Let’s take a quick break from play critiquing and get back to good ol’fashioned plugging. Last Saturday I went out for a night on the town with my sister, and I made a fantastic discovery: dinner theatre.
Eddie May Murder Mysteries invited me out to catch their show Without a Clue, (a re-vamped version of this past summer’s Fringe Festival comedy). Upon entering the Velvet Room in the Byward Market, I noticed something very peculiar: I didn’t recognize any of the audience members! Usually I see at least one or two familiar faces. But then I realized that this particular theatrical tradition has a knack for attracting an entirely new crowd. Many people seemed to be there on dates, or celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. They were not the regular theatre-going crowd, and yet they were willing to be immersed in the story and be attentive despite potentially distracting surroundings.
In case the concept is not entirely clear, dinner theatre (as the name suggests) basically involves eating at a fancy restaurant while a handful of actors entertain the heck out of you. Eddie May creates murder mystery productions based on pop culture icons, television shows, and Broadway musicals. Some of Ottawa’s funniest theatre artists (including Jody Haucke, Jordan Hancey, Stewart Matthews, Shawna McSheffrey, and Natalie Joy Quesnel) spend almost three hours telling some crazy story with a million plot twists. They interact with the audience during the breaks, snuggling up close in the restaurant seats, and involving you in the story as much as possible.
It’s a really great time. In fact, it’s a really great date. The acting is ridiculous, but lovable. This is theatre that makes you really, really happy. Good enough for me.
Check out http://www.eddiemay.com to check for show times, or to organize your own private party.
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I also want to put out a shameless plug for a musician I discovered recently. Multi-talented Estan Beedell was sweet enough to send me his first self-produced CD, Estan Happy Growing, in the mail. The songs are incredibly diverse, ranging from something that sounds like tribal chanting, to cheerful pop tunes, to sensitive instrumental goodness. Listening to it was actually very meditational. I’d call it good-cooking-music-with-an-edge.
His lyrics range from adorable adolescence
Ben, Benjamin, you aren’t as tall as me but you’re still way cooler
to something oddly poetic
The water flows underneath, some people went and
Kayaked in the dark with thousands of pounds above
Ice compressed as strong as steel, headlamps piercing through the black
They’ve made it to the sea
And when they see the sun, they’ve braved the river Styx and they’ve come
Back to us
To hear some samples, check out http://www.myspace.com/songsbyestan
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As a final note, I’d like to once again remind everyone that the Ottawa International Writers Festival started this weekend. This afternoon was the Small Press Book Fair, and numerous events (readings, discussions, debates, song circles, awards ceremonies, schmoozing) continue until after next weekend.
Check out http://www.writersfestival.org for details.
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