Scottastrophe Pt. 2
Posted on October 13, 2006
Filed Under Uncategorized |
It was, in a word, amazing. In several more words it was hilarious, hysterical, and outrageous. Tragic, too, but mostly hilarious. It was Scott Thompson playing Scott Thompson, and he was at his best when he was completely uninhibited by script or character. Even though he was, essentially, playing himself, there was still a certain degree of character involved—as there usually is when acting and performing are involved. His most brilliant moments, however, were when he went off script. The breaking of a glass bottle in the audience sparked a ten minute roaring laugh-fest about needing food, necking with ugly men in Regina, and then burping up broccoli. It was easily the funniest part of the show.
Of course, this isn’t to say that the scripted parts weren’t funny. They were. In fact, they were hilarious. The show was a tragi-comedy focusing on the suicide of one of Thompson’s brothers and the resulting effects (and affect) it had on Thompson’s life for the past decade or so. There were moments of tragedy, and moments of tenderness but, this being Scott Thompson—usually the most over-the-top member of the Kids in the Hall, there was comedy in everything (including a surprising number of hilarious 9/11 jokes). And, yes, it was a PowerPoint presentation. However, unlike the corporate (and academic) world, where PowerPoint tends to act as a rather weak crutch for speakers who have nothing of value to say, the slide show worked to highlight the story Thompson was telling. It was an augmentation, rather than a focal point.
There were a few weak points, like the fact that Thompson was working from notes (possibly a full-on script) the entire time, and he dropped pages and lost his place a couple of times. In his defence, he hadn’t eaten a thing all day, and was feeling faint under the hot stage lights (given how delirious he seemed at points, I tend to think he was being honest about that, and not just looking to excuse his stumbling moments). The fact that he was working from paper didn’t really detract from the show, though it may have been a bit more dynamic had he not been tethered to the podium.
Scottastrophe plays tonight in Calgary, and Sunday night at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg.
Comments
2 Responses to “Scottastrophe Pt. 2”
Leave a Reply
I really loved the show too. It showed Scott Thompson in an entirely different light and there were many things about his career that you wouldn’t know unless you saw the show. The whole Dela Reece part was really funny. She is a bit Jabba the Hut don’t you think?
As cruel as it is to say it, I do see a certain resemblance after watching the show.