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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 2017)
T H E AT E R BY BOB KEEFER COZY UP TO A FINE CHRISTMAS SHOW Very Little Theatre’s The Christmas Foundling mixes holiday cheer and cultural commentary art Christmas pageant, part serious drama and totally a reflection on the nature of contemporary family, The Christmas Foundling, which finishes up a brief run this weekend at Very Little Theatre’s small Stage Left, is loosely based on Bret Harte’s classic 1868 short story “The Luck of Roaring Camp,” in which the birth of a child transforms a community. As the play opens, we meet Old Jake (Donovan Werts), the affable singing gold miner who shares a modest cabin with Hoke (Blake Beardsley), his terse, reliable and haunted partner. This odd couple seeks gold in the splendid Sierra Nevada mountains around Piney Gulch, a rough mining camp whose luck — and ore — have largely played out. They’re joined by a trio of stock western characters named Boston (Brett French), Moscow (Mike Curtin) and Georgia (Thomas Weaver). Into all their lives one Christmas Eve arrives a very pregnant woman who is near death with hunger, cold and exhaustion. She survives just long enough to produce a child, which the men of Piney Gulch, having little alternative, adopt as one of their own, feeding the hungry infant by connecting him directly to the udder of a goat. “We decided to eliminate the middleman,” Jake explains. Hoke and Old Jake also collect a fair amount of gold — for the boy’s college education, of course — by charging admission to any miner who wants to see him. This sets up a perfect Christmas tableau, with three visiting miners bearing gold and, in place of frankincense and myrrh, a Russian edition of the poetry of Alexander Pushkin. Faced with this new life in their midst, the men clean up their own lives. No more hard drinking, no more swearing, no loose women around young Tom (seventh grader Jasper Hitchman), who enjoys a raised-by-wolves childhood that might have been designed by a romantic like Henry David Thoreau, except that Tom and his odd parents haven’t quite yet seen the need for him to learn to read. A threat to this bucolic idyll arrives one day in the form of Aunt Sarah (Brittany Dorris), the prim New England sister of Tom’s dead mother. She’s spent the past decade chasing P BRITTANY DORRIS, JASPER HITCHMAN, DONOVAN WERTS AND BLAKE BEARDSLEY IN THE CHRISTMAS FOUNDLING clues to her missing sister’s whereabouts and has followed the rumors to Piney Gulch. She demands to take the boy home for a “real” — read New England prep school — education. The conflict that follows, while talky at times, does a good job of reflecting on a broad range of themes in contemporary America, from the definition of family and the cultural rift between urban and rural (as well as Eastern and Western) to questions about the best form of education and even the proper role of the English language in the United States. Kari Boldon Welch directs this show as a cozy, feel-good play for Christmas, pushing the heartwarming aspect right to the limit without ever sliding over the edge into kitsch. I’d defy even Scrooge to sit though it without smiling and even on occasion getting watery eyes. Her cast is great across the board. Beardsley’s Hoke is as enigmatic as Werts’ Jake is garrulous. Young Jasper Hitchman does a fine job as the boy Tom, and the trio of French, Curtin and Weaver as Boston, Moscow and Georgia forms a Grecian chorus for the action that carries a lot of the cultural and political weight of the show. The set, by Welch and Sarah Etherton is simple and effective. Finally, Werts’ singing is dead perfect for his character and even draws the audience into singing along. Go see it if you can. All three shows were sold out opening weekend, so tickets may be hard to come by. The Christmas Foundling continues 7:30 pm Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 7-9, and 2 pm Sunday, Dec. 10 at Very Little Theatre’s Stage Left, General admission seating $12 at TheVLT.com. CLASSIFIEDS White EVENTS CALENDAR Bird Clinic Dental To place a classified ad: CALL 541.484.0519 EMAIL classy@eugeneweekly.com WEB classifieds.eugeneweekly.com WRITE 1251 Lincoln St. Eugene, OR 97401 VISIT our office Monday-Friday 9am-5pm 541-344-8302 • 1400 Mill st, Eugene EMERGENCY & ON-GOING DENTISTRY for Low/No income residents of Lane County Accepts OHP +Under Insured BULLETIN BOARD Announcements G L O B A L network to HELP the World Highest M O S T Potent Mental Energy Transmissionmeditation.org, Mon. Dec. 11 See Calendar today Medical Marijuana Certifi cation OMMP PATIENTS with qualifying conditions. Must have recent records RONI -formerly of COMPASSION CENTER Call 541-729-3913 Dr Holland provider DANCE CLASSES START JAN. 18TH, 2018 8 Weeks / Thursday Nights You or a family member may qualify for the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) MEET OTHER SINGLES or DANCE WITH YOUR PARTNER A family of four earning up to $2,795 a month may qualify for adult coverage. Children in a family of four earning up to $6,075 a month may qualify for Healthy Kids Swing & Cross Step Waltz For FREE OHP application assistance, call 541-543-5484 Registration Deadline December 31, 2017 For More Info Or To Download Registration Form www.danceeugene.com or (541)342-3058 32 December 7, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com SUPPORT KEPW 97.3 FM! Looking for a non-profit to support with your donation and make a difference? Tax-deductible donations to Eugene PeaceWorks will sup- port your new community radio station. Mail check to EPW at P.O. Box 11182, Eugene, OR 97440, use a credit card at kepw.org or donate stock in the name of EPW at Charles Schwab. Wanted ALTRUISTIC KIDNEY DONOR NEEDED FOR RN . Call or text 541-255-5257. Help Greatly Appreciated. WANTED: VERY OLD books, photo albums, diaries, travel journals, historical corre- spondence - all countries. thebookfinder@ gmail.com (541) 520-9821 Pets GREENHILL HUMANE SOCIETY Everybody Deserves a Good Home. Open Fr-Tu 11a-6p, closed We/Th 88530 Green Hill Rd 541-689- 1503 and 1st Avenue Shelter open Tu-Fr 10a-6p & Sa 10a-5:30p, closed Su/Mo 3970 W. 1st Ave 541-844-1777. green-hill.org See our Pet of the Week! SHELTER ANIMAL RESOURCE ALLIANCE S.A.R.A.’s Treasures Gift & Thrift Shop. Volunteer, Donate, Shop, ADOPT! 871 River Road, Open Daily 10am-6pm. 541-607-8892 sarastreasures.org LOOK FOR THIS WEEK’S RESCUED CAT . FOR SALE Art LOW COST PAINTINGS FOR SALE Landscape LINE ADS: $11/3 LINES ADDITIONAL LINES: $4 LOST YOUR JOB? Place a free line ad here (up to 4 lines, 160 characters) for 2 weeks. Briefly list your skills/experience & contact info. Email to: office@eugeneweekly.com or call 541-484-0519 acrylic (541) 345-8046 Clothing ANTRICAN: NEW & VINTAGE MEN/WOMEN’S CLOTHING & GIFTS, 245 W. 8th (near WOW Hall). Open: 12-5:30 W,Th,Sun; 12-8 F, Sat. Business BUSINESS FOR SALE: Isabella Dog Biscuits, green sustainable cottage industry with wholesale accounts: Capella Market, Whole Foods, etc. Online presence: Website, Facebook, & blog. $13k business, $11k equipment. 541-547-3776, isabelladogbis- cuits@hotmail.com EMPLOY MENT Help Wanted $DANCERS$ Tired of your current club! SWEET ILLUSIONS has day & night shifts available. No experience, can train. Excellent tips! 541-852-8625 or 541-517- 7196 THE HOTTEST CLUB IN LANE COUNTY! HELP WANTED: Assistant to small business owner. Part-time only, irregular hours, some work can be done from home. Must have computer with Internet access. Occasional help at OR trade shows/events on weekends. Non-smoker, no drugs/alco- hol. Prefer female 25-40 yrs. old. Leave message and I’ll return your call: 541-337- 3037 WELLNESS Insurance NEED INFORMATION, OR ASSISTANCE ENROLL- ING FOR HEALTH INSURANCE? Come to our “OPEN ENROLLMENT” event! Friday, December 15th, 2017 from 9am to 9pm at Aaron Burns Insurance, 233 W. 7th Avenue, Suite A, Eugene, Oregon 97401. (parking in back). Representatives from the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), HealthCare.gov (the market place) and Private Insurance Agents will be available to answer your questions and help you apply. Last day for Open Enrollment is December 15th, 2017. For information call 541-844-3544. UNINSURED? WE CAN HELP! Enrollment for OHP (Oregon Health Plan) is open year- round. For more information, Call Planned Parenthood at 541-543-5484. Wellness NEED BIRTH CONTROL? AN ANNUAL EXAM? STI TESTING AND TREATMENT? Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon accepts patients with Blue Cross Blue Shield (Including Regence BCBS, Federal BD, Premera BCBS, Anthem BCBS), PacificSource, Cigna, MODA, Lifewise, First Choice Health, Trillium, OHP and other insur- ances. Make an appointment online today at ppsworegon.org or call 800-230-PLAN
