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Reviews:
For THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
"Full marks also go out to Thom Allison whose rendition of a South American leading man will leave attendees simply spellbound with disbelief that he’s so funny."
— Robert Waldman ORATO
"Thom Allison is at his comedic best as Aldolpho, playing the role for every possible laugh - and he gets them. It's a shame he doesn't sing more in the show, but so wonderful to see him tackle a role that seems to have been created for him."
— Mike Mackenzie Suite 101.com
"Thom Allison shows us how it’s done as a Latin lover named Aldolpho. Brazeau’s performance is delicate. With its outrageously broad racial stereotyping and deliberately over-the-top acting, Allison’s is bombastic. But, in their colourfulness and precision, both portraits capture the musical’s sense of camp celebration. “I Am Aldolpho”, in which the character sings the splendours of his name, is a stunner, both because of its comic force and inventiveness, and because of the surprising beauty of Allison’s tone."
— Colin Thomas Georgia Straight
"The performances of the people within the musical itself are especially funny because they contain two layers. As Man in Chair comments on the careers of the actors on his ancient recording, Aldolpho, for instance (played by real-life actor Thom Allison with an outrageous machismo), is revealed to have been played by a Latin heartthrob whose heavy drinking led to his death by poodle attack."
— Peter Birnie Vancouver Sun
"I never laughed so hard as I did at The Drowsy Chaperone at the Vancouver Playhouse. The cast is insanely funny and the fact that this is a Canadian script that has made it big in the US hopefully will convince people to reward themselves with this over the top tribute to musicals of the 1920’s. Jay Brazeau will make you laugh as he breaks your heart and Thom Allison is demented as Aldolpho."
— David C. J. OUTtv
"Besides Brazeau and Timuss, whose showy number "Show Off" is a highlight, the scene-stealer here is Thom Allison, hilarious as the broadly ethnic, narcissistic lothario Aldolpho."
— Jerry Wasserman The Province
"The stuff that most people find funny doesn't usually get more than a smile from me but for some reason the outrageously-over-the- top Latin Lover, Aldolpho, here played by Thom Allison, gets me going . . . . . . . . Apart from every scene with the utterly ridiculous Adolpho, my favorite bits included . . . . . . . Apart from aching ribs if you too fall for Adolpho, you'll feel great."
— Gillian Wolpert [Re]View From The House
For LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
"Patty Jamieson and Thom Allison are deliciously toxic as the Count and Countess trapped together in a marriage where pain provides their only pleasure."
— Richard Ouzounian Toronto Star
"Thom Allison . . .plays the Count, Fredrik's even-more-married rival, . . . .his head-notes are thrilling."
— Robert Cushman National Post
"Goldie Semple shines as Desiree Armfeldt, who is carrying on an affair with Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, played magnificently by Thom Allison, whose voice is among the cast's finest."
— Lori Littleton The Standard
"Thom Allison has some terrific comic moments as another of Desiree's conquests, a strutting blockhead who is as jealously possessive of Desiree as he is of his own wife's virtue;"
— Jamie Portman Canwest News Service
"The acting itself is whimsical and entertaining, drawing the audience in with repeated laughs while tugging heart strings with the complexity of love between the characters. Most entertaining was the interaction between Carl-Magnus (Thom Allison) and Fredrik (George Masswohl) over the affection of Desiree (Semple)."
— Canadian Champion
"Unfortunately the Shaw production takes most of the first act to attain any kind of comic or musical energy. When it finally does so it is largely due to the entrances of Thom Allison as the wild-eyed and comically charismatic Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm and Patty Jamieson as the hesitant romantic rebel Countess Charlotte Malcolm. As one of three somewhat misguided couples, both performers possess the ability to strike a delicate balance between the comic play and romantic drama the show requires. Their musical prowess beautifully conquers the very challenging, almost dissonant recitative that the score relies upon."
— David Bateman XTRA Magazine
Forget the Doras
Here's the Cushies!
A year when actors played children skilfully and transcended camp
— Robert Cushman National Post
January 05, 2008
A look back at some of the best performances of 2007 and the shows they came in:
Thom Allison (Elegies, The Wizard of Oz) Star quality
For WIZARD OF OZ
". . .Thom Allison, a Tin Man in a Campbell's soup can who delivers some ringing vocal variations on If I Only Had a Heart. . ."
— Robert Cushman National Post
"Once Dorothy's friends from the farm metamorphose into the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Cowardly Lion, you wish you could follow right along with them on that Yellow Brick road to Oz. Thom Allison's very funny Tin Woodsman, along with Paul McQuillan's inhibited Scarecrow and Shawn Wright's trepid Cowardly Lion, are a trio to remember, each one a character in his own right and shoulder to shoulder with Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr who played Dorothy's cohorts in the film version."
— Jeniva Berger Scene Changes
"Of Dorothy’s companions, Allison pretty much steals the show as the Tin Woodsman, both for his detailed physical comedy and fine singing."
— Christopher Hoile Eye Weekly
"Thom Allison, however, is a sensational Tin Man, fully in character in his Campbell’s soup can costume, creaking at the joints till he is given the oil he needs to dance up a storm with Dorothy and his cohorts in “We’re Off To See The Wizard.”
— Keith Garebian Stage and Page
". . . director Allen MacInnis has assembled a stellar cast comprised of veterans like Thom Allison, Sharron Matthews, Shawn Wright, George Masswohl, Paul McQuillan and Sam Moses"
— John Colbourne Toronto Sun
"The really strong cast includes former Stratford types like Thom Allison and George Masswohl and Shaw Fest ex-pat Shawn Wright."
— Paula Citron Classical 96.3 FM
"The pleasure . . . of director Allen MacInnis's interpretation of the L. Frank Baum classic story is in encountering stellar performances from Paul McQuillan as the Scarecrow, Thom Allison as Tin Woodsman and Shawn Wright as the Cowardly Lion"
— Kamal Al-Solaylee The Globe and Mail
"You'll also love her sidekicks: Thom Allison's cantankerous Tin Man, Paul McQuillan's wistful Scarecrow and Shawn Wright's lovably fey Lion."
— Richard Ouzounian Toronto Star
"Dorothy's trio of friends, played by Thom Allison, Paul McQuillan and Shawn Wright, are fun and nicely drawn"
— Jon Kaplan NOW Magazine
For
ELEGIES: A SONG CYCLE
"The performances are mostly good
and, in the case of Thom Allison who pretty much plays
Finn, superb. He shows off an amazing technique without
showing off; he holds long pealing notes in the middle
of lines that don't disrupt the flow and flashes a satanic
grin that modulates into a compassionate smile."
—
Robert Cushman The National
Post
"Best is a sequence of loosely related songs involving
a group of friends, many of whom died of AIDS-related
illness. Thom Allison delivers two such numbers with an
astonishing mixture of bravado, happiness and suppressed
pain that adds layers of emotion to the words and music.
"
—
Glenn Sumi NOW Magazine
"With a voice of liquid gold, Thom Allison proves once
again why he is one our leading musical theatre performers.
He can communicate as much with a raised eyebrow as with
a whole soliloquy."
—
Mark Andrew Lawrence Broadwayworld.com
"And the talented Thom Allison reveals a new maturity
and control here. Without sacrificing any of his sardonic
glee or deep-seated feeling, he's learned how to communicate
them in a more minimalist way that is even more effective."
— Richard Ouzounian Toronto Star
"Thom Allison continues to prove that he is one of
the best musical theatre performers in this country, with
his soaring voice and ability to tug at our heart strings
at every opportunity. I praised Allison for his work in
the recent Songs For A New World (also a song cycle) and
he continues to blow away the audience with his soaring
voice and charming demeanor."
—
Mike Mackenzie Suite
101
"Allison brings soulfulness and unassuming masculinity
to the mainly gay characters he plays."
—
Kamal Al-Solaylee The
Globe and Mail
"(Director Lezlie) Wade is fortunate, too, in having
found a cast of strong performers to bring Finn's tunes
to life, a quintet anchored by veterans Barbara Barsky
and Thom Allison . . . "
—
John Coulbourn Toronto
Sun
For
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD
enlarge
poster
"Thom Allison combines a devilish grin, a voice that peals
and aches and caresses and a personality that conquers."
— Robert Cushman
National Post
"Allison's star shines the brightest with his beautifully
expressive voice revelling in the joy of a gospel number
or mining the pain of the blues."
—
Christopher
Hoile EYE Weekly
"(Thom) Allison stands out"
—
Debbie
Fein-Goldbach NOW Magazine
"rhythmic energy and melodic invention galore"
"the quartet of performers...are all talented individuals,
with a lot to offer."
— Richard Ouzounian Toronto Star
"These are some of our finest vocalists and musical-theatre
performers"
"inspirational lyrics and strong message of triumph over
personal and political adversity"
— Kamal Al-Solaylee The Globe and Mail
". . . some impressive talent . . . polished stage artists
like Thom Allison . . . take(s) to the stage like a leopard
to a jungle . . . "
— John Coulbourn Toronto Sun
"Highlights include . . . Allison singing strongly but
soulfully as an up-and-coming basketball star in 'The
Steam Train'."
—
Byron
Laviolette Excaliber
"The strongest performance of the night comes from Thom
Allison, who's soaring voice sent shivers down the spine
of this reviewer. Allison is in his element with his duet
with Knight on 'The River Won't Flow', and leading the
charge in 'The Steam Train'. When he breaks out in 'King
Of The World' in Act Two, he gives the audience one of
the highlights of not only the show, but of the theatrical
season."
—
Mike
Mackenzie Suite 101
"It's Sharron Matthews and Thom Allison who shine in this
New World. Both deliver showstopping vocals in each of
their numbers . . . Allison's powerful gospel offering,
'Flyng Home,' is breathtaking. . . "
—
Serafin
XTRA!
"Thom Allison, Sharron Matthews and Tracy Michailidis
are excellent interpreters"
"an interesting show if you like clever lyrics and character
portraits in music"
"very sophisticated theatre"
— Paula Citron Classical 96.3
top
As
Russell Paxton in LADY IN THE DARK for Toronto Operetta
Theatre, 2006
"That is of course, if she can keep up with Thom Allison's
thoroughly gay fashion designer turned ringmaster in the
second act dream sequence. It's the role that stole the
show with Danny Kaye in the original production and Allison
does the same 65 years later."
— Robin
Breon Aisle Say
"Of the other cast members only Thom Allison in the Danny
Kaye role of gay fashion photographer Russell Paxton is
equally adept at commanding the stage in both the spoken
and sung sections of the work. He has such presence and
poise the energy level on stage noticeably increases whenever
he appears. He rattled off the tongue-twisting patter
song "Tschaikowsky" (made up solely of the names of fifty
Russian composers) as if it were the easiest thing in
the world."
— Christopher
Hoile Stage Door
As
Cinderella's Prince/Wolf in INTO THE WOODS at the Stratford
Festival of Canada, 2005
"Thom Allison and Laird Mackintosh are delicious as the
Princes, their witty rendition of 'Agony' a major highlight."
— Richard Ouzounian VARIETY
"Thom Allison is frightening as the lecherous Wolf and appropriately
smarmy as Cinderella's Prince, who is all charm and nothing
else."
— Christopher
Hoile Stage Door
"Another standout number is Agony, which has the play's
two resident princes (Laird Mackintosh and Thom Allison)
detailing the delicious anxiety of pursuing fair damsels."
—
Noel Gallagher The London Free Press
"Here they all show up as memorable characters who move
well and sing wonderfully . . . most notably Susan Gilmour
as the Witch, Amy Walsh as Rapunzel, and Thom Allison as
both Cinderella's Prince and Red Ridinghood's Wolf"
— Herbert M. Simpson
CITY - (Rochester, NY)
" . . .and the sidesplitting Agony (parts one and two) showcasing
the whiny escapades of two overindulged self-loving royals
— Cinderella's admittedly
arrogant Prince (Thom Allison) . . . Where else could you
find a Little Red Riding Hood (Jennifer Waiser) spewed from
the belly of a wolf (once again the delightfully wicked
Thom Allison) and transformed into a knife wielding . .
. "
— Geoff Dale CITY
MEDIA
"As the characters cope with their guilt,
fear and despair, we have a sense of real stakes at play
- and for this we must thank the conviction the actors bring
to their parts. Witness, for example, the scene in which
the two wayward princes (Laird Mackintosh and Thom Allison,
both excellent) sing anxiously but mendaciously about the
"agony" of love. . . .and Allison a hairily convincing wolf."
— Jamie Portman The Ottawa Citizen
As Daddy Warbucks
in ANNIE at the Grand Theatre, 2005
"An impressive element in the Grand's 2004 entry My Way
-- A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, Allison here applies
his vocal talents to the role of Warbucks, particularly
in N.Y.C., a singing tribute to the Big Apple"
— Noel Gallagher
The London Free Press
"Thom Allison as Daddy Warbucks displays his velvet singing
voice."
— Mary Alderson
Stage Door
As Darren Lemming
in TAKE ME OUT, 2005
"Thom Allison escalates super-stardom as Darren. The character
becomes less godlike after coming out of the closet and
the actor tones down the athletic pomp with striking humility.
"
— Steven Berketo
TorontoStage.com
"As Darren, Thom Allison exudes a strong confidence, strutting
across the stage in all his glory while acknowledging his
'godliness' as a superb hitter. Director Morris Panych has
chosen the strapping Allison to challenge the image of the
stereotypical gay man."
— Lori Bosworth
SceneAndHeard.ca
"Thom Allison is superb as the headstrong Darren Lemming."
— Sheldon Gordon
Drama.ca
top
For MY WAY: A MUSICAL
TRIBUTE TO FRANK SINATRA at The Grand Theatre, 2004
"Thom Allison, however, was the crowd pleaser. His smooth,
yet commanding voice projected throughout the theatre. He
also paid attention to individual audience members; sitting
on the edge of the stage, singing Sinatra's lovely lyrics
to an adoring audience member."
— Lori Mastronardi The Gazette
As Shannon
in the movie LEAVING METROPOLIS, 2004
[info on Leaving
Metropolis at IMDB | info
on Thom Allison at IMDB]
"Shannon is the only character with integrity as well as
style, and Allison plays her convincingly."
—
Susan Walker The Toronto Star
"Thom Allison, playing the role of Shannon, a dying male
to female transgender, is a high point of the film."
—
Wolfe Video
"And great performances abound, especially from Fraser's
Outrageous star Thom Allison as the ailing transsexual Shannon."
—
Gord Bowness Xtra Magazine
"Lynda Boyd and Thom Allison are more compelling than the
love triangle, which means that they're doing something
right . . ."
—
Kim Linekin EYE Weekly
"Oddly enough, the most engaging thing in Leaving Metropolis
is a subplot in which Davidās best friend, Shannon, a wisecracking
transgender, succumbs to the effects of AIDS. Thom Allison
plays Shannon with compelling grit and an ample amount of
pathos. His is the movie's shining performance"
—
Metro Weekly
As
The Kralahome in THE KING AND I at the Stratford Festival
of Canada, 2003
"Thom Allison is a powerful presence as the Kralahome"
— Christopher Hoile
Stage Door
As
Che in EVITA at Manitoba Theatre Centre/Theatre Calgary,
2003
" . . .but it is the narrator, Che, who the audience connects
with most. Played by Thom Allison, he has the thankless
task of providing background, play-by-play and criticism,
but his dynamic voice and a healthy sense of humour makes
him a welcome ringleader for this pageant of intrigue and
politics"
— Jeff
Goffi FFWD Calgary
For JONI MITCHELL: RIVER at Prairie
Theatre Exchange, 2002
". . . each performer gets to showcase different strengths
as the concert progresses through Carey, Woodstock, Big
Yellow Taxi, River and Both Sides Now. . . (Thom) Allison,
who'd be perfectly cast as a perfume-ad angel, gets laughs
in a comically frustrated turn on Be Cool"
—
Pat
St. Germain Winnipeg Sun
As the Emcee in CABARET at Theatre
Calgary, 2001
"Playing the outrageous master of ceremonies, Allison is
unmistakably the highlight of the production. From his almost
over-the-top "Two Ladies" to the political satire of "If
You Could See Her," he's got a voice to die for, and when
he enters a scene, it's impossible to see anything else."
— Lori Montgomery
FFWD Calgary
". . . the sexually ambiguous Kit Kat Club Emcee (the extraordinary
Thom Allison), who watches over the cabaret with bemused
insight and an almost puppet master-like control,. . ."
— Lisa Wilton
Calgary Sun
top
As
Robin Turner in OUTRAGEOUS at CanStage, 2000
"The second act opens with Allison showing why he was cast
as Robin the star. From center stage, Billie Holiday appears
in her drug-induced, hilarious world. . . leaves the audience
wanting to see more, and that we are given."
— Michael
Cottrell L'Orang Theatre
" . . . there's genuine heart displayed in the friendship
between the two outsiders, and (Thom) Allison and Bailey,
the best things in the show, play the dysfunctional duo
with palpable warmth and chemistry."
— Glenn
Sumi NOW Magazine
". . . it's an impressive evening on the musical front,
with knockout performances from both Allison and Bailey
. . . "
— John
Colbourne Toronto Sun
"It occasionally writhes with sexiness, thanks to super-hottie
Thom Allison as a mulatto version of Robin Turner, . . .
(Thom) Allison, Murphy and Ed Sahely shine as they attempt
to capture the attention of real-life drag queen impresario
Rusty Ryan. There are also moments between Bailey and Allison
that generate genuine warmth."
— Joanne Huffa
EYE Weekly
For BERLIN TO BROADWAY
WITH KURT WEILL at Theatre Calgary, 2000
"The four singers who inhabit Weill's world in this production
are fully up to the challenge of his complex style. Each
of the performers create vivid portraits in solos: . . .
Thom Allison in "Lonely House" from Street Scene; . . .
And McKeag and Allison are an incongruous pair, but surprisingly
well matched, producing beautiful tenor/baritone harmonies
while not sacrificing the theatrical. Their duets, including
the vaudeville-inspired "Progress," from Love Life, are
among the production's many highlights."
— Lori Montgomery
FFWD WEEKLY
top
Articles
For THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
Reimer's Drowsy pick wakes up Playhouse Theatre
FIONA MORROW
November 26, 2008
VANCOUVER -- Max Reimer is having a ball. As he bounces up and down on his office sofa, excitedly discussing his new production of The Drowsy Chaperone, it wouldn't be all that surprising if he suddenly burst into song.
Brought in this year to reinvigorate and boost the revenue of Vancouver's Playhouse Theatre, Reimer is already making his mark. The Drowsy Chaperone is proving to be box-office gold: Just days before it opened for previews, ticket sales were tracking second only to 2002's Fiddler on the Roof - the Playhouse's all-time bestselling show.
No wonder he looks like the proverbial cat that got the cream. This is the only production in the current season that the new artistic director picked and is directing himself - not a bad way to start. "I was hoping for success, of course, but this is surpassing my wildest dreams - this is astounding."
The Playhouse's version will be the first independent production of Bob Martin and Don McKellar's runaway hit show that began as a private skit at an engagement party. It then developed into a fringe show before making it big in Toronto, and won five Tonys for the 2006 Broadway production. It received great reviews (if an aborted run) in London's West End, before touring the United States over the past year.
The story is simple: The Man in Chair puts on a recording of his favourite musical - The Drowsy Chaperone - which comes to life in his living room.
Reimer saw the play performed for the first time just a few weeks ago, in Seattle - after the sets and costumes for the Playhouse production were already done. He says there were things that surprised him about the onstage rendition - but he was delighted to see how easily a contemporary audience accepted the style of the 1920s.
For Reimer, the key to a successful run in Vancouver is the casting. He will not, he insists, cast anyone simply because they are a "name" - they have to be able to do the job. "Singing and dancing is not subjective," he says. "You either can hit the note, or move your feet properly, or you can't - and I have no interest in seeing anything other than perfection."
More controversially, he has not stuck by an unwritten Playhouse rule to employ only local actors. What is written, he notes, is a mandate to nurture and develop artists in the region, which - he argues - does not preclude employing actors from around the country.
"I still want to nurture local talent," he says. "So I will continue to glance in that direction - but only glance. In the end, I want the very best, so I will not put restrictions on myself."
The Drowsy Chaperone has a cast to die for, he boasts. In the title part is Gabrielle Jones, a veteran of the Shaw and Stratford festivals with a number of musicals from Follies and A Little Night Music, to The Boy Friend and Les Misérables on her résumé. Another national musical theatre regular, Thom Allison, takes to the boards as Adolpho, the dastardly lothario employed to derail the marriage of the play-within-a-play's starlet, Janet van der Graaff, played by local actress Debbie Timuss. As Janet's real beau, Robert Martin, is Laird Mackintosh - whose impressive credits include seven seasons at Stratford and 10 productions for Opera Atelier. (In a behind-the-scenes romance, Mackintosh's new wife and two-time Tyron Guthrie award-winner, Dayna Tekatch, is the Vancouver production's choreographer.)
"I have been patting myself on the back," Reimer beams.
If there's an air of smugness, one can hardly blame him. His appointment generated some backbiting around the city, with commentators voicing concerns that in order to drive the theatre's subscribers up, the content would have to be dumbed down.
"Being populist is a big negative, isn't it?" he says, throwing his arms wide across the couch with a sigh. But his decision to mount Drowsy instead of The Wizard of Oz "was the opposite of dumbing down - we went to a more intelligent play, a more challenging play in terms of sales, and something for adult sensibilities, not children. And it's selling better than ever."
This is clearly a touchy subject for Reimer, whose 12-year tenure at Hamilton's Aquarius Theatre saw an increase in subscribers to 8,000 from 5,000.
"And what did I do there?" he asks, before offering the answer himself. "I did 99 Canadian plays in 12 years, 51 of them on the main stage. No artistic director of an A-category theatre can claim that, and that is my ace in the hole."
The Drowsy Chaperone runs at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre from Friday through Dec. 27 (604-873-3311).
Articles on Elegies: A Song Cycle
Theatre Preview
Sharp Finn
By Debbie Fein-Goldbach
NOW | FEBRUARY 15 - 21, 2007 | VOL. 26 NO. 24
ELEGIES: A SONG CYCLE by William Finn, directed by Lezlie Wade, with Thom Allison, Barbara Barsky, Steven Gallagher, Eliza-Jane Scott and Michael Strathmore.
Ask actor Thom Allison to de scribe Elegies: A Song Cycle and he sums it up with a laugh. "Songs for dead people," he deadpans.
"People look at you oddly when you say that, but really it's a celebration of the lives of people who've affected us."
Written by William Finn, Tony Award winner for Falsettos and 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Elegies is a celebration of people Finn loved and lost. First staged at Lincoln Center's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in 2003, the play explores the problem of loss in a post-9/11 world.
"It's not actually about 9/11," says veteran musical theatre performer Allison (Outrageous, Rent). "It's inspired by that kind of huge loss combined with the death of Finn's mother."
In 18 stories told in song, Finn acts as a medium, resurrecting everyone from his famous friend Joseph Papp, to colleagues, family members and even his dogs. "It's all told in William Finn's voice," says Allison. "People keep coming back in song, and it's like you get to know these people as friends, have a little tea and some cookies with them. It's really quite beautiful."
Although the stories are highly personal, the songs are universally accessible. Allison rapturously calls this Finn's colloquial ear. "I didn't try to memorize the lyrics, I just suddenly realized I knew them."
Allison appreciates the way song cycles represent the rainbow of a writer's emotions. "It's about being a colour. Each song represents a colour of the author and how that human being sees the world."
In the end, you leave the theatre feeling the joy, not the sorrow, says Allison.
"The ending's not the story," goes a line from the finale.
"It doesn't make you feel sad that all these people are gone," says Allison, "but rather joyful that they were there in the first place."
William Finn's song cycle, Elegies, has
finally arrived in Toronto.
© Mike Mackenzie
Suite 101
Feb 13, 2007
The terrorist attacks on September 11th set off a slew of
creative ventures, including numerous made-for-tv movies,
novels, memoires, and one musical. Elegies: A Song Cycle,
premiered in 2003 at the Lincoln Centre in New York with
a cast that included Betty Buckley and Carolee Carmello.
It has since played in countless cities across the United
States, and it is about to receive its Canadian professional
premiere care of Acting Up Stage Company in Toronto.
William Finn, the acclaimed composer of Falsettos, A New
Brain, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee wrote
the piece in response to not only the tragedy of 9/11, but
to honour life, memory and those who had an impact in our
lives. Finn has written a piece that points out what made
these people special and how life has "infinite joys", as
one of his lyrics states.
An all-star cast has been assembled for this premiere, including
Thom Allison, Barbara Barsky, Steven Gallagher, Eliza-Jane
Scott, and Michael Strathmore. The production is directed
by Lezlie Wade, with musical direction by Wayne Gwillim.
The show holds a special place in the heart of Allison and
Barsky, two seasoned Canadian theatre veterans. Allison
just finished performing in another song cycle, Songs For
A New World, and Barsky is the only member of the cast who
has performed in a Finn musical before. She was in the Canadian
Stage Company production of Falsettos in the mid-1990s.
Both these actors believe in the message of the work.
"Everyone can relate to it. It's about joy, it's about anger,
it's about betrayal. It's about being brave, and making
a leap" states Allison. Barsky echoes his statement. "The
material itself is personal — the audience relates.
It's filled with universal themes that don't necessarily
relate to only those who were in New York when 9/11 happened
or only to those who have lost friends to AIDS. 9/11 was
one of those history making events —
like when Kennedy was shot, or the first moon landing. It
wasn't just Americans who felt the impact of those events
—
everyone did. We can all relate to the emotions that were
stirred by those moments, and that's why Elegies is so important
—
it's about remembering"
In a time when we are bombarded by news reports of death,
murder, and war, it's refreshing to have a musical that
simply honours those who have touched us and meant something
to us, and remembering the happier times in our lives.
Article on Outrageous
A STAR IN WAITING.
Playwright Brad Fraser has words of high praise for Thom
Allison, who plays female impersonator Robin Turner in Outrageous:
The Musical.
Show time On Stage
Outrageous lives collide
story by David Coffey Xtra Magazine Sept 21,
2000
He can't sing. Not a note. But Brad Fraser is bringing a
musical to town loosely based on the 1977 film that made
Toronto-based female impersonator Craig Russell famous.
Outrageous: The Musical, with book and lyrics by Fraser,
tells the story of the friendship between Liza (played by
Loretta Bailey), the schizophrenic heroine, and Robin (Thom
Allison), gay hairdresser and aspiring drag queen. Both
take what others deem as undesirable or unattractive traits
and turn them into strengths.
Outrageous is not a young play for Fraser; it's been in
the making for several years. "I've been working on the
project since 1991," says Fraser. "It was something I picked
up thinking it would be a very quick follow-up to Unidentified
Human Remains And The True Nature Of Love, and here I am,
10 years later, finally opening it."
Fraser tried working with several composers before he found
the right fit with Joey Miller (whose credits include That
Scatterbrain Booky and The Prince And The Pauper). "It was
the very wonderful music that brought me back to it," says
Fraser, who also directs the Canadian Stage production.
"My musical doesn't give people pat, easy answers, and it
doesn't have a lot of stupid, musical theatre stuff going
on. It's a combination of drama and comedy. We're trying
to find a way to make the music more theatrical, to make
the emotion more real."
Outrageous has also undergone some unexpected changes in
casting. Thom Allison originally played a supportive role
in the earlier workshops. But over the summer, Fraser made
a dramatic move and gave Allison the lead. "He was so talented,
so clearly a star waiting to be discovered," says Fraser
of the young, former Manitoban. "It made sense that he would
take the lead because we couldn't keep him in a secondary
role. He's too good for that."
Allison became involved with acting at the tender age of
12 — his mom thought him too energetic to be contained
by their home's walls. Still wonderfully energetic, Allison
feels he can really bring something fresh to the role —
and to the way audiences perceive the production.
"I'm mixed blood," says Allison. "I look black. And Robin's
always been white —
to this point. So [casting me] created a whole opportunity
to step away from the shadow of Craig Russell in the movie.
Audiences can now judge the production on its own merit."
Fraser looks forward to opening after years of work. "It's
always a nightmare at the midway point, but they [the cast]
are a very talented group of people and we're all working
very hard and hoping for the best."
Other cast members include Ed Sahely, Tamara Bernier, Susan
Henley, Karen Leblanc, Timothy Murphy, Timothy Howar, Timothy
Sell and Sharron Matthews. Set and costume design is by
David Boechler.
"My idea of heaven is being able to sit back and listen
to people with talent sing my songs and sing the words I've
written," says Fraser. "It's the closest I can come to singing
in my own life."
Article
on Take Me Out
Toronto Takes On Take Me Out;
But Hamilton likely not ready for gritty play about locker
room homophobia
story by Gary Smith The
Hamilton Spectator Jan 26, 2005
When I saw Take Me Out in New York a couple of seasons ago,
I knew it would come to Toronto. Not Hamilton, you understand,
but Toronto.
With its gay theme, male nudity and a no-holds-barred look
at the win-at-any-cost hypocrisy of sports, it's probably
too tough for Aquarius to take on.
Too bad. It's one hell of a play. Uncompromising in its
indictment of homophobia in the locker room, Richard Greenberg's
award-winning drama has wider implications for society at
large.
For actors preparing to take the plunge into its tough world
of rough language, bare butts and gritty issues, it's a
particularly tough challenge.
Thom Allison isn't flummoxed by the play's nudity. "I've
done the onstage nude thing before. And there's nothing
gratuitous or titillating about what happens here. These
nude scenes suggest the difficulty of laying your soul bare.
This isn't just about bare butts.
"The play is about more than coming out as a gay man. It's
not, in fact, about being gay at all. It's about opening
yourself up. It's about anyone coming out from some silent
place, opening up to people, to love, to the world. It's
about making connections and how difficult that can be."
Allison plays Darren Lemming in Greenberg's play, a black,
gay baseball player who defies the image of the god-like
athlete in America's hottest game.
"Before this play I never even watched baseball," he grins.
"When I knew I was doing the show I went to a game. By the
end I was on my feet screaming. It's about rooting as a
crowd, raising collective spirit.
"The thing about Darren is when he tells his team he's gay
he hasn't become someone else. He's the same guy they loved
a few moments before. Now they think he's objectifying them
in the shower, eyeing them as they change. How ridiculous.
"It's just that baseball has always been such a publicly
heterosexual world. It's not, you know. It's no different
than any place else."
Mike Shara plays Shane Mungitt, the overt homophobic in
Greenberg's iconoclastic drama.
"He's not a nice guy," Shara laughs. "He's so filled with
rage and consumed by a need to blame. He's a southern boy
brought to the big city by the game and he's a white supremacist
bigot."
Shara, who is straight, can't quite understand why anyone
would object to changing in a dressing room with someone
openly gay.
"The play just deals with this so beautifully. Being gay
is just part of the mosaic, that's all. What's the big deal?
I played a lot of sports as a kid, though, and I know how
many men think."
Shara has never done a nude scene before. "I have to admit
dropping my pants was pretty hard. Doing it in the rehearsal
hall was one thing in front of people I know. Onstage in
front of 800 people a night is quite another thing. Yet
it feels right for the play and the scenes I am playing.
It adds a different dimension. You begin to wonder about
your body and how you measure up. Me? Frankly I don't think
I'm all that hot."
Allison laughs. "It gets easier every time out. I have an
OK body and I go and work out. And you know, just maybe,
the emotional nakedness here is tougher to deal with than
the physical nudity.
"The ideas here are more important than just dropping your
towel in the shower. Make no mistake, this play isn't asking
for tolerance of gay people. That's giving the straight
world too much power. It's just time to get over the idea
being queer is something shocking, that's all."
As I said, folks, unless pigs fly, you won't see this one
at Theatre Aquarius.
CanStage's Take Me Out is at Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front
St. E. Toronto through Feb. 12. Strong language and male
nudity.
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