; NEWS photo Cindy G Goodman THE DUCHESS gets between Bill and his girit Sally. James Cronk, Joan Harris and Jennifer Poole star in the charming GVOS production of ‘‘Me and My Girl’’ at Centennial Theatre. Me And My Girl by L. Arthur Rose and Douglas Furber, Music by Noel Gay. A Greater Vancouver Operatic Society production at Centennial Theatre Feb. 25-27, Mar. 4-6. WAS whistling in Safeway. — An environment whése very lights and music reduce will power to a level that will accept $15 as a fair and just price for one red pepper and | was actually whistl- ing. : The reason for this display of uncharacteristic effervescence as | ‘chain stepped my way around the - optimistically priced produce department was the recurring melody of The Lambetn Walk. My parents undoubtedly danced their way through the Second World War.to the strains of this song, the principal number in Me And My Girl. thas a champagne energy that is infectious, thoroughly delightful and quite capable of persuading those of us with two left feet that we can dance. ; Me And My Girl was the longest running musical of its day when it opened in 1937 in London and when revived in 1984, with an updated book by Stephen Fry of Jeeves fame, it went on to run another 8% years. . And the great thing about this local production by the Greater Vancouver Operatic Society (GVOS) is that it is good enough to show why this musical has charm- ed so many. The story is simple enough. Martin Millerchip THEATRE REVIEW Along the lines of Pygmalion, it’s another take on the British preoc- cupation with class and the ap- pearance of respectability. The loriz-lost heir to the Hareford millions has been found at last by the family solicitor. But the key to the continuation of the family bloodline may not assume the earldom unless judged “it and proper’ by the will’s ex- ecutors. Complications ensue when the new Earl William (Call me Bill’’) turns out to have been born in Lambeth within the sound of the Bow Bells and, besides the usual rhyming slang (‘‘bees and honey” for ‘‘money”), can lift the same pocketwatch three times in a minute. Shock! Horror! Consternation! However, Bill is anything but a grasping cad and refuses his title unless he can wed his girl, Sally, thereby setting up a battle of wills with his executor aunt, All of this is told with a heap of corny good humor that retains a surprising freshness despite its an- tiquated music hall ancestry. One example will do. “Aperitif?” Bill is asked. “No thanks, I’ve got my own,” he replies. (For those of you who didn’t get it try saying “A pair 0’ teef?’’) OK. j know this isn’t everyone's cup of Red Rose but James Cronk as Bill found just the right blend of naivete and experience to pull this off on Saturday night. In fact Cronk’s natural charm worked so well on stage that he often reminded me of Tommy Steele at his West End best. He is matched perfectly by Jen- nifer Poole’s steadfasi Sut self- aware Sally and the two of them are so easy to watch and listen to that they give the show a rock solid core. Standouts among the major supporting roles are Michael Wild's bat-eared upper class twit of the year and Barrie Mills’boun- cily self-important family solicitor. Norman Leggat’s choreography keeps everyone in the cast involv- ed and the company numbers are a swirl of action and the color of Laara Cassell’s costumes. Stewart Fairley’s set design pro- vides simple but effective settings for the surprising number of scene shifts and yet manages to create the required solidity of Hareford Hall. There are a few problems, how- ever, And the only reason | choose to mention them is that this show is good enough that it deserves to get better. Stage director Keith Simpson and actress Joan Harris have yet to find a Duchess of Dene that pres- ents a big enough obstacle to the See Discover page 40 Artists for Kids hold NV workshop SELECTED STUDENTS from North Vancouver secondary schools will be getting some valuable tips of the trade this week from Canadian printmaker David Blackwood. An immersion workshop with Blackwood is being held today and tomerrow at Windsor Sec- ondary as part of the Artists for Kids Art Enrichment Program. The program is being supported by the Artists For Kids Trust Fund through the sale of original prints created by well-known patrons Bill Reid, Gathie Falk, Joe Fafard, Robert Bateman, Molly Lam Bobak ard Alan Wood. The students’ work and new releases of prints by Bobak and Wood will be exhibited at the Seymour Art Gallery from March 11 to April 4. eae A new series of after-school art programs for intermediate students (Grades 5-8) will be offered at Handsworth Secondary, Carson Graham and Windsor Secondary beginning March 22. The eight-week classes are in printmaking, ceramics and draw- ing and are taught by North Van- couver teachers. Anyone between the ages of 9 and 13 is welcome to sign up. Detailed registration forms will be available from North Van- couver schools on March 1. For more information about the Artists For Kids Trust Fund, contact Bill MacDonald at 987-6667, Both lodges located in Whistler Village proper. Ski in, ski out, near both lifts. RESERVATIONS: Blackcomb Lodge 669-0560 iN A TU Dear Alex, { recently purchased a hat prior to a trip out west. My Tilley Hat was a sensation in Los Angeles and so comfortable that | forgot t was wearing it when | climbed into the jacuzzi, [t didn’t even wilt! / love my Tilley. | enclose a picture as proof. Yours Truly, Vera D. Lindley St. John, NB. Tilley Tilley Endurabies W&stern Inc., B North Vancouver 1194 Marine near Pemberton 987-6424 Ere Barbora and John Tilley, independent retatters. Mountainside Lodge ‘681-6710 Vancouver 1537 Broadway near Granville 732-4287 Open 16 - 5:30 Monday thru Saturday DINNER ENTREE Purchase one entree at the regular price and receive a second entree of equal or lesser value at no additional charge upon presentation of this coupon Do 1 * Maximum value $12.00 * Valid till March 15/93 ¢ Not valid on deliveries or take-out -Dines 1351 Lonsdale, N.Van. 985-5385 SS ne Ce RO eA ec ee Ce ON SUNDAY BUFFET BRUNCH Purchase one brunch at the regular price and receive a second at no additional charge upon presentation of this coupon, 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Sundays ¢ Valid till March 15/93 for 1 upon presentation of this coupon « Maximum value $7.00 ¢ Valid til March 15/93 * Not valid on deliveries or take-out 1351 Lonsdale, N.Van. : 985-5385 LUNCH ENTREE Purchase one entree at the regular price and receive a second entree of equal or lesser value at no additional charge -Dinss 1351 Lonsdale, N.Van. 985-5385