New West Theatre celebrates the ’60s in Bandstand. But while most people think of hippies when they think of the ’60s, there wasn’t much of the counter-culture reflected in the show.
They began the show by introducing the cast through the popular children’s game , “the name game,” featuring quintessential ham Scott Carpenter getting everything wrong and Erica Hunt playing the straight woman.
They covered the rest of the “square” ’60s world pretty thoroughly including a dazzling tribute to the easygoing California vibe of the Beach Boys.
There also wasn’t any Elvis to be seen or heard though they covered all phases of Elvis in last summer‘s ’50s themed show.
There was a fascinating Beatles tribute, featuring cardboard instruments taped to four different microphones through which the male cast members alternated, taking turns singing lead, while the others mimed playing the instruments air-band style. It was well done, but I’ve been spoiled for anybody else trying to cover Beatles songs since seeing the Beatles tribute at the Yates a couple weeks ago.
And while many of the previous shows have ended up being the Erica Hunt show (not that there’s anything wrong with the multi-talented Erica Hunt showing her many aspects) , everybody shone in Bandstand, particularly the new cast members.
Ian Yuri Gardner, returning to New West Theatre after a seven year break, sang a particularly spine tingling version of “When A Man Loves a Woman,” to end the first set.
Red-haired siren Allison Lynch sang a stunning version of Petula Clark’s “Downtown,” while behind her, the rest of the cast tipped the hat to “Singing in the Rain,” dancing with their umbrellas while miming a variety of city street scenes. Lynch also shone in a comedy bit based on the TV show Madmen, featuring three male executives talking about their company while ignoring good advice from Lynch, which they ended up taking anyway.
New cast members Jerrim Rushka and especially Ksenia Thurgood shone ever so bright in their solo songs. Thurgood sang a great version of one of my favourites “Different Drum.” And Mwansa Mwansa sang some pretty sweet soul music. The entire cast took turns singing lead in a medley of British Invasion music.
The comedy is what usually makes a New West show for me and this one was no exception.
Erica Hunt and Scott Carpenter brought back their beloved Scottish film critic characters in a ’60s film review segment.
Periodically Devon Brayne would emerge from the left side of the stage in front of a ’60s style TV newscasters backdrop to deliver deadpan one-liners like “a local theatre company is known for using sexual innuendo. They’re always trying to find a place to put it in.”
They definitely “put in” a lot of sexual innuendo inlcuding one surrounding Jerrim Rushka’s appearance in the 2010 University Lethbridge production of “Hair.”
There was also a lot of one liners and a lot of sassy women cracking jokes about husbands and such. Erica Hunt was great for these as usual.
She brought back her sassy old lady character to evoke a whole lot of laughs.
They also made good use of their set , which was pretty sparse other than the several movable piece, featuring portholes, based on the hit ’60s show “Laugh-In, so the entire cast poked their head through these portholes, cracked jokes and disappeared through the portholes.
There was also a lot of craziness.
The male members of the cast dressed in drag for a spirited version of “My Boyfriend’s Back.”
The whole cast ended the show with “Age of Aquarius.”
Bandstand runs at the Yates Theatre at 8 p.m. every night until July 28 except Sundays and Mondays. There is also a 1 p.m. matinee, July 14.
