Phew, it’s been a while!  Sorry I missed so many Foofarahs in December, but December did a pretty good job of sucking my will to live (anytime I’m not blogging a lot, it can only mean bad news).  Still, brand new year now, eh?  And not off to a bad start…I’ve already caught a few shows, and this will be my sixth post in seven days…we’ll see if I can keep THAT pace up for very long (hint: no I cannot).  Got a few things I wanted to yammer about this time around, so let’s get right to the getting-to-it!

IN THEATRES THIS WEEK:

– MRS.DALLY HAS A LOVER at the ACT Ottawa Studio.  Playing from the 9th thru 12th…get outta the cold and into a hot, steamy show!

– ALL MY SONS at Ottawa Little Theatre.  Arthur Miller’s wartime drama continues the 100th season, premiering on the 8th.

…and that’s it!  Okay, the year is still getting over that Xmas hangover, give it a few days!  Sheesh.  Here, have some sweet 60’s garage rock to help you get over it:

BLACK BOX MUSINGS:  Of the three shows I’ve seen so far this month, Jayson McDonald’s UNDERBELLY was two of them.  Part of Black Sheep Theatre’s BLACK BOX SERIES at the Gladstone Theatre, it was a fantastic show and you’d have been nuts to miss it.  And from the numbers, a whole heaping lot of you were nuts.  As with the first set last March, the numbers of people coming out for these shows are definitely less than desired.  And the shows themselves are GREAT!  The aforementioned UNDERBELLY, as well as McDonalds’ first Black Box offering GIANT INVISIBLE ROBOT, Paul Hutcheson’s THIRD TIME LUCKY, and Ken Godmere’s VERNUS SAYS SURPRISE (note: Ken told me his show actually had pretty good houses, but he also has home turf advantage).  I desperately want to see this series continue, but I’m starting to doubt that’s going to happen unless some changes are made, and soon.  I think it might be time to up the ante, and turn this series into a proper festival…ie, make note of it in the season program at the Gladstone; proper media launch FOR the festival, with plenty of advance notice on scheduling; and for poop’s sake, start double-billing the shows together!  NOBODY wants to trek out to the Gladstone in the freezing cold to see ONE one-hour show.  Two shows, half-hour break in between WITH BAR OPEN mind you, and that’s a good night out nobody can argue with.  Four show over two weeks, two shows a week.  Sound good?  Sound dumb?  Hell if I know. maybe the whole works is too close to UNDERCURRENTS to be really viable, but I like to think if Montreal (with Wildside) and Toronto (with Next Stage) can have successful, full-blown theatre festivals in early January, then so can we.  Let’s just put a little more elbow grease into it next time around, promote the living shit out of it, and give Ottawa audiences all the quality theatre they can handle!  Again, just a thought.

DUDES DUDES DUDES: Fun side note…I got to hang out after the premiere of UNDERBELLY with Jayson McDonald himself (along with gentleman Jeff Culbert, the show’s director, and hometown hero Ray Besharah) at the Heart and Crown.  And can I just say how sweet it is that I can actually DO that?  I still get more than a little starstruck by actors, and Jay Mac is definitely one of my all-time theatre heroes.  So to hang out and raise a pint with the dude is a pretty big deal for me (Ray and Jeff ain’t no slouches, neither).  Likewise, I recently got to share a drink with our own Ken Godmere of VERNUS fame, who will sadly be leaving Ottawa all-too-shortly for the sunny (or, you know, warmer) shores of Vancouver.   Getting the chance to perform in VERNUS was a highlight of last year for me, and Ottawa will absolutely be poorer for losing one of the most talented and genuine human beings I have ever met.  VERY glad I got the chance to meet and know this fine gent (also, I get to see him do improv one more time tonight at Cafe Deckuf with Crush Improv, as soon as I’m done writing this post…you should totally come!), and I hope I get the chance to hang out with him in Vancouver later this year.  I know he’ll be running the place by then, right Ken?  Right.

And now, the original Dudes Shane and Al teach you how rapping be done:

RESOLVE:  Recently on the Face-Book (which is not a book, nor has it a face…dwell on this), I made the semi-joking comment that my New Year’s resolution was to stop asking girls out in so subtle a fashion that they don’t realize I’m hitting on them.  And while that IS a terrific idea of mine that I wish I’d put into effect a LONG FUCKING TIME AGO, I suppose I should probably toss a few more resolve-a-lutions in there for good measure.  I’ve already resolved to keep my homestead a little tidier on a regular basis…the Visitorium was getting pretty bachelor-ific, if you catch my drift (there’s shit everywhere, is what I’m saying).  I resolve to start actually identifying myself as me, Kevin Reid, on this site instead of hiding behind my ages-old net moniker of ‘Visitor’, which I think has outlived its usefulness, although the name Visitorium will, of course, remain.  I resolve to actually go on at least one real goddamned date, no matter HOW badly it will inevitably turn out.  I resolve to try and be more positive, as soon as this post is done.  I resolve to share more of myself with other people (that shit’s gonna be HARD, yo).  I resolve to drink just a LITTLE bit less, and eat just a LITTLE bit better.  I resolve to keep better track of the theatre that I see, and work even harder to get people out to see more shows.  I resolve to get out to see a show at the Mainline Theatre in Montreal as soon as I can.  I resolve to improve the Visitorium in noticeable ways before the end of the year.  I resolve to finish at least two full script for new plays.  And most importantly, I resolve that operation ALL YOUR FRINGE ARE BELONG TO ME will happen.  That’s the name for my planned 8-city Fringe-review tour, and if you’re rich and want to sponsor me, gimme a shout, willya?

Right, I think that’s enough cheques that my body can’t cash…here’s the king of rock’n’roll with an apropos sentiment:

I’m about done for this week…got that Crush show to head on out to, plus bought sweet dvd’s today, a final treat to myself on my week staycation.  Got Guy Maddin’s MY WINNIPEG, SWORD OF VENGEANCE (the first flick in the legendary LONE WOLF AND CUB series), and season one of THE FLYING NUN, because that’s how hardcore I is.  Peace, love and soul, all,

Kevin Reid