Owen Sound born First World War Canadian Flying Ace Billy Bishop would be proud to see his story told by New West Theatre. So would Eric Peterson and John Gray who wrote the Canadian classic “Billy Bishop Goes To War,” which runs until Oct. 6 at the Sterndale Bennett Theatre.
Actually the multi-talented Braden Griffiths, who stars as Bishop, reminds me of a young Eric Peterson who toured Billy Bishop Goes to war for years before reaching the public eye on Canadian drama Street Legal and most recently Corner Gas.
And while one would think a one man show could seem overwhelmingly long— just one guy talking non-stop— it is definitely not the case here. There is something for everyone here — music, dancing, comedy, drama and a lot of different accents and characters. Griffiths masterfully and effortlessly alternates between all of them.
He’ll be the mischievous rascal Bishop one moment then the wealthy and uptight dowager the next, then switch to sultry French lounge singer Helene, then a petty military functionary the next moment, then back to Bishop. And he’ll barely blink when doing so.
And even though he could project his voice more, pianist Jesse Plessis makes a solid debut with New West Theatre by playing period piano, shooting out the odd one liner and even sings a couple songs solo while complementing Griffiths’ voice on others. My favourite Plessis moment is his portrayal of the King George V presenting medals to Billy Bishop.