FFWD Weekly
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On Stage by Lori Montgomery The first weekend of One Yellow Rabbit’s Fall Cabaret series started off on a high note (so to speak) with some musical excerpts of the OYR hit Ilsa, Queen of the Nazi Love Camp. It dipped into pure cheese with some attempts to bring the play into the 21st century, then floated back up to nostalgic bliss with a monologue by Andy Curtis as the play’s dubious protagonist, Jim Keegstra. And that was just in the first act. Keegstra’s all but forgotten in these parts, of course, and comparisons between the former Eckville schoolteacher, SS officers, and certain high-profile Alberta politicians have a bit of a "been there, done that" feel to them. It turns out that cabaret host "Ilsa" is getting a bit long in the tooth, too – but things got a lot more dynamic Saturday night when Denise Clarke ditched the inconsistent German accent in favour of a more heartfelt style. Her own larger-than-life flair was perfectly capable of whipping up enthusiasm in the increasingly rowdy crowd, as OYR welcomed some guests to their stage in Act 2. It would have been nice to see a bit more of the talented and engaging David Rhymer and Karl Roth, whose performances were confined to providing accompaniment for the excerpts from Ilsa. But those excerpts were undisputable gems, and there’s only so much time in one cabaret. The clear highlight of the evening was special guest and former Calgarian Bruce McCulloch, who performed pieces from his latest CD, Drunk Baby Project. Incorporating an audience-pleasing bit of local nostalgia with OYR artistic director Blake Brooker, McCulloch took advantage of the intimate and informal setting to engage the eager audience and maybe even make some new fans. The cabarets continue over the next two weekends, with new shows each week. October 19 to 21 the show will lead off with Anthony Curtola (Andy Curtis), who has a bit more experience as a host than Ilsa – some might say altogether too much since he’s made quite a name for himself at Big Rock’s annual Eddies. That cabaret features special guest Alejandro Escovedo. The following week, October 26 to 28, Dave Bidini (The Rheostatics) will read from his new book, and The Plaid Tongued Devils will reprise some of the popular In Klezskavania. *** There’s an interesting production of Love’s Labour’s Lost taking place at the University of Calgary this week. Prolific director Barry Yzereef, fresh from a staging of Bulwer-Lytton’s The Captives in England this past summer, is taking on one of Shakespeare’s earliest attempts at comedy – with a twist. In a reversal of the 16th century practice of using only male actors for all roles, this version will see a cast of 17 women telling the story. They play a handful of young men who try in vain to shut out worldly distractions in favour of higher learning, but find themselves mightily distracted indeed. The play runs Wednesday to Saturday until November 4 at the University Theatre. *** There’s a bizarre story unfolding at Buckingham’s Pub every Sunday night. If you found yourself addicted to the improvised Dirty Laundry last season, you’ll want to catch this season’s live soap opera action, too. Set this time around at a religious cable station (H.O.L.Y. TV, "the station with a direct feed from God"), Dirty Laundry promises another whole year of good, bad, and ugly. With Canaan Abel’s new gardening show, Jesus! Look What I Grew, and Sister Imaculata’s cooking show, The Next to Last Supper, it starts out weird, and can only get weirder. Check them out most Sunday nights this season at Buckingham’s Pub (805 - 9th Street SW).

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