19 - Wednesday, January 10, 1990 - North Shore News More to Gough than World of Beauty HATE going to plays. Generally | get hot and the seat starts to feel uncomfortable, unless it’s really well acted. | don’t like half-way theatre and the pretension: ‘I’m an intellectual and I'm getting it.” oy Are these the imratient rambl- ings of a jaded theatre critic? Thankfully no. They are the heart- felt feelings of former West Van- couver fashion consultant and ac- tor Brad Gough. a rnan who along with his cohort Denise Lane, decided to create a play where audiences wouldn't find themselves wishing their seats were La-Z-Boy recliners. EVELYN JACOB spotlight feature With his first play, The World of Beauty, an outlandish theatrical spoof on such superficial talk shows as Oprah Winirey and Geraldo Rivera, Gough has turned stuffy theatre on its head. The two have remounted their zany Fringe Festival play for a three-week run at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island (ends Jan. 28). After selling out n:ghtly at last year’s Fringe Festival, Ken Hawryliw, director of the current show, was so impressed with the famous for. NORTH VAN ‘PERSONALITY’ REMOUNTS HIS FRINGE HIT AT MAINSTREAM VENUE duo’s play that he and his com- pany Legend Entertainment of- fered to put up the bucks for the Waterfront remount. Legend Entertainment also plans to produce a half-hour T.V. pilot of the best of The World of Beauty. “Denise and | were hoping for a cable show on channel 4 or something, but we didn’t have the funding,’ says Gough. ‘‘Now we can produce something really good. A slicker play.” The World of Beauty, which Gough describes as ‘‘disgusting,”’ employs a mammoth cast in- cluding hosts Gough and Lane, D.O.A. leader Joe Keithley who plays Sammy Venus, the straight evening wear designer whose models strut on stage in baby dolls and with mattresses tied to their back, and the bikini-clad bimbos, The World of Beauty Dancers. Gough and Lane are two revoltingly upbeat T.V. hosts who abuse their crew during commer- cial breaks. They interview fashion designers, beauty experts, a 200- pound Nadia Comaneci, Wonder Woman Linda Carter, who is featured on the show’s has-been corner, and the mega-rich twana Trump. They feature the hot new Chinese rap group, Master Green T and the Dragon Kids and expose a modelling school as Satan's School for Girls. We're Closing Our But Just For A While! On January 28, 1990, after 18 years and more than 1.7 million happy North Shore guests, we’ re tearing down the North Vancouver Keg and starting again. We'll be back in the Fall of 1990 with a brand new building, outdoor dining, our great view of the city, legendary steaks and the ‘‘Good Times" we're We would like to take this opportunity to thank you, our guest, for all the good times! We'll be here to serve you until the 28th Then, while we’re gone, come down and join us at the Coal Harbour Keg, 566 Cardero Street, Vancouver (next to the Bayshore). Call for reservations — 682-5608 “The whole show is disgusting. It's very Benny Hill meets Vanity Fair Magazine,” says Gough, “We wanted to expose sexism, stereotypes, racism and the en- vironment. If our audience goes away thinking, ‘what sick pigs we are, [can’t believe what they did,’ it means our show worked.” Gough, who works as a freelance fashion stylist for Van- couver Magazine, Western Living and various local advertising agencies, met Lane at a party eight years ago. ‘We found that we had the same sick sense of humor,”’ he confesses. ‘Denise and | were T.V. addicts. We con- stantly watched Oprah Winfrey, Morton Downey fr. and the New You Show because there is so much unintentional humor. We thought they would be great to parody.” Although local theatre critic Lloyd Dykk trashed the show — “How can you parody what's al- ready a parody of itself?” — Gough says he wanted to em- phasize the superficiality of beauty which, more often than not, takes precedence over more pressing problems. Says Gough: ‘People can be dying around the world and meanwhile. people are obsessed with what season they are, what color is in or out!” Gough is already working on his next Fringe Festival play entitled Teen Dance or Carrie the Musical, a murder-mystery. Despite his new-found talent as a writer, Gough insists he doesn’t see himself as a playwright. “t don’t do heavy research and get deep,” he says. ‘‘I'm a per- sonality. not a playwright.’ After watching Gough, decked out in a matching blue satin shors and cape combo, grapple with four female wrestlers, it's not hard to agree, oors ° et day 18 —“FEBRUAR NEWS photo Cindy Goodman . f FORMER WEST Vancouver actor and fashion stylist Brad Gough turns traditional theatre on its head with a remount of his first play, The World of Beauty. The play runs until January 28 at Granville Island’s Waterfront Theatre. PRESENTATION HOUSE THEATRE PRESENTS JOHN GRAY’S engaging musical about — v1 Wednesday thru Saturday 8 p.m. “CLARENCE DARROW” by David Rintels portrays this famous defender of the underdog March 15 - 31 “THE OWL & THE PUSSYCAT" by Bill Mamhoft is an adult comedy about the romancing of two mismatched souls. April 5 - 21. SEASON TICKET PACKAGE {all three plays) Adults $25 Students/Seniors $17 Pre- sentation House Theatre 333 Chesterfield Ave., N. Van. Reservations & information 986-1351 (Single Tickets: Adults $10 Students & Seniors $7)