ENTERTAINMENT
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Theatre
      society
      shines
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Sean
      McQuaid
     
     
      he
      U.P.E.I.
      Theatre
      Society
      performed
     
     
      Ee
      the
      play
      Quiet
      in
      the
      Land
      at
      Carrefour
     
     
      de
      1’
      Isle-Saint-Jean
      in
      three
      shows
      over
     
     
      the
      March
      19-21
      week-end.
      It
      was
      the
      Society’s
     
     
      second
      production
      this
      year,
      and
      by
      far
      the
      most
     
     
      ambitious
      and
      successful
      of
      the
      two.
     
    

    
     
      The
      play,
      written
      by
      Anne
      Chislett,
      is
      set
      in
     
     
      a
      farming
      area
      near
      Kitchener,
      Ontario,
      in
      the
     
     
      latter
      years
      of
      World
      War
      I.
      The
      main
      charac-
     
     
      ters
      are
      members
      of
      an
      Amish
      farming
      commu-
     
     
      nity,
      separated
      from
      the
      rest
      of
      Canada
      by
      their
     
     
      German
      ancestry
      (understandably
      a
      source
      of
     
     
      much
      tension
      during
      World
      War
      I)
      and
      their
     
     
      strict,
      isolationist
      religious
      beliefs,
      beliefs
      that
     
     
      forbid
      them
      from
      participating
      in
      war
      as
      their
     
     
      goal
      is
      to
      live
      apart
      from
      the
      evils
      of
      the
      world,
     
     
      be
      they
      war
      or
      such
      sinful
      luxuries
      as
      pianos
      and
     
     
      telephones.
     
    

    
     
      The
      play’s
      conflict
      develops
      on
      three
      inter-
     
     
      locking
      levels.
      On
      one
      level
      there
      is
      the
      struggle
     
     
      of
      the
      community
      and
      their
      newly-elected
     
     
      bishop,
      Christy
      Bauman
      (played
      by
      Craig
      Blair)
     
     
      to
      avoid
      being
      involved
      in
      the
      war
      or
      otherwise
     
     
      exposed
      to
      the
      evils
      of
      society.
      On
      another
      level
     
     
      there
      is
      amovement
      within
      the
      community,
      led
     
     
      by
      young
      Menno
      Miller
      (played
      by
      Tim
     
     
      Wartman)
      and
      the
      community’s
      other
      young
     
     
      men
      and
      women,
      to
      be
      more
      open
      and
      inte-
     
     
      grated
      with
      the
      modern
      world.
      The
      third
      con-
     
     
      flict,
      which
      crystallizes
      the
      other
      conflicts
      on
      a
     
     
      smaller
      scale
      and
      exacerbates
      them,
      involves
     
     
      Christy’s
      son
      Yock
      (played
      by
      Sean
      Clements).
     
     
      A
      questioning
      young
      man
      who
      rebels
      against
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      authority
      of
      his
      father
      and
      the
      church,
      Yock
     
     
      refuses
      to
      join
      the
      Amish
      religion,
      unable
      to
     
     
      accept
      the
      strict
      disciplines
      of
      the
      church
      on
      the
     
     
      basis
      of
      blind
      faith
      and
      unwilling
      to
      submit
      to
     
     
      the
      stern,
      unwavering
      and
      often
      unreasonable
     
     
      demands
      of
      his
      father.
      Yock’s
      flight
      from
      the
     
     
      community
      pushes
      Christy
      to
      the
      breaking
      point
     
     
      as
      he
      becomes
      an
      obsessively
      strict
      bishop
     
     
      trying
      to
      compensate
      for
      his
      self-admitted
      fail-
     
     
      ure
      with
      his
      son
      by
      forcing
      his
      religious
      flock
      to
     
     
      walk
      the
      Amish
      straight-and-narrow.
      Led
      by
     
     
      Menno
      and
      the
      church’s
      Deacon
      (Zepp
     
     
      Brubacher,
      played
      by
      Mark
      Miller),
      the
      com-
     
     
      munity
      begins
      to
      tear
      apart
      as
      it
      considers
     
     
      abandoning
      the
      church
      rather
      than
      tolerate
      the
     
     
      obsessive,
      demanding,
      and
      self-righteous
     
     
      Christy,
      who
      drove
      away
      his
      own
      son.
     
    

    
     
      There
      is
      no
      black-and-white
      morality
      in
      the
     
     
      play,
      only
      ambiguous
      gray
      areas.
      Christy’s
     
     
      spartan,
      demanding
      discipline
      is
      obviously
      in
     
     
      need
      of
      moderation,
      and
      Christy
      himself
      could
     
     
      stand
      a
      much-needed
      dose
      of
      humility.
      Still,
      it
     
     
      is
      clear
      from
      the
      start
      that
      he
      only
      wants
      what
      is
     
     
      best
      for
      his
      church
      and
      his
      son,
      trying
      to
      protect
     
     
      them
      from
      the
      evils
      of
      the
      world
      though
      he
      may
     
     
      smother
      them
      in
      doing
      so.
      The
      trauma
      Yock
     
     
      experiences
      in
      the
      ‘‘real
      world’’
      as
      a
      soldier
     
     
      seems
      to
      prove
      Christy’s
      fears
      correct,
      and
     
     
      Christy
      is
      left
      humbled
      by
      his
      awareness
      of
      his
     
     
      pride
      and
      overzealousness
      yet
      reassured
      of
      the
     
     
      justness
      of
      his
      cause
      and
      the
      need
      to
      continue.
     
     
      Like
      almost
      all
      the
      characters
      in
      this
      play
      Christy
     
     
      acts.
      from
      the
      best
      of
      motives,
      but
      as
      the
      saying
     
     
      goes
      the
      road
      to
      Hell
      is
      paved
      with
      good
      inten-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sunda
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "LONDON
      KIL
      ME"
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dir.
      Harif
      Kureshi,
      UK,
      1991,
      107mins.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ,
      March
      28
      at
      2:00
      pm
     
     
      Charlottetown
      Mall
      Cinemas
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Adults
      $6.75
      Members
      $4.25
      -
     
     
      from
      Off
      The
      Wall,
      146
      Richmond,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      od
      ape
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      10
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tions.
      Even
      in
      the
      end
      the
      play
      leaves
      one
     
     
      wondering
      if
      a
      balance
      can
      be
      struck
      between
     
    
   
   
    
     
      religious
      disciplines
      and
      the
      needs
      and
      practi-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      calities
      of
      human
      existence,
      and
      no
      one
      path
      is
     
     
      clearly
      the
      right
      one.
     
    

    
     
      The
      performance
      itself
      was
      excellent
      over-
     
     
      all,
      generally
      exceeding
      the
      quality
      of
      the
      Soci-
     
     
      ety’s
      earlier
      production
      this
      year.
      Perhaps
      it
      is
     
     
      the
      presence
      of
      a
      good
      director
      (Laurel
      Smyth)
     
     
      that
      makes
      the
      difference,
      but
      regardless
      of
     
     
      where
      the
      credit
      lies
      the
      acting
      is
      much
      better,
     
     
      even
      in
      the
      case
      of
      performers
      who
      took
      part
      in
     
     
      the
      previous
      one-act
      productions.
      Craig
      Blair,
     
     
      whose
      performance
      in
      The
      Dumbwaiter
      was
      a
     
     
      rather
      one-dimensional
      show
      of
      anger,
      displays
     
     
      much
      more
      versatility
      here.
      Christy
      is
      a
      charac-
     
     
      ter
      dominated
      by
      righteous
      anger,
      but
      Blair
      also
     
     
      brings
      across
      the
      sensitivity
      and
      vulnerability
     
     
      of
      the
      man
      as
      he
      struggles
      to
      come
      to
      grips
      with
     
     
      the
      loss
      of
      his
      son,
      his
      failures
      as
      bishop,
      and
      the
     
     
      long-ago
      death
      of
      his
      wife
      whom
      he
      never
     
     
      forgot.
      Sean
      Clements
      is
      convincing
      and
      rivet-
     
     
      ing
      as
      the
      tortured
      Yock
      Bauman,
      and
      Lesley
     
     
      Shaw
      (atoning
      for
      a
      less
      than
      stellar
      perform-
     
     
      ance
      in
      the
      Bedtime
      Story)
      is
      equally
      engaging
     
     
      as
      Kate
      Brubacher,
      Yock’s
      true
      love,
      who
      finds
     
     
      herself
      torn
      between
      Yock
      and
      the
      ideals
      and
     
     
      community
      she
      holds
      dear.
      When
      Yock
      returns
     
     
      to
      find
      Katie
      married
      to
      his
      friend
      Menno,
     
     
      Clements
      and
      Shaw
      produce
      some
      truly
      gut-
     
     
      wrenching,
      tear-jerking
      moments
      in
      their
      tor-
     
     
      ment
      over
      their
      star-crossed
      love.
      Tim
      Wartman
     
     
      (also
      a
      veteran
      of
      the
      ill-fated
      Bedtime
      Story)
      is
     
     
      very
      well
      cast
      as
      the
      earnest,
      noble,
      and
      quietly
     
     
      stoic
      Menno,
      whether
      as
      a
      spokesman
      for
      reli-
     
     
      gious
      reform
      or
      as
      the
      wounded
      but
      forgiving
     
     
      husband.
      The
      play
      also
      benefits
      from
      a
      strong
     
     
      supporting
      cast:
      Sara
      Livingston
      is
      amusing
      as
     
     
      a
      chattering
      housewife,
      and
      Steve
      Hunter
      turns
     
     
      in
      a
      flat
      but
      perhaps
      deliberately
      flat
      perform-
     
     
      ance
      as
      a
      rather
      rigid,
      militaristic
      automaton
      in
     
     
      hisroleasa
      Canadian
      recruiting
      officer.
      Heather
     
     
      Doiron
      stands
      out
      too
      as
      Christy’s
      meddlesome,
     
     
      moralistic
      mother,
      almost
      a
      maternal
      version
      of
     
     
      Lady
      MacBeth
      as
      she
      pushes
      Christy
      into
      taking
     
     
      charge
      of
      the
      church,
      with
      disastrous
      results.
     
    

    
     
      Quiet
      in
      the
      Land
      was
      a
      generally
      impres-
     
     
      sive
      production.
      The
      actors
      and
      all
      associated
     
     
      with
      the
      project
      are
      to
      be
      congratulated
      for
      their
     
     
      fine
      work
      in
      putting
      together
      a
      moving
      and
     
     
      thought-provoking
      piece
      of
      theatre.
      @