Page M14 NOvemIer2s. 1990. This Week ON STAGE Three more theatrical choices to consider music and theatre reviewer's lot is not always an easy one. ften two or three events run simultaneously on an evening, making choice a necessity. Certain productions demand attention because of the com- munity status of the organiza- tion. Long-running events create more interest in arts audiences. The reviewer’s criteria include performance quality, reader interest, originality of program, amount of space a reviewer has available and the need to cover as many artists and events as possible. Lack of time and newspaper space that particular week are important factors. Eventually, you get around to covering most of the 41 artists and groups who kindly send press releases on a regular basis. This Week listings do attempt to keep you up-to- date on the week's happening in Greater Victoria and the ad- jacent communities. This week three top groups were your critic’s choice to review: RENOWNED CANADIAN ACTRESS AT BELFRY Frances Hyland, Canada’s Grand Dame of the theatrical scene, takes you on “a tempes- tuous journey filled with pas- sion, anger and despair,’ reads The Belfry press release. Memories Of You, running until Dec. 8 and featuring matinees and early shows, is a biographical psychodrama about Canadian writer Elizabeth Smart. Playwright Wendy Lill traces the life of the writer who was born in Ottawa SHERWOOD CENTRE LTD. in 1913 and educated in Canada and England’s finest private schools. In London, England, she fell in love with poet George Barker through his writing. She offers to support him financially should he decide to come to North America. A long and pas- HOES By BARB LITTLE sionate but stormy love affair between the two, then four children and one novel follow, but no marriage. George was al- ready married. In Memories Of You we meet middle-aged Elizabeth as she is confronted by her youngest daughter, Rose. Angry and dis- turbed, Rose is disgusted with her mother’s selfishness and now seemingly cavalier attitude toward George and his impend- ing marriage to another woman. Through the flashback techni- que method you witness Elizabeth’s journey through life and her relationship with her own mother and George. The emotional structure of women 1s totally exposed by the playwright. The script lacks comic relief and debuting direc- tor, Tom McBeath, keeps the staging simple. Frances Hyland's appearance, as the middle-aged Elizabeth, gives the younger members of the acting quintet a chance to experience working with a star. She is Elizabeth, who died in 1986, reincarnated. As the younger Elizabeth, Megan Davis, a recent UVic drama department graduate, proves she is truly ready for the professional stage. It.is a totally convincing portrayal of the too- passionate lover. Leslie Jones is the older Elizabeth’s troubled, drugged daughter Rose. She successfully runs the gamut of emotions as she reminds Elizabeth of George's impending marriage and helps her recall sheltered memomies. George, the sole male cast member in the late-1970 setting, is played by promising actor, Oliver Becker. Linda Hardy, in the supporting role of Elizabeth’s mother, con- not assure happiness, heartfelt love, and good mother-daughter relationships. INSTANT THEATRE Unique and unscripted theatre with a cast of five profes- sionals, in an intimate setting, describes the spoof on television soaps that Kaleidoscope Theatre’s resident company produces every Friday at 7 and 9 p.m. The premiere perfor- mance, at 715 Yates St., of Let- ters From Beacon Hill-Czechoslovakia was a total- ly different experience. Writer Stephen White and director Jim Leard are responsible for this weekly happening. Some sitcom material involv- ing two families and today’s situations in a ridiculous setup provide great entertainment. The commercials are hilarious. BOATERS’ CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE &Powerwinch - Model 315 1500 Ib pull ‘229" Y LCG RECORDERS EAGLERs! -From 1229 Sy - with Evinrude and 7 Johnson Fitting PORTABLE PLASTIC FUEL TANK $3995 ul Sving Awa Tongue Jac ek 69°: Water Skis & Aecessories Clearance 5481 HAMSTERLEY VICTORIA, B.C. V8Y SHERWOOD MARINE CENTRE LTD. ROAD 1S4 (at Elk Lake) 658-5211 The company members receive the scenario at 2 p.m. on Friday. They spend an hour looking at it in a group. They spend another hour gathering props and putting costumes vinces that money alone does Belfry’s Memories of You. together and run through the opening song. There is no re- hearsal. The TV commercials are improvised on audience sug- gestions. CABARET REVISITED Director and choreographer Bill Johnston put his personal: stamp on the Victoria Operatic Society's production of the Masteroff-Kander musical Cabaret. A 1929 Berlin and the Kit Kat Klub are believably recreated on the McPherson Playhouse stage with dazzling costuming designed by Claudia Johnston. The decadence and frivolity of the pre-war years are all there in these colorful cos- tumes and in Brian Woodman’s multiple sets for several scene changes. Bill Johnston’s diverse theatri- cal experience, as actor-writer- director-choreographer, which spans 23 years, is a necessity when putting together a musical like Cabaret. He cast the musi- cal drama with care, watching for specific body types and vocal qualities, and his expertise shows. Characterizations and stage business were excellent in most portrayals. The orchestra, under the direction of Charles A MOTHER/DAUGHTER Gio can 35 Saale ai ae as shown here by Leslie Jones, left, and Frances Hyland in the Harman, was in need of morewt rehearsal, but the Harman vocal coaching was excellent. David Brillinger, as the master of ceremonies, welcomes all to the Kit Kat Klub. “The girls are beautiful .. . even the orchestra is beautiful ... here life is beauti- ful.” As Cabaret progresses, the rising Nazi regime begins to have an effect on the players and other personal lives. Familiar tunes will haunt you. The MC role, well portrayed and. powerfully sung by Brillinger, keeps you up-to-date. Cynthia Dynowski and Paul Totze are Sally Bowles, the Kit Kat Klub chanteuse, and her lover, American writer Clifford Brad- shaw. Both are born performers to musical theatre. Gloria Mastin, as Fraulein Kost, and her elderly Jewish suitor Herr Schultz, portrayed -by Bob MacDonald, deserve “best in show’ awards. The audience recognized the highly ~ dramatic scenes and soliloquys of the quartet by outbursts of spontaneous applause. The first act is a bit long but the dancing company numbers do keep it moving. Sally Bowles’ solo Cabaret, the MC and waiters’ Tomorrow Belongs To Me, Schultz's Meeskite, and Frau Schneider’s What Would You Do? were among this reviewer's favorites. The VOS Cabaret closes Saturday. ; 1990 | be i 2g AUTOPLAN where ank. For your convenience, @ complete insurance services where you bank. # One more Way We serve you better at our branches all over town. Pacific Coast Savings Insurance It's a better world of banking. you.