Raise the Hammer
By Doreen Nicoll
Published July 25, 2019
Staircase Theatre has some really impressive productions as usual and it's fantastic when you can see several entertaining plays without having to change venues.
Like a Virgin starring Jimmy Hogg has everything you could want in a comedy - nostalgic music; antics; amazing costume changes; and a bit everyone can relate to acted out by a seasoned storyteller who knows how to use timing and his lovely English accent to play to the audience.
Hogg packs non-stop action and humour into 60 minutes.
Then, there's the much-anticipated Clit Wit! A Feminist Rude Awakening/Shoddy Feminist starring Colette Kendall. This smart, funny, enlightening play is a lesson in gender equity that should be required viewing by boys and men across the country.
Kendall's tales of growing up female resonate with women of a certain age in the audience as does the harsh reality that mothers are still having to teach their daughters such gendered life skills as how to avoid being raped. Those same 50-something women relate to the 'I don't care' attitude that comfortably makes itself at home, freeing women to wear and say whatever they feel needs to be expressed.
A hilarious, life affirming 60 minutes everyone over 14 years of age should see.
Squeeze My Cans: Surviving Scientology performed by Cathy Schenkelberg takes the audience on a whirlwind ride through life in the Scientology cult. From a traditionally large Catholic family, the actress, singer, and voiceover artist found herself caught up in the 'church' of Scientology.
Little by little Schenkelberg is sucked into a world that helps those that are thriving achieve more on the backs of members who have to work hard for what they earn and then are expected to give it all over to the cult in the hopes of achieving higher spirituality through outrageously expensive and highly questionable Scientology courses.
For those of you who have ever wondered the attraction and mechanics behind this popular cult, Squeeze My Cans is a humourous, harmless, enjoyable way of learning everything you ever wanted to know about Scientology, Tom Cruise, Juliette Lewis and many more devoted and ' really important' Scientologists.
A quick note that Schenkelberg deserves special mention of surviving Saturday night's performance. During the show a heavy rain could be heard hitting the Staircase Theatre. It only added to the drama of the performance. But, with only ten minutes to go a pipe at the back of the theatre burst releasing a flood of water onto the audience.
Fast acting house staff got the situation under control and sans lights or visuals Schenkelberg continued to bring the house down.
This show was being recorded for Schenkelberg to pitch to Netflix. Given her talent for storytelling and ability to overcome adversity she should be a shoe-in for a mini-series.
Squeeze My Cans, which has nothing to do with breasts at all ever, runs every night for the rest of the Fringe. Go and have a laugh!
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