When times get tough, the tough go...camping? Henry and Alice, that middle aged married couple from last year’s hit comedy Sexy Laundry are letting us into their lives once again.

We initially met Henry & Alice last season at a ritzy hotel, attempting to rekindle the passion in their 25 year marriage. We left them, lives back on track after their hotel romp.

Historian Paul Baldwin led a group of forty people on a tour of architect John T. Findlay designed or renovated homes on Sunday.  The event was sponsored by the Elgin-St. Thomas branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario.

Music buffs of all ages should seize the opportunity to listen to the music from 1959 that laid down a musical fabric which continues to weave its way through the tunes of today. You can’t escape the harmonies, love songs, tunes about a boy or girl, true love or lyrics that make you laugh (and you wouldn’t want to)

Back in ’59,  fabulously written and spectacularly directed by Thom Currie returns to the Port Stanley Festival Theatre for an encore presentation of last season’s smash. The four part cast is made up of Kelly Holiff as Crystal, Margaret Thompson as Leanne, Clayton Labbe, reprising his role once again as Charlie, and Tim Porter as Dave.

The believable storyline takes you back to a high school reunion set ten years after graduation. Dave leaves the reunion to visit the now closed Mr. Dees where the musical careers of the quartet had been set to take off. Dave is still bitter about one of the singers, Leanne, leaving on the eve of their musical debut.

The cast of “The Off-Broadway Singers” scintillated with all the right notes and all the right moves for their show this past Thursday and Friday. Their performance of “What We Are, What We Do, What We Sing, Tonight” was entertainment perfection from start to finish, one of those shows you are disappointed to see end. Can’t wait to see this group return to St. Thomas…Oh ya....they are from St. Thomas. They're high school students in the Arthur Voaden Secondary School choir and they and everyone involved in the show should be incredibly proud.

The group sang and danced their way through a selection of rock n’ roll classics,  from musicals Aida, West Side Story, and Chicago, and ended with a Michael Jackson Tribute. These young people had the voices and relaxed but energetic professionalism to captivate and enervate their audience. They weren’t “playing the part” of engaging broadway performers – they were those performers on a bang-on, knock-em-dead night of entertainment serendipity.

The Port Stanley Festival Theatre kicked off its summer season with opening night of the rollicking Back in ’59 and some special news. The Board of Directors of the theatre was pleased to announce the receipt of gifts totaling $293,000 for the Theatre’s ‘Expand the Experience’ Capital Campaign.
 
The intimacy of the venue is one of the main draws of Port’s Theatre by the Lake. However, it is often filled to capacity, and it was time to give a little more room for the creative ideas which are in abundant supply there. “We need to help ‘Expand the Experience’, building it bigger and better,” said Art Director Simon Joynes.

Hawksley Workman came to St. Thomas on Saturday evening to wow and charm a sold-out audience at the Princess Ave Playhouse.  It’s a bit hard to describe Hawksley performing his unique brand of rock. What comes to mind is an elastic band with pop, zing and stretch afforded by his stage presence and incredible range of intellectual, musical and vocal talent.

The six times nominated, two-time Juno award winner has performed in over fifteen countries in prestigious and more intimate venues, and has produced albums for such stars as Tegan and Sara, Serena Ryder, Great Big Sea, Sarah Slean and Jeremy Fisher.

A true entertainer, on Saturday evening Hawksley shared his music, humour and insights and seemed to create for an appreciative audience, the feeling that he was here, not just to stop by, but to be part of our town for a few hours.

By Pete Sheridan

Photos by Claudia Hepburn

The energy and dynamic of live actors playing for a live audience makes for an experience unique from that of movies or television. Whether professional or community, what shines through at most performances is that the actors, director and all those behind the scenes are dedicated to giving the audience a memorable theatre experience.
    
Relish Elgin chatted recently with a local actor, Marina Silic and actor/director, Rob Faust. Both worked on “Heart’s Desire” with the Elgin Theatre Guild in March. They offered some insights into their experience with community theatre from behind the stage lights.

Molly is newly-widowed. At her husband’s funeral, Bud, an old acquaintance from more than twenty years ago appears. In the ElginTheatre Guild production of  Old Love, the two characters play their present day selves, and also narrate the stories of their younger years in scenes played out by Steven Gauthier and Trish West, both with multiple roles.

The play by Norm Foster presents a series of vignettes in which the two main characters recall past scenes with their spouses and meetings with each other which reveal betrayals, unhappy moments and also flashes of humour. From the early moments of the play, the audience is led to hope that “old love” will finally be a real and happy reality for Bud (played by Rob Faust) and Molly (played by Lesley Chapman).

Performances by any one of Dave Gunning, Suzie Vinnick or Ennis (sisters Maureen and Karen) would be capable of filling the Princess Ave Playhouse in St. Thomas with a whole lot of great music. Bringing the three acclaimed, award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter entities to one stage was sure to create an expectation of musical excellence - their show this past Sunday afternoon didn't disappoint.