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"The Good, the Bad,
and the Nerdy"
April 11,12,17,18,19 2008
Childs Auditorium
written and directed by Phyllis Heeney
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"a magical musical murder mystery in two acts"
Review in North Renfrew Times
April 16, 2008
New show's a real trip, man!
by Argus
They say that if you can remember the Sixties, you couldn't have been there.
Well, although I was there and some of it remains a little fuzzy, thanks to Phyllis Heeney and her amazing technicolour cast and crew, most of the blanks have now been filled in.
From the moment the lights came up on Saturday night's performance of the Deep River Players' "The Good, The Bad and The Nerdy," the audience was transported, teleported, transcended, beamed, whatever, right back into the way Deep River was in the Sixties. And what a trip it was!
We were met with Go-Go dancers that would have done the Surf Lounge proud.
Throughout the show we were witness to Sharon Hardy's attempts to keep her Newfie John Fleurie in line.
There were hilarious moments in the scientist's labs, in Freda's kitchen when the uptight and oh-so-proper wives get stoned, and on the campus when Puck casts a spell that goes awfully awry.
Jeremy Whitlock's overtures to Sgt. Ramsey had the entire audience in stitches. Ike Dimayuga's comic timing was right on.
Watching Charlotte McWilliam's aging cougar Natasha, trying even in her death throes to put the moves on Grasspike, gave us a lesson in being in character.
There were stories within stories within stories. Everybody did as we have come to expect, and seeing some new (I dare not say old) faces from the past such as Isabelle Holmes was truly delightful.
Jade Nauman as Crystal (the Good), Kyle Wilkes as Grasspike (the Bad), and Brad Arkles as Roland (the Nerdy) have come into their own right before our eyes. These three acted like seasoned veterans.
Tammy Rousseau as Puck put on a noteworthy performance, as did Meghan White as Maggie.
Mind you, being on stage with the likes of Pat Hoelke, Jennifer Campbell, Bob Walker and Jim Arkles would help anyone come out of a shell and Phyllis and her team's direction and casting was right on.
Aptly named Stardust was played to perfection by Nicole Vanderhorn while Gwen Griffiths played the ditzy Trixie, all the while allowing the barbs from the scientist's wives to bounce right off.
Frenchfry, played by Gord Burton, showed a very heartwarming side.
The "foreign intelligence agency" consisting of Daria Turner, Vanessa Sears and Pia Dimayuga, led by the very capable and authoritative Karen Shewchuck as Beulah, gave us some great entertainment.
Lucius, with a very credible island accent, mon, and played by Severn Brown, had us wondering what he was going to say next.
Greg Geisler played a very good Godwin, a scientist with other things on his mind.
Relative newcomers, Duncan Barber as Dr. Locks and Karen Barber as Isoline, Dr. Lois's mother left us wanting and hoping to see more of them in future Players productions.
The thread that runs right from the first installment of Heeney's trilogy (West Wylie Story) was present in the form of Hopewell and Ramsey, this time played very excellently by Karate Kid Janet Melnyk and night-stick twirling Ragnar Dworschak.
As a bonus, in this reviewer's eyes, Ragnar, along with Gord Burton, exhibit that wonderful quality called stage presence and not just because of their physical size.
Then there are the kids. We all know that you should never share the stage with kids or animals. They'll steal the show every time.
This time was no exception. The kids led the audience around by the nose. Their timing was great, their lines were not like lines they learned but more like lines they were living. They were all wonderful.
I believe we will see more of these kids on the local stage as time goes by.
One that stands out is Quynne Merrill. I hope your ears are better!
The set was extremely effective and demonstrated that you don't need elaborate constructions to allow three parallel activities to go on at the same time.
The costumes were bang on. The hair and makeup fit the times and the music was as good as it gets. The producers are to be congratulated on bringing this so very important talent together.
Deep River is fortunate to have the talent that it so capably demonstrates.
Ms. Heeney continues to show that she possesses a knack for finding that talent and allowing it to develop. Keep up the great work, Phyllis.
If you haven't see GBN yet, hurry out and get a ticket. You'll be in for a treat.
You'll see Deep River as it was in 1967. And if it's not precisely the way it was, well, it's the way it shoulda been.
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