Natalie Joy's Musings

6/17/2006

Opening Night

Wow... I was on cloud nine yesterday. The Man Who Went to Work One Day And Got Eaten by a Bear had 40 people in attendance... and they laughed! A LOT!

Zombies opened to the largest crowd Arts Court Theatre had seen that day, with 66 bums in seats. Happily, we discovered that the show is a lot funnier than we thought. We were working on the show as if it was a drama, letting the comedy happen naturally. But the laughs were actually quite frequent, much to our surprise. Stewart was a bit nervous though, when he discovered that Kevin Prokosh from the Winnipeg Free Press was in attendance, ready to review his show on opening night of all nights... almost a month before Zombies rolls into Winnipeg for the Fringe. He seems to do this frequently with Screwed and Clued. Don't get me wrong, it's great to have the press ready to give you a nod early on in any festival. But the first public presentation of a show isn't always the best indication of what the show will turn out to be. Luckily, Stewart's first one-man show was a success. I was terribly proud of him. He had energy, grace, precision, great timing and sincerity. Then again, I am a bit biased.

Best quote from an audience member thus far:
"It's a metaphor! I get it!"
- Ryan Anderson