16 — North Shore News — Friday, November 3. 2000 Enicentre Shows ski with Science B Science and Madness by George F. Walker, an Epicentre Theatre produc- tion at Presentation House’ Tuesday to Saturday at 8 p.m. to Nov. 12 and a Nov. 11 matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets: 990-3474. Martin Millerchip Arts Editor mmillerchip@nsnews.cont THIS was the first pro- duction by Epicentre Theatre I have seen. It was so good I wish had seen their earlier productions of George F. Walker's Theatre of the Film Noir and Rumours of Our Death. Tn fact, I wish [ could have seen this talented young the- atre company that appears te have a lot of connections to the University of Victoria's theatre department, do any George F. Walker play except Science and Maduess. Make no mistake, [ love the work of Toronto play- wright and director Walker. For 25 vears, his quirky humour has enlivened every ~ script he has produced and his ICBC Governor General's Literary Awards and Chalmers Canadian Play Awards confirm his place among Canada’s best playwrights. But Scicnce and Madness proves yet again that not every play from a great playwright is a great play. Toronto’s Taragon Theatre 1982 production featured Michael Ball and Richard Donat. Since then, Walker has rewritten his play. But [ doubr the Tarragon budget and tal- ent could achieve much more than Epicentre managed to wring out of this monbund exercise in gothic-meets-B- movie style. It's 1900, or thereabouts, and Dr.Hevwood is presum- ing te play God as he experi- ments on the brains of local unfortunates, He may have begun with the best of inten- tions, but appears to have lost not only his ethical judgement but also his personality. His “technical assistant,” Medeiros appears to have the ability to contrel minds while Hevwood’s sister, whose reli- gion might offer hope of moral strength and salvation, may not be completely sane. Given the experiments are being conducted in the bow- els of some deserted Scottish castle and a huge storm is blowing in, you could be for- given for thinking that sparks will soon fly. Sexually, that may be true, but situationally the only elec- tricity this storm brings is of the static variety. Quite simply, Walker fails to develop his contlict beyond the set up and, unlike the author's popular carly work, Zastrozsi, almost abandons plot in favour of repetitive dis- pute. CLAIMS YOU SEE - A LAWYER FOR ONE REASON They understand the paperwork and the evidence to be collected They have the knowledge and experience to assess the value of the claim They have the ability to collect a fair settlement THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON TO SEE A LAWYER... YOU NEED ONE ARDAGH HUNTER ' ‘TURNER 986-4366 AFTER HOURS 926-3181 Criminal matters only, #300-1401.LonspALe Ave. NORTH VAN. E-mail: harryh@ahtlaw.com Ae eedneae NEWS photo Cindy Goodman THE Epicentre Theatre cast of Science and Madness capture perfectly the quirky style of George F. Walker's play. Pictured in rehearsal at Presentation House are: Trevor Devail Cairns and Kennedy Goodkey. Medeiros stays bad, Heywood stays weak and the forces of good not only fail to develop and articulate a posi- tion of strength, they are pret- ty much beaten before they start. Pve got no problem with the Dark Side winning, but it would be a for more Nes oes We've a This tender, sumptuous, chargritled AAA 60z New York striploin is yours for the asking... * interesting if somebody put up a fight. T may be in the minority here. The opening night crowd scemed to enjoy them- selves, loving Walker's use of unexpected humour and the juxtaposition of comedy and violence. Director Matthew Bissett, set designer Bryan Pollock and lighting designer Michael Schaldemose have put togeth- er a production that boasts surprisingly good production values on a limited budget. Definitely one of the better- designed shows [ have seen at The New York Steak Oscar (from left), Geoff Gustafson, Christopher Presentation House. And while [ don’t know if another actor could have found more in the force of lizht that Lillanne represents, the acting is generally excel- lent with Kennedy Goodkey pretty much stealing the show as the unfortunate Freddy. . Topped with shrimp, broccoli and a delicate hollandaise sauce, it s an irresistible new meal. So come into White Spot for meals the whole family can enjoy.