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20 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, December 9,1992 • ■ • 111 HBlMalW V * I Sr miSif -v.^ ■ *fr . I i m f-U . - ., WmmM :m - 1 : 4H Ill | M Hpv ; ' * . Æ- mlrMsM ' I i sHs mËÈÊ F - T,' : ,iv: -, T. . 6 E - V, ' <} 1 - *' : z.iïsrv - -:y: mm.É IgS^raSmaSMi *MÉ ■ ■ > iS;55' : SS|6ÿ Iff -Km-fSStf.y:KSi8i@if'-sS:*;Si-* v\ï: -■ mmpm mmmm, : Wm-mmm wvprnmrn m -pmpmmt? . , * , - . ' , ylwi ÊÊÊ î ' • - -*t 4 < - ■ / " ""Bliili wip^à l if . •- y i «HH m mm*- ' Z&&W- EHfflBSSSMEHBs wwmi aSmmm rnrnmm l*HP rJmmsmffi • V J ,«} ; ■ - - ~^r - ^ ' - pf/g mtmp; 'V " :t : ■ U ■ v,. ; # '/!j ■■'• * pip* A Christmas Carol Comes to Life on Bowmanville Stage by Laura J. Richards Perhaps it was the small boy within within Charles Dickens who gave birth to the idea for the story, "A Christmas Carol." Who can say for sure? Even if that was not the case, it makes the telling of "A Christmas Carol" more colorful than the version most of us grew up with. It was this, more colorful version of the classic Dickens story, which greeted the audiences from Thursday, Dec. 3 to Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Bow- manvillc High School Theatre. This enchanting tale of Scrooge's inability, at first, to see anything but his money-grubbing, tight-fisted wâys during the Christmas season was told to four sold-out crowds last week. The production was by the Bowmanville Drama Workshop, with help from the youth drama group called the Association' Association' of Community Thespian Students (A.C.T.S.) The concept of having Mr. Dickens Dickens writing his autobiography and then creating "A Christmas Carol" after after being disrupted by a young boy is an interesting one. The youngster provided provided a bit of depth not just to the play but to the character of Mr. Dickens. The role of Scrooge and author Charles Dickens were played by John Amesbury, who added some interesting interesting variances to Scrooge's character. These variations were something that the viewer had to get used to. For instance, we had. to re-think the concept of Scrooge. We were confronted confronted with a much more robust Scrooge than the skinny miser we more commonly imagined him to be. Also, Scrooge was presented to us as being a little more reasonable than previously thought by this reviewer. M.P. 's Letter is A Slap in Face Dear John: Congratulations, your paper should be given an award for the "Joke of the Year". This is in regard to the report from Parliament Hill by M.P. Ross Stevenson Stevenson December 2 on Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating. Here is a prime case of ignorance of the Mulroney' Disneyland. These people are so far out of touch that they still don't see the misery misery and poverty they have created with their heartless leadership. I would dare Ross Stevenson to go to a food bank or tell the people who have no jobs or have no hope of one and tell them what kind of a diet they should have each day. The most of them are lucky to afford afford macaroni and wieners, let alone lean meats, poultry and fish. Come on Ross, wake up and smell the coffee (it would have to be yotirs, as not many could afford this either). The sooner your careless leader calls an election the sooner there will be some light in the tunnel, you might have enough elected to hold a meeting in a phone booth. This article is a slap in the face of the poor and elderly. Your truly, E. Roberts 3 Hobbs Drive Bowmanville, Ontario Trust Exemption Angers Reader Dear Sir: Given the budget problems faced by Canada and the Conservative government, government, one can understand the need to affect savings wherever one can. However tough it might be, the unemployed unemployed have little else they can do but try to cope. One wonders, however, just why it is that Mazankowski saw fit to target the group that is most needy, while letting the rich get off scot free. What I am referring to is the attempt attempt on the part of the Conservatives to continue to exempt family trusts from income tax. Some estimates place these as high as 70 billion dollars. dollars. While a small amount of this is held for the disabled, and by people of moderate income, by far the largest part has been put in place by the very rich for their children. These tax exemptions were put in place 20 years ago with the aim of allowing allowing enough time to pass so that beneficiaries would all reach their age of majority. This exemption runs out January 2, 1993. The Conservatives propose to extend this until the last child dies, perhaps another 70 years. Even the most conservative estimate estimate would place the amount of tax revenue lost at more than $2 billion per year. Interestingly, this would just about cover the reduction in unemployment unemployment benefits. Vernon W. Yorgason R.R. l.Neslleton Although, he did have his moments. Mr. Amesbury did a superb job as Charles Dickens and Ebenezer Scrooge because he made Scrooge believable. believable. Another player within the production production who stood out was Jim Brown as the Ghost of Jacob Marley. Mr. Brown spoke some rather dead-pan lines that had a few of the audience chuckling, even if they weren't supposed supposed to find the lines so funny. Joe Dalrymple, as The Ghost of Christmas Present, appeared as a St. Nicholas-type figure with a long, white beard and green velvet coat. Shawn Barclay, as Topper, was an excellent choice. He really played the "dweebish" fellow with finesse. Nick Van Seggelen, as The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come, had one of those interesting, non-speaking parts that leant a great deal of 'gravc- ity' to the play. The entire cast looked as though they had a lot of fun performing for the crowd on Friday evening, when this reviewer attended the play. Even when a youngster in the front row of the audience threw up, the actors actors did not miss a beat. The play, directed by Bob Sheridan, Sheridan, had many lighthearted moments, especially through the visitations by the three ghosts. Scrooge's "humbug" attitude becomes weaker and finally ends. There were only two things that this reviewer thought was strange about the play: It did not seem geared towards children who made up most of the audience and there were too many people on stage. Many members of the audience brought their children. And the kids were, for the most part, lost if they did not know the story of "A Christmas Carol." The play was geared more for teenagers teenagers and adults who knew the play. For a couple of the scenes, there were just too many people on stage to focus on. If adults had problems with this, then the minds of children must have been boggled. Other than those two points, the play was fabulous. The sense of people having fun on stage was contagious. The members of the Bowmanville Drama Workshop should be pleased with their early winter production. A multi-talented cast put the screws to Scrooge during the Bowmanville Drama Workshop presentation presentation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," adapted by Michael Palier. The two-hour play incorporated incorporated many characters during Scrooge's ghostly evening stroll. Here, John Amesbury as Scrooge and Joe Dalrymple as his escort, the Ghost of Christmas Present, watch as Scrooge's nephew Fred, his wife and friends play word games describing Scrooge's ill-tempered behavior during the Christmas season. "A Christmas Carol" played to sold-out crowds during its three night run and a Saturday matinee at the Bowmanville High School Auditorium last week. The play was produced by Ellen Logan and directed by Bob Sheridan. 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