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C2 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, March 28, 2001 Hobson's Choice Actors display professionalism as they `go on with the show' By Carol Baldwin ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR The show must go on. A nd it did. Despite an actor who took violently ill and a door that didn't want to co-operate, the show did go on last Saturday night for Hobson's Choice. The two aforementioned glitches didn't occur until after intermission, but they were smoothed over quite nicely by the cast. The sick actor was replaced by another who, although she had to carry the script around, did so quite discreetly and gave a stellar perfor mance under the circumstances. The problem with the door was added into the dialogue by a spontaneous ad-lib line that actually got the biggest laugh of the evening. So, all in all, the show not only went on, it went on to be a great success. Hobson's Choice, billed as a comedy, is actu ally a drama with a number of laughs - most of them com ing from W illie M ossop, played superbly by M atthew Willson. Theatre Review Willie is a self-effacing shoemaker who is boldly proposed to by Maggie (Traci Morgan), the eldest daughter of Henry Hobson (Chris Worsnop). And although Willie isn't too keen about the proposal at first, he does warm up to the idea as time passes. The ensuing marriage, which also weds shoemaking skills with market ing and bookkeeping savvy, put Henry in an awkward position. Add to that his tendency to drink too much, and the older Hobson is soon tricked into making Hobson's choice. As I said, Willie provides most of the come dy in this production as he evolves from a shy em ployee who can't seem to look anyone straight in the eye to a confident businessman and husband, thanks to his sagacious wife and her brilliant schemes. TABRICLAND CANADA'S LA RG EST f a s u iiim f ar r IC ip FASHION FA BR SAVE O N SPRING m c T n iR iir n n DISTRIBUTOR HOME DEC DAYS! DURING % HOM E DEC SAVE OFF Our Regular Price on our entire stock of FASHION Despite the play's title, Willie and Maggie are the maestri of this human orchestra, adeptly con ducting the plot while the instruments - Mag gie's two sisters and their respective beaus, are simply played. Henry is, of course, the spectator who is paying for the privilege of listening to the tune that he must ultimately dance to. Since Willie and Maggie are the pivotal char acters in this story, it is fortunate that the two actors who portray them play so well together on stage, feeding off each other's strengths and evolving into characters you care about and whom you want to succeed. Director Larry Marin allowed his main char acters to reach their potential as opposites, yet reined them in just before their unique personal ities went beyond the realm of reality, making a union between them implausible. And, playing a father who expects obedience from his daughters during the days when women were just coming into their own, Chris Worsnop brings a certain balance to his character, who loves his drink, his status in the community and in his family, his shoemaking business, and his daughters - in that order. And perhaps that is his downfall, because if he had taken the time to get to know his daughters, he would not have fallen into M aggie's trap. So, H obson' s Choice should perhaps have been titled M aggie' s Choice since it is M aggie's clever manipulation that helps her husband and her two sisters realize their potential and her father to develop a little humanity, albeit grudg ingly. This production weaves a great story about change and adaptability. It focuses on familial relationships and how they evolve in a one-par ent household. It even examines the division of labour, both in the home and in the family busi ness, and traces the shift in one fam ily's hierar chy as the father faces the prospect of an empty nest (and the end of free labour) while his daughters look forward to their future. All this is done with humour and pathos cre ating a nice blend o f laughter and serious con templation. And considering that it is all done with English accents, I'd say it was a smashing job - only a couple o f accents fell short of the mark. Perhaps those particular actors should have been allowed to drop the accent for the sake of authenticity. (I've always wondered why, in community theatre, directors insist on reproducing the accents of the play's original cast. Why bother if the actors can't master that particular accent? Does staying true to the original script mean sac rificing clarity and believability for the sake of an accent? I think not.) H o b so n ' s Choice is presented by The Oakville Players and will continue from March 28 to 31 at 8 p.m. in the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $16 and are available by visiting or calling the Oakville Centre box office at 130 Navy St., 815-2021, weekdays from noon to 5 p.m. or Saturdays from 2 to 5 p.m. H om e Dec Fabrics, U p h o lste ry, H a rd w a re , N otions & Trim s *Sewing Club M embers save an additional 10% on 20% o ff merchandise! E N T IR E IN -S T O R E S T O C K O F D R A P E R Y & U P H O L S T E R Y F A B R IC S . H A R D W A R E , N O T IO N S & T R IM (not a lre a d y on sale) N O W 2 0 % * O F F O ur Reg. Price *Sewing Club Members save an additional 10% on all 20°o off items! Choose from these Special Selections: Milliken' DECORATOR SUEDE LOOKS Sale in effect March 26-April 8. 2001. on selected in-stock merchandise only. Look for the red sale tags. Sorry, no special orders. See store for full details. O U R E N T IR E IN -S T O R E DAYS! S P R IN G F A S H IO N C O L L E C T IO N NOW O F F O u r R eg. Price (N ot already on sale. N o special orders.) 33% Choose from these Special Selections: W A V U L T DECOR PSIKTS I TEXTURES 140cm wide. Our Reg. 12.98 m Now 2.99 Manager's Choice of m 140cm wide, 100% polyester. Our Reg. 14.98 m Now 7.49 ni 'Arlen' JACQUARDS 140cm wide. Our Reg. 16.98 m Now 7.99 m MARQUISETTE LAO S P R IN G F A B R IC S Assorted varieties, dressweight, suiting. Our Reg. up to 18.98 m Special selection · collection varies per store. DECOR BONANZA 140cm wide. Choose from prints, textures and jacquards. O ur Reg. 14.98 m Now 3.99 m Carleton DECOR PRINT COLLECTION 140cm Our Reg. 18.98 m Now 4.99 m Baker Hill' COLLECTION BUY 1 at Our Reg. Price, GET 2 FREE! (of equal value o r less) Check O ut O u r Special Selection of 115cm & 150cm wide. O ur Reg. 3.98 & 4.98 m Now 2.49 m & 2.99 m LUXURY V IL V n ENDS 140cm O ur Reg. 18.98 m Now 9.99 m Hamlet' TRIM COLLECTION 140cm Our Reg. 16.98 m Now 3.99 in 'Bellair* SHEER PRINTS ASSORTED CLEARANCE FABRICS N ow Take an Additional 5 0 % O H Prices A lready Reduced B y 5 0 % ! Individually priced. Selection varies per store. H u g e S e le c tio n o f S p rin g S e w in g S a v in g s at Includes cords, bullion fringe, tassel fringe. 150cm Our Reg. 18.98 m Now 4.99 m Now 30% Off Our Reg. Price Entire Stock! TASSELS & TIEBACKS 'Mosaic' and 'Newbury' UPHOLSTERY COLLECTION Now 3.99-7.99 m DECORATOR PILLOWS 140cm wide. Our Reg. 14.98-18.98 m I Choose from chair ties, tassels, tiebacks. Now 30% OH Our Reg. Price F in a l C le a ro u t! (selection is limited) ALL CRABER DRAPERY HARDWARE Now 50% Off Our Reg. Prices Creations DECORATIVE HARDWARE M uth Better Than H a lt Price! In c lu d in g S p e c ia l S e le c tio n s of: Suede looks, prints, jacquards, chenilles.Our Reg. 6.98 & 8.98 ea. Now 2 for 10.00 L 2 for 12.00 DISCONTINUED DRAPERY CHALLIS PRINTS 1 4 0 c m w id e , 1 0 0 % ra y o n . O u r R e g . 1 2 .9 8 m NO W 5.49 m POLYESTER PRINTS 1 1 5 c m w id e . O u r R e g . 1 0 .9 8 -1 2 .9 8 m NOW 3.99 m POLYESTER PRINTS 1 5 0 c m w id e . O u r R e g . 1 4 .9 8 m NOW 4.99 m CRYSTAL CREPE SOLIDS 1 1 5 c m A s s o rte d te x tu re s & c o lo u rs . O u r R e g . 9 .9 8 m NO W 2.99 m SWEET PRINTS 1 1 5 c m w id e , p o ly s te r/c o tto n . O u r R e g . 6 .9 8 m NOW 2.44 m CO TTO N TW ILL PRINTS Entire Stock! 1 1 5 c m O u r R e g . 8 .9 8 -1 2 .9 8 m NOW 3.99 m STEP RIGHT UP: Shelly Burgess (Crystal), left. Joel Layne (Ron), Tracey Dimnev (Chiffon), Pat Orlando (Seymore), and Jen Farugia (Audrey) rehearse for tonight's opening of Little Shop o f Horrors. This STA production will continue tomorrow and Friday in St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School at 124 Margaret Dr. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for students, and are avail able at the door or in advance by calling the school at 842-9494. Doors open at 7 p.m.; the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Photo by Barrie Erskine Wide asst, of styles, accessories, finishes. Now 5 0% Off Our Regular Price BEDOING ENSEMBLES (In Select Stores) Now Save $50.00 Per Set Laces, prints, sheers. Individually priced. Now 5 0% Off Our Reg. Price HOOK & LOOP TAPE V & 1" W hite & black. Our Reg. 1.29-1.59 m per s CNfar OUT OUR MEW SCOMCE STYLES! Now BUY 1 m Selected styles. Our Reg. 21.9 8-32.98 ea. at Our Regular Price, Now BUY 1 at Our Reg. Price, GET 1 FREE! (of equal value or less) Pillow sham(s), bedskirt, comforter. Available in twin, double, queen. GET 2 FREE! Entire In-Store Stock! burdo PATTERNS BUY 1 atM .S.R. Price. GET 1 FREE! Not valid with any other discount offers. (of equal value or less) Offer valid March 26-April 8. 2001. A ll Much Better Than H a lf Price! OPEN SUNDAYS 12-5 140 Rebecca St. OAKVILLE 844-7728 O u r e n t ir e f r o m m a r c h 2 T O A P R I L 6, 2 0 0 inventory « ' 5 ,0 ? * ·.SuW ni ia i SOI f a b ric s ^ » C O bff inventory of Eastern items B o u C io ir f t t e fA & ztd Amp p e to a . OAKVILLE 2501 Hampshire Gate Road - (905) 822-8444 ·AJAX · ANCASTER · BARRIE · BRAMPTON · CAMBRIDGE · KINGSTON · LAWRENCE SQUARE · MARKHAM · MISSISSAUGA (2 STORES) · OSHAWA · RICHMOND HILL · SCARBOROUGH · STONEY CREEK · SUDBURY - VAUGHAN · 1-800-BouClair In the event of a printing error, the item(s) will be sold at the correct price. Merchandise may vary from photos and selection may vary from store to store. Shop early for best selection. We reserve the nght to limit quantities. All sale pnces are applicable on in stock merchandise only and are not applicable to custom and/or Shop-at-Home. No Dealers.