By Sam Mooney

Sandra Shamas could have called her show ‘love life’ because any way she tells it, she does.  And I love Sandra Shamas. I doubt that there is a post-menopausal Canadian woman who wouldn’t.  She’s everywoman.  More observant, definitely has better timing, is more articulate but her life is our life in the same way that it was when she first performed My Boyfriend’s Back And There’s Going To Be Laundry 25 years ago.

Today’s audience at the Winter Garden Theatre was with her all the way from her first story about “The movie” in school when she was 11 to her final story about the letter from a farmer in Saskatchewan.  Shamas tells her life and it’s our life – we just didn’t realize how funny it was.

My friend Glenna said that one of the thing she likes about Shamas is that she isn’t self-deprecating and she isn’t nasty.  She talks about her life, the joy and power she’s found in being 50 and learning to be a farmer, about the surprise changes in her body, and about accepting and loving life.  And it’s side-splitingly funny.

When I first saw Sandra Shamas about 25 years ago there weren’t a lot of men in the audience. 3, maybe 4.  OK, maybe 20.  There were a lot more men today and they were laughing.  Good for you guys!

You don’t have to be a menopausal woman to love her. She stood on that big stage, just her, a chair, a table and a glass of water and for 90 minutes she had us in the palm of her hand. Definitely worth seeing.  Take your mother, take your daughter, and your son, and the man in your life.

Info:

– Wit’s End III: Lovelife with Sandra Shamas is playing at the Winter Garden Theatre (189 Yonge Street) until March 13
– Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm, Sunday matinee at 2 pm
– Ticket prices range from $25.00 to $65.00
– Tickets are available in person at the box office – Monday to Saturday 11 to 6) by phone at 416.872.5555 or online at Ticketmaster.

Photo of Sandra Shamas by Cilla von Tiedemann

P.S. I’m not sure if you can have a post script in a theatre review but kudos to Sandra Shamas for having the best website I’ve seen for any show.  It looks great, has all the information anyone needs and is easy to use.  Yay! Toronto theatre producers, take note.