Always a theatre lover Sam realized in middle age that there's more to Toronto theatre than just mainstream and is now in love with one person shows, adores festivals, and quirky venues make her day.
The Good Thief by Irish playright Conor McPherson presented by Flaming Locomotive from Australia and staring Allan Girod is billed as a drama which concerned me a bit because I don’t normally go to see dramas. I think because they make me cry and I figure, why pay to cry? I didn’t cry.
I did love the play and the performance. The Good Thief is a one character play and the character tells the audience a story. Allan Girod is terrific as a small-time hoodlum from Dublin. The story is engaging, violent, touching, sad, and has some very funny lines.
The very talented Paul Bates and Doug Morency are The Williamson Playboys, the oldest living father-and-son Cajun music duo. The show is an hour of songs and improv. Think Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks Thousand Year Old Man but funnier. Did I mention it’s funny? FUNNY, FUNNY, FUNNY!
Rob’s production company is Ten Foot Pole Productions – Ten Foot Pole Productions is a theatre company dedicated to telling stories about subjects that polite people wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. I wish I’d thought of that.
So, first a warning – if you’re homophobic and/or a big C conservative you’ll be offended by the show.
It was an inauspicious start. We were waiting for the house to open when they announced that there was a slight delay due to technical difficulties. A few minutes later the doors opened and we were asked to fill the seats from the front to the back because the projector wasn’t working and Rob was going to have to use the laptop. The poor man. Can you imagine having to do your amazing power point projection using a laptop – just the laptop, no projector?
Candy Simmons of Afterlife to the rescue! She fixed the projector and the show went on as planned.
TransCanada ’69, playing at Royal St George’s Auditorium, is billed as a celebration of ‘the 40th anniversary of the summer of ’69 with the songs of Neil Young, Joni MItchell, Gordon Lightfoot, … Leonard Cohen.” Colin Godbout is an amazing guitarist.
Go see My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish-Wiccan Wedding playing at Bread and Circuses. It’s fabulous. Don’t take my word for it. Here’s what people were saying as they left the show today –
“That was fabulous”
“Best thing I’ve seen in years”
“This is going to be sold out”
“Great show! It’s going places”
