40 — THE CITIZEN. Prince George — Wednesday, June 17. 1981
PRODUCTION A 'DISGRACE'
PEANUTS
Sad opening at Stratford
by JAMIE PORTMAN Southam News
   STRATFORD. Ont. - Is the Stratford Festival afflicted with a death wish?
   Having already admitted that it’s in a mess financially. it now seems intent to prove that it’s in a mess artistically.
   Moliere’s The Misanthrope. which landed sog-gily on the boards of the Festival Theatre Monday night, is a sad and leaky launching for the 1981 Stratford season.
   The most charitable thing that can be said is that it suffers gravely from delusions of adequacy — unless, of course, it is the intention of new Stratford management that the ideal classical theatre should reject flesh and blood in favor of the odor of moth balls and decay.
    This production is a disgrace to virtually everyone connected with it — including a lot of people who should know better. One of the latter is its director. Jean Gascon, who made an inglorious return after seven years to the theatre he once
 headed.
   Another accomplice in the carnage is that normally magnificent actor. Brian Bedford, who delivers the least interesting performance of his Stratford career in the title role of the jaded Alceste.
  Bedford, whose assignment it is to portray the character in despair with his society, tends mainly to behave like an actor in despair with this production. His major device is his grimacing mannerisms; it’s all rather like a bargain-basement Malvolio. the character whom, incidentally, Bedford has played with distinction on two previous Stratford outings.
  The Misanthrope is supposed to be a blockbuster productions and also the potential salvation of a season which is currently SI million down in its advance sales from thesame period a year ago. The season is opening in the wake of public forecasts by incoming artistic director John Hirsch of a possible $2 million deficit by the fall.
   The depressiong calibre
 of The Misanthrope — a production the festival is stuck with through to the end of September — is not a happy omen for the future.
  Some members of the new Stratford hierarchy have already suggested publicly that if this season is a disaster, it won’t be their fault — they have seemingly attempted to buy themselves insurance for. whatever disasters may result by blaming all their troubles on the controversy over the Festival’s artistic succession which rocked Stratford last winter and to make much of the limited time they have had to assemble a season.
   The problems have certainly be real ones but they can’t take the new Festival leadership com-
Indiana Jnnes-the new hern from the creators of JAWS and STAR WARS.
 R.P. THEATRE
 1033 3rd Ave. A Queens way Ph. 564-96661 '
Adult* only
no PLAYBOY ever had H ao good I
STARTS 7 P.M.
 BIKINI ANDITS
Ing: Corn-
concerned
B.C. Direc-
 AA. VE ON WHEELS
Warning: Completely concerned with tex. B.C. Director
No admittance to perioni under 18
of the LUS'V /7/v/v
6 PARAMOUNT ACTuRfc
SHOWTIMES 7 & 9 P.M.
 Warning: Some gory violence, occoiionol twear-ing. B.C. Director.
PLAZA 400 CINEMAS
Mvl /Oil
QaatuwQ
♦
 Warning: Some coarse language and swearing.
 occasional violence. B.C. Director
J.d & VANCOUVt# - 562 29J5
■NftUUAte OuX ^dUhjdi... ♦
 Show* 7:00 . & 9:00 p.m. A
Warning: Occosiono & suggestive scenes.
nguage* B.C. Direc'or. I
J*.
4E2HUHEH1 (MATU-,
3") & VANCOUVCR - 162 29JS V22222S/
SHOWS: 7:05 I 9:05 P.M.
 i The comedy for everyone r who’s had it up to here...
HE’S NOT ONE OF THE BEST.
HE IS THE BEST!
 SHOWTIMES 7 & 9 P.M.
Warning: Some violence. B.C. Director.
 ...Robert Hays hasn't had this much fun since “Airplane"
 t
(WATV«|)
Some coarse language. B.C. Director.
  OGEON CINEMA 3
 J/d 4 VANCOUVfR *61 293*
(mature)
Some
PLAZA 400 CINEMAS
bb4 7011
CmahmQ
 10
 Showt: 7 & 9:10 p m
 pletely off the hook. The fact is that this year's schedule is offering eight productions half the size of Robin Phillips's final remarkable season a year ago.
   Yet, virtually the same number of actors is being employed, and the $7.7 million budget matches the 1980 one in size.
SILVER KITTEN THEATRE uio-stha*».
I'M ENT6RIN6 A KIP'S     
GOLF TOURNAMENT NEXT     
WEEK, MARCIE, ANP AFTER  
1UJIM, I'LL TURN PRO...  
 IgA                     
 what about college,
 SIR? YOU CAN'T NE6LECT YOUR EWCATION...
 T
 I CAN ALWAYS GO TO COLLEGE, MARCIE, AFTER
 I'M rich Amp famous...
 By Charles M. Schultz
 YOU'RE U)E|R^5IR^) I
JUDGE PARKER
By Paul Nichols
 ft** -......— —---=^YE6/0NE^|
 16 THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU \ THING El CAN TELL ME ABOUT BOB'5 DEATH \ WHICH Ifl THAT WOULD LEAD YOU TO BELIEVE i NEVER N IT WASN'T ACCIDENTAL, MAGGI ?y OCCURRED
                                 TO ME AT
 HE LEFT THE HOUOE ABOUTclOHT THAT MORNING/ NORMALLY IT TOOK BOB 20 MINUTES TO GET TO THE OFFICE.' > ACCORDING TO THE POLICE, THE vtTTiI ACCIDENT HAPFENED AT 0:05/
'IT MEANS HE STOPPEPV--. SOMEWHERE FOR ABOUT 4E> MINUTES TO AN HOUR/
 B.C.
By Jonny Hart
saliae-phpbia
a fear that if you look over your shoulder you’ll turn
 salt, lick
Z>FUld EnUrprli**, Inc.. 1901
/tafKs
 b'll
w/lby's
zoro-plrobid
mzYs
G Fi#ld Enterprises Inc.. 1981
 6-10
the fear of your acupuncturist shewing up wearing a mask and a. cape
fat-
BLONDIE
By Young & Raymond.
BOSS, I JUST FINISHED THE POLLYOU ASKED£ ME TO TAKE
 PIFTY PERCENT OF OUR EMPLOYEES THINK YOU'RE HEARTLESS AND OVERBEARING
 WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER FlPTY PERCENT? /•--"
%-m ,a»r
DOONESBURY
  IS THAT MY	GRANPMA! HJHAT
 FAVORITE	ARB YOU POm
 GRAND-	HERB SO EARLY? , DAUGHTER? \
 \ I
 UFU, I CAME TD	mrSdRJPAl
  HELP OUT MM THE.	GOUJN. I JUST PLAH5, BUT TTSEEM5 PtCKEP/TUP IMHOTNEEPEP. FOP, HER.
  UJ HATS THAT YOU HAVE .PEAR?
 IWNICB.
/5 IT? ELSE?
By Gary Trudeau
 l/JUl, IUA5N7
 SURE SHE'S	PAPTOi-P
 BEEN MARRIEP	ME
 BEFORE, YOU	1
\ mouj.[
Ji
lo (j 6&/2uJtau—„
TIGER
By Bud Blake
THE HEART OF JULIET JONES
By Stan Drake
PEOPLE IN LO\'E (J5UALLV PLEP&E
theip tzoth
PRELIMINARY TO ExJHANc'lN^
ALL TAUN^ PLACE
peFoeea
------ZEP
       „. OF c’HUCCH.
7^ Ov KECO&HIZEP ^ >\ ' V	OF
J / v', ^ \ THE CtiUCCt
 .. THAT--: PPECI&ELy T WHEN PO I
 WHA1	1 cJIVE MV
   JO PO' _
VVILL &E *SEv-
H0tf ~0R at 1
IT A llvlTECt'AL
ENT