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2003 United Way ol Oakville Campaign I OUR GOAL *3.456 million United Way F orm ere into: 845-5571 Phone: 905-845-3824 (ext. 5559) Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: rjerred@haltonsearch.com Y V K D N K S D A Y . ARTSCENE D E C K M B H R lO . 2 ( X O · P a g e R<> Oakville native laughing it up in The Producers Stratford veteran enjoys taking audience on comedic romp By Craig MacBride SPE O A L T O THE BEAVER M ichael Therriault doesn't exactly see his rise to the pin nacle of Canadian theatre as meteoric. In fact, once his contract to play Leo Bloom, co-lead in the Toronto produc tion of The Producers, concludes next year, he w ouldn't be surprised if he was again doing small town productions. "A good career is one where you work all the time." said Therriault. dur ing a telephone interview from Toronto. "You can't look at it as an upward climb." A Bronte native who spent seven seasons with the Stratford Festival fol lowing his graduation from Sheridan College's theatre program in 1995. Therriault is modest about his impres sive resume. "I'm so grateful I keep getting work, that's all I can ask for." he said. Therriault w asn't planning to audi tion for a part in Mel Brooks' muchhyped musical comedy The Producers , which dem olished records on Broadway. It wasn't until the third round of callback auditions that he finally gave it a shot. His first audition was on Saturday. He was called back on the Sunday and hired on Tuesday. "I always assumed they would cast someone older because M atthew Broderick (who played the role on Broadway) was about 40 when he did it," said the 30-year-old Therriault. " 1 Cylla von Tiedemann · Special to the O akville B eaver Sean Cullen as Max Bialystock and B ronte's M ichael T h erriau lt as Leo Bloom Producers , the Mel Brooks musical. was just shocked (to get the part), but I So, Max Bialystock. played by was thrilled." comedian and actor Sean Cullen, picks Therriault will be playing Leo up on the idea and sets out to make the Bloom, a mousy accountant who comes worst play possible. Springtime fo r up with the idea that more money can Hitler, and he pulls Therriault's charac be made with a play that flops, leaving ter along for the ride. Throughout the the investors thinking they w on't make musical. Leo Bloom changes consider their money back, than with a smashing ably, from an introverted accountant to success. a proud, womanizing producer. sta r in the Toronto production of The "The Leo you see at the end of the play is not the Leo you see at the begin ning of the play," said Therriault. "The audience sees the show through his eyes," making his transformation more exquisite, not to mention hilarious. The Producers is. by all accounts, over the top, and so obscene that every person in the theatre, by the end. should be offended. Yel somehow no one ever seems to be offended because there is an air of innocence about the delivery, and it is genuinely funny. 'T h e hardest thing about the show is not laughing." said Therriault. adding that his friends, who have been at the preview shows, were "sore from laugh ing so much. You just laugh and laugh and laugh and then it's over." Compared to the other roles Therriault has been playing, this is a departure. In his seven seasons with the Stratford Festival, he played a lot of Shakespeare's characters, and serious dramatic roles, such as Yock in Quiet in the Land, an Amish-Canadian play. Being a big-budget. mainstream comedy, however, doesn't necessarily mean The Producers is low-brow when compared to Stratford. Therriault does n't even consider the distinction. "I don't think one's better than the other." he said. "This is just new to me." I And it is challenging, though, adm it-' tedly, in a very different way than a Chekhov play is challenging. "C om edy's hard because it's all about timing, and you don't know if it's funny because the cast has been hearing it for weeks, so you have to wait for an audience," Therriault said. "The Producers is physically exhausting, whereas something like Chekhov is emotionally exhausting." Therriault isn't the only Oakville native in The Producers. Sarah Cornell, who preceded her one-year contract with the Toronto production with a stint on the Broadway version, is joined by Erin Mackey, both Sheridan College graduates, and Brandon McGibbon who has worked on Mirvish Productions in the past. Preview performances o f The Producers began on Nov. 21. and offi cial opening night is Thursday at the Canon Theatre. Tickets cost S31-$ 121. · and can be purchased online a f 1 www.mirvish.com or by phone at 416-i' 872-1212. V a tio n a l {/ y / v t/ a / r M o w January 2-4, 2004 National Trade Centre, Exhibition Place SHOW HOURS: Friday 5pm to 10pm Saturday 10am to 9pm · Sunday 10am to 6 pm DAILY FASHION SHOWS! · THE Hbc NATIONAL G IF REGISTRY offers one lucky couple a prize package of stylish home accessories and giflware from The Bay, Home Outfitters and its Hbc Partners. · "HONEYMOON IN FIJI" Pacesetter Travel and A ir Pacific will send one couple The Tokoriki Island Resort in Fiji! Trip includes accommodations and airfare. · W in your Bridal Gown and Tuxedo Rentals from Sposabella and Theo's Formalwear. · Sposabella, one of Toronto's top bridal retailers, is hosting a "Once In Your Lifetime Bridal Gown Sale". All gowns $299.00-$499.00 ADMISSION $12.00 P ro d u c e d b y : Inkwell P resident D erik Hawley, Vice-President G erald in e H aniff and Founding President Cam ille T heriault, hold up a copy of Textures fro m the Inkwell, an anthology featuring the w ork of the w riting g ro u p 's 22 m em bers. Oakville poetry group publishes anthology By Craig MacBride ' OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF P rrtnirr hiM icit/io n s & SJmu* For additional inform ation call 905-815-0017 o r 1-800-265-3673 V isit our website at www.premierconsumetshows.com The poets o f O akville have united and written A unique anthology that will m ake you sm itten W ith written w ords and the w riters who think them . The above is an illustration of why I'm not involved in the anthology recently published by Inkwell, a group of poets and writers who meet weekly in Oakville to read poetry and critique one another's work. The anthology. Textures From the Inkwell, involves 22 members of Inkwell, who were all given four to eight pages of a 152-page book to show their talent. Headed up by Inkwell President Derik Hawley, the book has become a work of great passion for all the members of the diverse group. With members ranging in ages from early 20s to mid-80s. the poetry is as eclectic as the group itself. "Some people are very focused on the poetry, there are some people who are new to Canada and they just want to learn the language, and we help them with that." said Hawley. 'T here are peo ple who just have a love of the written word and they want to share that with other people. It's completely separate from their day jobs." As for Textures, it is the group's sec ond collection. The first was published in 1999 for family and friends. For this project, they have been able to put in more effort and use more pages. "I'm quite happy with it. the poetry's quite good." said Hawley. "T he group's excited. There's a lot of enthusiasm about the book." Inkwell began back in 1994. when Stacy Ferguson put an ad in the news paper asking for writers who wanted to meet. Since then, the group's meetings have been held in cafes and restaurants and meeting rooms all over town, cur rently using the seminar room beneath Bookers Bookstore to discuss their work and their passion. 'T he reason the group has lasted so (See Anthology' page B8) )R ONE ADMISSION i BRIDAL SHOW EVENING HOURS No cash value. (This coupon is not vofid for one holf price odmission) j i J i TW O adrmssians lot Ihe ptice of ONE Friday THIS COUPON 1 0THE EVENING O f YOUR CHOICL Original coupons only OAKBEAV I THE NATIO NAL G IFT REGISTRY itte rs «HNntm >tn cm S | t o s a I m *11a Vqmonto m«Mim i« g Ksrwiftaim Th«o-»