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Globe's The War Show is `a keeper... not to be missed' TED BROWN Staff Writer As the lights dimmed and the solitary figure of an old veteran limped onto the tiny stage at St. Paul's Parish Hall in Norval, the audience attending Georgetown Globe Productions' opening presentation of The War Show realized this was not a typical Globe production. Chronicling the antics of a group of Canadian soldiers from 1938 until the end of the Second World War in 1945, the production used extensive dialogue coupled with music to tell the poignant story of a handful of ordinary men and women as they simply tried to stay alive, or deal with the loss of loved ones, during the war years. Opening with a rousing rendition of Bless Them All by the ensemble, the show depicted all emotional aspects of the war years, including the fear, loneliness, falling in love, war brides, boredom, life, death and inept leadership. Historically, the show was incredibly complete, covering many key aspects of the time period, including Britain's entry into the war, the Battle of Britain, the Dieppe Raid, the invasion of Sicily and Italy, branding soldiers of that campaign as `D-Day Dodgers' and the D-Day operation itself. The cast was equally impressive, featuring a collection of veteran Globe performers, with a few younger new faces thrown into the mix. Paul d'Entremont commanded the stage as the battlesavvy Sarge, while Paul Stodolny was equally impressive as the young and impressionable farm boy Dusty, whose main reason for signing up was to get away from feeding the pigs at home on the farm. The somewhat slow-learning Dud was played by Joseph Cochrane, giving lots of comic relief while Norm Douglas played WW1 veteran Pops, who couldn't get enough action from The Great War, so he returned to `do it right this time.' Street-wise Sharkey was well-played by Dale Kustra, and the reflective French Canadian Jean-Pierre (JP) was equally well portrayed by Matt McCarthy. Chris Gawley played a number of parts, but was most memorable as the inexperienced lieutenant leading his platoon into a skirmish in Italy. The female cast was equally impressive, including Jane Adair, Bobbie Flatt, Joanna Fraser and Lois Fraser, as well as Cheyenne Harvey. All female performers played a variety of roles, from a farmer's wife, to munitions workers, girls in a British pub and moms waiting at home for a telegram. The use of costumes and props gave the show a vivid visual presence. Performers regularly employed vintage (deactivated) weapons, uniforms and helmets, all from the Second World War, compliments of local collector Al Fraser. Musical accompaniment was well balanced to the vocals and lighting was effective, in spite of the limitations of the small hall. At the same time, the small venue gave the show an emotional advantage, thrusting the cast members right into the audience, allowing both the players and the patrons the rare opportunity to come face to face-- and in doing so, feel each other's pain. Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the show was the timeless effect it had on the audience. In spite of the fact the material is more than 60 years old, it didn't matter to the widely demographic audience-- there were many tearful moments from both young and old, as the protagonists onstage fought their own personal wars, in a time and a place a world and a lifetime away. The show continues its run February 8-10. It's certainly a keeper, and not to be missed. Hearthside kicks off with Vickie van Dyke Quartet On Saturday, February 10 the Vickie van Dyke Quartet returns to the Halton Region Museum for a romantic evening of great jazz, just in time for Valentine's Day. The show launches the 2007 Hearthside Music & Dinner Series. Now in its eighth year, this series is a fundraiser for the Halton Museum Foundation's ongoing renovations and artifact preservation at the Halton Region Museum which is located in Kelso Conservation Area, Milton. Known to many as WAVE 94.7's mid-day host, van Dyke is also a singer and songwriter. Organizers promise that her offthe-cuff wit, confident stage presence, versatile voice and eclectic repertoire will combine to create an unforgettably entertaining evening. She will be joined by Steve Manning on guitar, Kevin Wideman on keyboard and Carson Freeman on sax. Tickets are $50 per person and include dinner at 7 p.m., followed by entertainment until 11 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance as seating is limited for this popular Valentine's evening. To order tickets, contact the Museum at 905-875-2200, ext. 21 or 1-866-4HALTON, ext. 7935. More information on this and other special events can be found at: www.halton.ca/museum/ GLT opens latest play tomorrow Georgetown Little Theatre presents Rehearsal For Murder will be presented at the John Elliott Theatre, February 8-10, February 14-17. For tickets to the performances, call the Box Office, 905877-3700. Rehearsal For Murder was written by Richard Levinson and William Link as a television movie in 1982 starring Robert Preston and Lynne Redgrave. D.D. Brooke adapted the television script to a stage play making a few changes along the way. Directed by Virginia Bancur, the cast includes GLT members John Wallace, Jessica Lee, Lisa Rasanan, Gary McIlravey, with newcomers Christina Noguera, Patti Caruso, Brandon Laxton, Marcel Jordan and Dwayne Mailman. Three members of the GLT Youth Company, Tyler Buist, Alexis Eastman and Adam Norton, are also in the show.