newscast; song; arts-newscast, _
: sketch; newscast...
‘Fortunately Mark Leiren- Young
“and Kevin Crofton are pleasantly
_ accessible and most of their humor is
wittily topical or it would be like
watching radio.

The surroundings of the Revue
Cabaret have accustomed us to for-
give low stage values, but Local
Anviety set a new benchmark of min-
imalism.

While set and costumes do not

- | necessarily matter even simple stag-

ing skills are badly attempted and

7)

ee

“STUF FER!

| Certificates of
| good | taste

i Subway &
gift certificates
are great...

rarely add anything to the scene.

A director might help.

Meanwhile nobody escapes
Crofton and Leiren-Young’s sa‘ ire.

The pope: “You're O.€. but I’m
infaltible.”

Mike Harcourt: “Sprained his
ankle today while taking a stand.”

Doug Collins: “The nazis decided
he was more use to them_on the out-

side.”

My favorites: Preston Manning as
a Mr, Rogers-typ¢ singing Don't You
Be My Neighbor and the,reason why -
Lorena Bobbitt would do a better job
of carving up Canada than Jacques
Parizeau (she'd only cut off Toronto).

f’s not theatre but it’s fun.

For that special personalized Christmas gift select a wark

of art from Rendez-vous Art Gallery

Pre-Christmas
Special
25% OFF
Framed Limited
Edition Prints

1009 Cambie St. (Yaletown)
Vancouver 687-7466

NEAR THE SLOPES” BY CLAUDE LANGEVIN
Gallery Hours: Tues-Sol. 10-6 « Sun. 12-4

l Everyday sale price

Entire stock of newly published books

A snake surprises the night travelers.
Under a bright lantern it is just a rope...
. ; Srom “Penetrating Laughter"
| Our interpretation of this “bright lantern” is the “eye of wisdom" (or directly |
speaking, “Books"). a :

Unless one tries to awaken it, this “wisdom- -eye” — like the contents of anf:

unopened book, hibernates in the depth of Sr, af (ignorance) — is something

that does not wake up by itself, With a good dea! of penances; learning, mem- f"

orizing, understanding, i imagining, thinking, through reading, it is awakened.

§ The awakened eye is, then, the Wisdom.

(formerly Readers Retreat Bookstore) |

140 East 14th St. N. Van 983- 985s |

is coming...

S MEATBALL MEAL. DEAL $3.39.tax.

a rei

Dec 18 at. 11:30am & 2: 00pm —

‘Centennial Theatre
Tickets - 984- 4484

“An Ideal Family Show”

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