_WHITB.à FREF PRESSWEDNESDAY._:AY 7, 1986, PAGE 5 "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." - Thomas Jefferson ~4>0 Whitby Little Theatre. has another hit Whitby Little Theatre's production of Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is funny and sad and goes straight to the heart of everything that is so bittersweet about being alive in a world where no one escapes without some share of disappoin- tment. The tale takes place in a hokey, small town five and dime in a forgotten corner of west Texas. Nothing much has changed at the five and dime except for the Disciples of James Dean who are now 20 years older and a little the worse for wear since the days when they played out their teenage infatuation with James Dean around the soda fountain. The play quickly establishes the principal characters and the self- deceptions each of them harbours. Mona (Janet Loveday), hopelessly neurotic and convinced she is the mother of the only child of James Dean, Juanita (Louise Lukian- chuk), who tiredly labours on at the five and dime with little to sustain her except her Wednesday evening prayer meetings and the, memory of her supposedly sainted husband Sidney; Sissy (Haley Drew), a won- derful tart who, for all her brassy, chest heaving flir- tations, isn't quite the belle of the roller rink she still pretends to be; Joanne (Sharon Walmsley), who strides into the five and dime like Greta Garbo and knows more than any of the others will care to know; and the terminally dense Stella May (Rhonda Davies), who thinks she's got it all over the harmless, gentle natured Edna Louise (Carol Hatton), who has a lot more on the ball than she would presume to know. In keeping with the classic memory play theme of appearance and reality, playwright Ed Graczyk's script proceeds to break down all these self decep- tions as it moves deftly from past to present until the two meet in a moment of shattering recognition. From a technical stan- dpoint, shifting the action in the play from past to present without intruding on the illusion is no mean feat but director Bert Kirkham manages to do so with a minimum of fuss and the end effect is a clean, fast paced production with a pretty professional look aboutit. The performances of all the actors, including those of Tom MacDonald, Sherri Nelson and Lisa Gorman as the Disciples in 1955, are easy to watch and each seems to have slipped into their roles as naturally as the pouting James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. Come Back to the Five SEE PG. 35 Seen here in Whitby Little Theatre's production of Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean are Janet Loveday, Louise Lukianchuk, Carol Hatton, Sharon Walmsley, Rhonda Davies and Haley Drew. Mike Knell returns next week WITH OUR FEET UP Seldom do I offer recipes and cooking hints even to my closest friends. But such is the demand of the microwave market these days - you've likely seen those commercials on television - that I've come out of the closet, so to speak. ' For those not entirely familiar with microwave ovens, a few words of a general nature. Microwaves work by devastating the nucleus of food molecules with a bombardment of radiation. Hence comes the expression, "Nuke the baby's bottle, please." Little harm is done in the process, either to the food or to the kitchen help. Nevertheless, the prudent cook, if trapped in the kitchen for a full 8-10 hour working day, might invest in either a lead apron. It's either that or do as the dentist and his assistant do when they X-ray our teeth: retreat to the next room for the duration. Anyrate: microwave ovens are perhaps the safest appliance in your kitchen. Since they do not contain fire, it is almost impossible to burn your house down using one. This is because microwaves work on the principle of excitement. One burst of microwave energy gets water molecules so excited they dance and wave like they had hot rivets in the crotch. That's why you can't start a fire with microwaves: the waves only heat water, and we all know you can't burn water. But a few precautions are in order. Let us say, for example, that you have just brought your microwave home frorn the store. As a surprise, someone in the family has bought for you ($1.99) a bag of microwave popcorn, to show their ap- preciation for your purchase of a microwave oven ($799.95 plus tax). One of the first things you might want to do is pop the popcorn. Fair enough. The instructions on the package insist that you put the corn, already in its own popping bag, right in the oven. But do not pop for more than four minutes. This is because the corn will pop in three minutes. Then, the popcorn will become hot enough to ignite the paper bag. Soon you will have wisps of smoke coming from your microwave. Your spouse will say, "Do I smell smoke coming from the microwave?" And you will reply, "Don't be silly. You can't burn things in a microwave." You will discuss the philosophical merits of the case. Eventually, one of you will open the microwave door and win the argument. The top of the popcorn bag will be smouldering. It is advised that you quickly remove the smouldering bag. It will im- mediately burst into flames. Douse the bag in the kitchen sink, being careful not to get the popcorn soggy. Microwave cooking also allows you to cook and bake in dishes which would perish in a normal oven. Since microwaves work only on molecules of water and fat, glass dishes may be shoved right in the oven. Again, a word of caution. It is quite acceptable to use casserole dishes, or even glass baking pans nestled comfortably in their wicker holders. But if one decides to bake trout amandine in such a shallow glass baking pan, one would likely place the pan and the wicker holding tray right in the microwave. When cooking is complete, the unit can be used as a serving dish. The glassy-eyed trout, fins and all, swimming the butter and slivers of almond, will delight the family. . It is advisable first to determine if that holding tray is, indeed, wicker. If the tray happens to be made of light fluffy plastic twisted over a metal frame, you may find that the metal attracts little lightning storms inside the microwave oven. The metal would then heat, melting and eventually bur- ning the plastic. The smoke detectors will go off. Family members will say, "Do I smell something burning?" and you will reply, "Just something spilled on the burner." The fastest way to solve this problem is to pull the baking pan from the flaming and melting tray, and throw the flames as far out on the deck as possible. You can resume the baking of the fish right in the glass tray, now devoid of its false wicker holding tray. When cooking is complete, carefully scrape off hints of burned and melted plastic. Incidentally, the heat and fire in this case may also damage the glass baking dish, in spite of its boast of being heat-proof. It may snap in two the next day while you are putting it in the dishwasher. Be careful. These are just two of my hints for the microwave. For others, watch for my forthcoming book, "Cooking Insurance Scams in your Microwave."