Jordan Hall's new play 'Kayak': a fun paddle ride through deep waters

Yesterday, I attended a staged-reading of Jordan Hall’s new play Kayak at the Alumnae Theatre.

The one-act play is a brisk, sharply observed tug-of-war between a well-to-do mother and her son’s green-conscious, globally aware girlfriend. As I listened to the story unfold there were moments when I almost felt a blush come over my cheeks in recognition of the character of the mother. Jordan has captured lightning in a bottle with this character. She manipulates, plots and executes her own agenda on her son as only an over-invested mother can, with a smile and a well-crafted naïve stubbornness that aims to kill you with kindness all for your own good, because of course, you just don’t know any better.

The play is a comedic gem with many sparkling moments that sit on top of a strong emotional undercurrent. Both mother and girlfriend have meaty arguments and heated exchanges through out. The play quickly hooked me in with timely observations of life as we face it now in this era of global-warming doom.

It’s a delight to watch how the character of the mother plots out her agenda to win her son over to how his life should really be lived. Jordan's play clearly revealed for me how twisted the mother’s actions are. This was a revelation for me. After all, doesn’t every mother want her son to think her actions are all in the name of love, wanting only the best for her son, even though what she’s actually doing is smothering any chance for him to discover what’s best for himself.

If I had one observation to make it would be that Peter, the character of the son, never really has it out with his mother and gives her a piece of his mind. I feel if this were fleshed out more it would give the play a much deeper resonance. If Peter speaks up he may end up hurting his mother in ways he’s always tried to avoid. Because, when he is finally forced to speak his mind, and damn the consequences, we won’t know our way out of the woods.

Having lived through this dynamic in my life, I wanted to see a real breakdown between the mother-son relationship where Peter becomes self-aware and throws off the years of being passively controlled as a mama’s boy, and stops placating her to keep that identity. He sees for the first time the stunted growth of a life lived accepting someone else’s vision for his own life, and experiences his own uncontainable resentment previously unrecognized. Suddenly, he sees the time he’s lost and the decisions that have been stalled because of it. Though, granted, this is perhaps another play, one I need to write myself…or perhaps, tracking down a good therapist might be the answer.

The fact that my feelings were sparked in such a way is a testament to the strength of Jordan’s characterizations. I felt so invested in the mother that I could feel my own relationship with my mother rush to the forefront and I wanted Peter to fight back.

I found the play to be a very inspiring work. I hope to see a fully realized production. Congratulations, Jordan, on another fine piece of writing. We will miss you as you start your next chapter away on the West Coast.

Visit Jordan's website with the link below:

http://www.jordanhall.ca/

Billy Bob Thornton 'Blow Up' on Q TV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJWS6qyy7bw

After beginning my blog with high minded ambitions of documenting my pursuit of acting aspiring to high artist endeavours, I find myself truly inspired this morning to write about…Billy Bob Thornton’s ‘blow up’ on “Q”, the CBC radio music show hosted by Jian Ghomeshi.

Yes, sadly, high art has little hold against the visceral thrills pop culture can provide. Or perhaps beneath it’s shallow veneer lurks high art, waiting to be unmasked?

I am sure most Canadians are extremely grateful to Billy Bob Thornton (BBT) this morning for giving our nation yet another 15 second of blazing internet fame. The occasional bone tossed to us by Jon Stewart on the Daily Show just isn’t enough to sate our appetite for landing on the international radar of flash-in-the-pan fame other countries seem so much better at.

It seems according to BBT that Canadians are “reserved.” I know what you’re thinking, ‘ouch’ right! He goes on to clarify, after what seems like an eternity. You see, he was searching for just the right words to subtly insult the audience he was playing to that night, yet somehow aim his comments above their intelligence level. Turns out it would be below that of a two-year old.

He finally lands on just the right words, “…like mashed potatoes with no gravy, if you know what I mean,” he delivers with a grin.

If I know what you mean…let me see…that’s a pretty complex thought. Okay, got it. Mashed potatoes, that yummy side dish composed of liquefied boiled potatoes and cream, milk or butter…mmm…Canadian are just like that!? Only wait…without the gravy! Okay, that means mashed potatoes by themselves are not yummy enough…it should be served with gravy because that’s what makes it really yummy…so in fact what you're saying BBT, and I hope I’m following you here, is that we are actually not yummy and, in fact, are quite bland because we are a nation of liquefied potatoes not covered in gravy. Okay, got it…. Ouch! You really know how to kick a man when he’s down.

I’m sure most of the entire listening audience knew exactly what he meant. Ghomeshi certainly did when he immediately pointed out, “We’ve got plenty of gravy up here. It’s a national dish in fact.”

BBT walked right into that one. And in fact for the first time a smile cracked through the belligerent expression he wore through out the interview, where with great delusion he compares himself to Tom Petty on two occasions! What?! Ohh-kay.

The smile belied to me that in fact the whole interview was an act. Everything from the expression of grave injustice for being associated with his own Oscar winning career as an actor and screenwriter, to the feeble attempt to seem completely dumb-founded by an obvious line of questioning, to the bizarre responses of entering competitions in monster magazines as a child, to cursing on air, to blurting out the name of the first girl he was in love with. The entire thing was an act.

The only genuine moment was the self-realized smile.

Perhaps BBT’s musical endeavours during the last two years, producing five albums, has insulted the actor in him, whose only gig now is interviews like these.

“Bad actor!” he must be saying to himself this morning. “Who invited you to the party? I thought you and I were through. I’m a musician now, Gawd dang it! Leave me alone! Go take your Oscar and get the hell out my tour bus! Go to the Monster’s Ball where you belong! The two of us are like a couple of Bandits waiting for Armageddon in the middle of an Ice Harvest, with nothing but Bad News Bears under the Friday Night Lights outside the School for Scoundrels getting presents from a Bad Santa hoping the Astronaut Farmer will come up with A Simple Plan to stop Pushing Tin with Mr. Woodcock…though what I really want is Love Actually all I’m getting from you is Intolerable Cruelty! So why don’t you just take off to The Alamo and let me be The Man Who Wasn’t There!”

Thanks to imdb.com for the above.

The façade was down. And the smile said, ‘yeah, you’re right. The jig is up. You got me.’

It seems we may have been treated to some of BBT’s best acting in this interview. And all for free gosh darn it! But then again insults have always been free.

By the way if BBT really loves gravy as much as he insinuates, he would know it has everything to do with Thanksgiving. Perhaps, when he is off the air he will have plenty of time to give thanks for all the gravy he has enjoyed in his life.

Riding with Tommy Taylor.

You probably think this is an act of nepotism, but I assure you Tommy and I are no more related than a couple of O'Reilly’s downing pints of Guinness on St. Patty’s Day. That’s probably not a good example. Well, we’re no more related than a couple of Vijay Singh’s drinking chai during Dewali. Oops…that’s probably an even worse example. Okay, we are no more related than Jon Stewart is to Jimmy Stewart. Does that work?

The funny thing about meeting another Taylor is we don’t even acknowledge the coincidence of sharing the same last name. In fact, Tommy and I have yet to even mention it. If indeed our names were any less than the third most popular English surnames according to the infallible Wikipedia, it would no doubt be a topic for conversation.

Tommy Taylor just happens to be my director for the New Ideas show that I am grateful to be cast in without a hand from nepotism, “Asleep at the Wheel”, opening next week. Don't get me wrong, I would be equally grateful for any favouritism show me through nepotism, probably even more so because I'd feel that much more obligated, after all, they're my family.

Following our rehearsals I often have the joy of giving Tommy a ride somewhere and much hilarity usually ensues. A few evenings ago I elected to drive out of my way a bit to drop Tommy off at his destination.

A few blocks into the ride we riffed on a previously anointed topic: the current barrage of bad names for restaurants, such as: “Citrus”, “Tundra”, “Lemongrass”, “Thyme”, “Cilantro”. Can you get any more non-descript and corporate.

This led us to a related topic: bad corporate art. A particularly choice example we discovered while driving, resides on the North East corner of King and University. “It looks like a door installation gone horribly wrong balanced on top of a UFO,” Tommy observed.

More samples in sub-categories such as bad justice art caught our eye heading north on University Avenue outside of the courthouse. Or perhaps this may be a sequel book. We’re just not sure of our market yet. Then at the south side of University and Dundas in the median, stretches an anemic cartoon reaching for what appears from behind to be a skateboard without wheels producing an effect of falling upwards, only to reveal itself to be a large bird of prey.

By this point, you may be fooled into thinking Tommy’s locution skills culminate at observing bad art and bad restaurant names, but in actual fact his expertise lies at giving colourful directions. Here is a short list of a few gems from rehearsals of my favourite Tommy-isms:

On Saturday we had, “We don’t want to blow our George-load too early.” This was in reference to unveiling my character as we move through each scene.

On Friday we were treated to the, “Stay-Awake-off between Arabella and Stella,” in reference to the contest between the two characters to ward off sleep.

This day also brought us the “Capital of Awkward Land,” when Tommy was describing Arabella’s reaction to walking in on Stella and George having a surprisingly private moment.

See you at the show next week....

Twelfth Night, a thrilling night of theatre

Last night I attended a one-night only showing of “Twelfth Night” put on by the Classical Theatre Project, directed by Will O’Hare.

The show is a knockout smash hit that had a packed audience screeching in their seats with belly laughs at the Lower Ossington Theatre. Tears seemed to be the only remedy for relief from the sidesplitting and even, at one point, show-stopping hilarity. The actor playing Malvolio (no program was available at the show) hit such a chord of funny bones at one point that he was unable to continue over the din of laughter produced by this delighted audience.

The play was presented in the fashion of five Vaudevillian actors putting on the show as if by improv out of a trunk of props, prompted by a highly suspicious selection process from the popular works of Shakespeare including “Hamlet” and “King Lear” drawn from a hat.

The players were all extremely skilled and multi-talented, bursting with unbridled energy and comedic abilities.

The show is sure to ignite the imaginations and tickle the funny bones of the young audiences to which it is directed. I’m sure even the crustiest curmudgeon will be cracked during the two-hours traffic of this production.

You’ll be hard pressed to find any theatrical event brimming with this much energy. Do yourself a favour and catch this show. You don’t have to take it just from me, but rather, let the enthusiasm of a particular young girl in attendance persuade you. She managed to get her family to post-pone their trip to Disney Land in order to attend this one night only performance .

Personally, it was great to see so many familiar faces in the audience. I got to reconnect with my friend David Gingerich whom I met at the Classical Theatre Lab. I also had a lovely chat with Anita La Selva who helped run the Shakespeare and Company Toronto Weekend Intensive where I met Will. And of course, Will O’Hare, who directed this sparkling show and also served as videographer on the night, capturing the show for digital posterity. The audience was also a buzz with the attendance of Susan Coyne, the co-creator and co-star of “Slings and Arrows”. Also sighted were cast members of the ctp production of “King Lear” at Hart House Theatre: Peter Higginson (Lear) and Benjamin Blais (Edmund).

Remember to bring a donation for the food bank when you go.

See the links below for more info:

facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toronto-ON/The-Classical-Theatre-Project/36490947344?ref=ts#/pages/Toronto-ON/The-Classical-Theatre-Project/36490947344?v=wall&viewas=516028573

website:

http://www.classicaltheatreproject.ca/index.html

New Ideas Show Poster

Our director Tommy sent out the poster for our show Asleep at the Wheel by Jordan Hall as part of the playbill on week three of the New Ideas Festival. It's pretty catchy! I've got one on my fridge. Now you can too by downloading it from me here (postcard printer not included).

We are on with two other shows with awesome titles: Cooling, Breath of a Salesman which I have read and really look forward to seeing and Continuum which I have not read but also look forward to seeing.

I'm also looking forward to seeing...you...out there at one of our five shows. Don't be shy. Where else can you see three quality, cutting edge plays for $12? Nowhere. That's right. So come on out.

http://www.alumnaetheatre.com/ideas.html

A big thank you to Steve Leonard Taylor

Steve is a good friend of mine. I know this because at Christmas he gave me a fully loaded $50 gift card for HMV. Then on my birthday he gave me another fully loaded $50 gift card for BMV. Maybe for Easter he'll pick up my licence plate registration at the DMV.... but then there's no such place in Ontario.

But seriously Steve, thank you for getting me started on launching my online presence as an actor. This is a monumental first step in relaunching my acting pursuits. With wizard-like focus you deftly connected me to all things cyber-space in the span of mere minutes and with nary a wasted click. This is truly going to be a great motivational tool. I owe you a big one buddy.

The next gift card is on me...how about $50 worth of .WMV files?! What can I say? You used up all the good MV's on me. That's all I got left.

http://stevenleonardtaylor.wordpress.com/

Hello World!