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B8 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, April 19, 2000 Arts &Entertainment O akville B eaver E n tertain m en t Editor: Carol Baldwin 845-3824 (Extension 254) Fax: 337-5567 A play by Agatha Ch The famous mystery novelist altered many things when she adapted The Hollow'for stage By C arol B aldw in ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR N ext to Sherlock H olm es, H ercule Poirot is probably the m ost famous of fictional sleuths. So much so that he, like Holmes, has taken on a life o f his own in the minds o f many readers. Then, when Poirot exposed his superior detective skills on national television, the name of the refined mastermind with the endearing French accent became a household word. So, to have him rem oved from an Agatha C hristie plot seem s alm ost irreverent. But, according to Doug W ilson, Christie removed Poirot from The Hollow herself. "Other people adapted her books for the stage, but she didn't like it. She didn't like other people's adaptations because, she said, they tried to cram too much into the play. She said, `A mystery novel has lots of twists and turns and lots of clues, but if you try to cram that all into a play, it's a disaster.' So, this is the first play that she adapted herself," says Wilson, who is directing The Hollow for the BurlOak Theatre Group. "And she was quite ruth less. She has cut out a couple of family members. She's cut out a lot of extra scenes...A nd the most interesting character she cut out was Hercule Poirot. And he was in the book...She felt he would get in the way of the plot." So, he adds, the famous mystery novelist replaced her beloved Poirot with two police offi cers - an inspector and a detective sergeant - to solve the crime in the stage version of The Hollow. In fact, Wilson says, Christie did not include the eminent detective in m ost of the plays she has written. "I only know o f one play that has Poirot in it, and that's Black Coffee, and I don't know if she adapted if or somebody else did," he says, stressing that there could be other plays that include Poirot, but none that he's aware of. However, the absence o f the popular sleuth didn't deter the BurlOak play-reading com m it tee. Its members chose to stage The Hollow any way, since Christie has loyal fans whom they hope will make their way to the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts ju st to see a play by their favourite detective fiction novelist. "It is humorous, but it is not a comedy. And it's a bit of challenge in that I decided that I would set it exactly as Agatha Christie wrote it," Wilson continues. "She wrote the novel in 1946, adapted the play a little later, and it was first presented on the London stage in 1951. So, I'm setting it in 1951. The costumes and furniture and the attitudes of the characters are all 1951. And w e've tried to make the program look exactly the way the pro gram would have looked in 1951 if you went to the theatre in London." The music, he adds, is a bit of surprise in that the sound co-ordinator has selected some inter esting '50s music that has only been recorded recently. "So, it will be correct for the period, but people won't recognize it," says Wilson. The play also differs from the novel in that the six men and six women who come together for a weekend do so inside the home of a retired British diplomat and his wife rather than at the family swimming pool. The conflict in the play centres around Dr. John Cristow who arrives with his wife, only to discover that his former mistress and his current mistress have also been invited. Then there is Edward who is in love with the doctor's current mistress and loved by his former one. Needless to say, tempers flair, threats are made and, of course, a dead body is discovered. The first act details the different relationships and reveals the tensions that plague them. The second act is spent interviewing suspects, which is just about everyone, and finding out whodunit. "We are very lucky that we have actors who might be called favourites - Virginia McEwen and Jack Morgan and my wife, Carol Wilson. And we have people who have never been on stage before," says Wilson, who has directed at least 10 plays and musicals. Agatha Christie fans or those who just enjoy a good old-fashioned whodunit can see The Hol low at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts on April 20th, 21st, 22nd, 26th, 27th, 28th 29th at 8 p.m. Tickets are $16 and are available by visiting or calling the box office at 130 Navy St., 8152021, weekdays between noon and 5 p.m., Satur days between 2 and 5 p.m., or two hours prior to performances. Photo by Peter C. McCusker Jeanie Erickson and Wendy Sawyer, members o f the crew o f the Burl-Oak Theatre Company, prepare for tomorrow night's opening of Agatha Christie's The Hollow at the O akville Centre. Has the true meaning of Easter gotten a little fuzzy? 1^ a t h l e t i c s , Summer Camp 2 B o y s /G irls ages 8 -1 4 · Golf · S o cce r · Tennis · Baseball · Volleyball S p a ce is lim ite d Mon. to Fri. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. · Early Drop Off &. Late Pick-up Available LUNCH PROVIDED Only $ 170.00 per week 1333 North Service Rd. W. (THE DOMES) 905 847-3663 - Give your children m ore than bunnies and baskets this year. Give them a miracle. Join us o n Easter as w e celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. f)ou/s fhe fiM-ie fo make plans celebra+e EASTER PHILTHY MctfASTY'S' k a ^ Make if an Easfcr fo renieMiber fo r your Children/ fcoofc ToDAY/ Join us b e tw e e n S an d I Opm fo r a fa m ily s ty le P h ilth y M c N a s ty 's c e le b ra tio n in c lu d in g ...CHOICE OF ENTREES. 1/2 HR. FREE POOL, 2 FREE VIDEO GAMES AND A SPECIAL EASTER PARTY FOR THE KIDS Celebrafio*/ Saturday April 22 and Sunday April 23 S h o w y o u r s p ir it C om e b a c k to ch u rch . The Anglican Church Church of The Epiphany 827-2546 B ronte Rd. N orth o f L akeshore Rd. W KIDS EASTER MEMU A choice 6oz. striploin cooked to order and served w ith our steak-cut french fries. $ g.9 5 A tantalizing assortment of chicken fingers, PARENT FOOD lO oz. Pep percorn NY Sirloin With seasonal veggies and choice of potato $ 1 8 9 5 STEAK *SRIES St. Aidans Anglican Church 845-6111 318 Q ueen Mary Drive KIDS PLATTER Shrim p Alfredo Succulent shrimp sauteed in gariic butter and served over linguine in a creamy Alfredo sauce with fresh mushrooms and bruschetta tomatoes. $ 1 8 9 5 St. Cuthbert's 844-6200 844-3972 M aplegrove, N orth o f L akeshore Rd. E. Church of the Incarnation 1240 O ld A bbey Lane chicken wings and our famous pogos served with fries. $6-9S Six of our large, tasty chicken wings with mild BBQ sauce and a big bowl of french fries. F u n k y C h ic k e n Grilled chicken smothered in bacon, mushrooms and melted cheese, served with linguine in an Alfredo cream sauce and daily vegetables.$1 f t . 95 Includes... A choice of side Caesar Salad, or soup de Jour and 1/2 loaf o f Nasty cheese bread per person, coffee or tea and as a special treat, an Easter Mud Pie.. W tstm ount Place Shopping Centre 5 0 W c s tfn o u n t Rd. M. WATERLOO 825-2851 KIDS W (M GD W G St. Jude's D ow ntow n, co m er Thom as & William St. St. Luke's 825-3364 Hwy. No. 5, West o f 25 $5-9 5 KW* E aster packages are a ll served w ith choice o f pop, ju ic e o r St. Simons Anglican Church 1450 Litchfield m'lk and a *,ds desserlO akville Town Centre II 210 North Service Road OAKVILLE (9 0 5 ) 844-8703 Mount Royal Plaza Brant S t BURLINGTON (90S) 3I9-8SS5 Georgian M all 509 Bayfield St. BARRIE f7 0 S l 722-AI0A in 845-8351 i a 11 U pper James St. eplex Theatre Plaza) HAMILTON /90C\ 1 A 1 .CAAO /r . nv 004 orrn O W N E D .O P E R A T E D a « .« >