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OYR HPR Bradbury
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Theatre
- Hits: 1849
And this, the second in the HPR series. "Experimental". I applaud experimental, it's the foundation of science and all new things...
This was not even remotely successful, redeemed only by the fact it weighed in at a scant hour...
They tried. They failed, I suffered through it. And I'd drop more names but I've seen other of their work that I liked, and so like all theatre and experiments you chalk it up to experience and the chance you take...
The Sicilian Hairdresser
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 2384
The salad girl at work is a hairdresser, Sicilian, and she's been cutting the staff's hair.
I'd been there once, gotten mine cut, she did a good job, and then after she would serve dollar store biscuits and coffee and her husband would talk about how waiters shouldn't be tipped and nobody here knows what their doing and isn't real estate expensive until your eyes rolled back in your head and you bled from your ears...
She wouldn't take any money for the cut, and the visit grew a little overly long, strained, tiny cups of espresso, stale biscuits and giant old-world opinions...
So on Saturday, I'd been warned I needed a trim, a busy day with registering the vehicle, insurance, errands, I stop along the way for a generic haircut. I'm long past the point where a haircut can make me look good, and the quick in-out pay option appeals to me, I get it done in half an hour...I've no hairdresser loyalty whatsoever...
But at work she spies I've had my hair cut, by another, and the shit hits the fan, this is the worst haircut ever, that she's ever seen (it's not that bad, really), and why didn't I call her...and I can't really explain but she's now carrying a grudge, an imagined slight to her talents in this department, and I'm damned, damned, damned...
Calgary, Lake Louise, The Trading Post
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Images
- Hits: 1969
A few images from the past few weeks...
(taken by me and the daughter upon leaving the Forest Lawn Women In Need)
(Lake Louise, note the selfies...)
(The trading post...)
Evalyn Parry's "SPIN"
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Theatre
- Hits: 2510
Part of One Yellow Rabbits High Performance Rodeo, the Martha Cohen Theatre, Theatre Calgary, a last minute decision ...
The wingman, she's not available, this perplexes me, other peoples lives (the fact that they have them), I'm covering tickets and drinks and you're still not available? Bloody hell, I need a bigger pool of wingmen ... or a better deodorant ...
Theatre Calgary, I hate it. No, I do, conservative and predictable retelling of the boring classics, ever since N*** slept with B****, but I'm hoping that the OYR HPR part of the equation redeems it, sitting in the lobby, waiting for the show, watching the audience trickle in and I'm beginning to have some misgivings...
It's the Theatre Calgary crowd, average age somewhere between 65 and a thousand years, the classical arts mullet, grey hair swept into that 70's icon of bad taste, business in front, party in the back, what have I got myself in for? And the bar, a dispiriting spirit list, no scotches for sale, only wine, house rye, gin, spiced rum, every decision a compromise, how can they not have Scotch, given their demographic? Make it a double whatever...the combined age of this audience exceeds the written history of mankind...my own contribution is not unsubstantial, but I'm not thinking I'm on the edge of theatre or thought here, the audience is betraying the show...one man, arts-mullet #8, is telling another, bad-combover #3, that he knows nothing about it other than it's about feminism and bicycles...
I'm thinking now of leaving, fleeing, get out while you still can, if the audience in any way foreshadows the show this is going to be bleak...there was an alternative dance number I could have chosen at the university, only I can never figure out their parking, and yesterday spent at the registry making an honest woman of my Jeep coughed up an unexpected number of tickets on file waiting to be paid...
Drink my drink, order another, swagger in and find my seat. I want nothing more than for this to be over. The audience, badly and brightly dyed helmets of hair bobbing and waving at one another, it's an "in" crowd for sure, the Calgary arts crowd, if they ever needed a fundraiser they would only need to sell bingo tickets before the show and call the numbers afterwards, would boost subscriptions by a million percent at least...
The show begins. A Laurie Anderson styled fusion of music, spoken word, mixed media, performance art, a narrative loosely hung on the frame and history of the bicycle, how small things can have such unintended impacts and consequences. It's good, I have to reluctantly concede, a job well done, the narrative informs me of things I knew nothing, the music is ... well, musical, the drummer on the bike, well, that's the gimmick. It's good.
If you like the clip below, you'll love the show...
A clip below:
{embed:youtube:6gBV85GmFsU}
PS: Need a more committed and available wingman. If you're bright, articulate and presentable and don't hold a membership to Theatre Calgary, contact me...
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