More than a Garden Variety Show

for The New West

“Take a deep breath and lower your expectations.”

Sketch comedians A. J & Rob are prepping the audience for their improv act at the Easterbrook Theatre. They are part of the Garden Variety Show, a Vaudeville-themed production with an ever-changing lineup of performers.

Tonight, the bawdy audience is keeping this fast-paced duo on their toes. Some of the audience-suggested improv lines can’t even be uttered aloud, much less printed here. Judging by the ones that do get read, they must be quite salacious. No need to lower expectations here: it turns out to be comedy gold.

“My cheekbones hurt from laughing so much,” explains audience-member Mike Dorian after the show.

The Garden Variety Show is the creation of James Jordan, who bears a resemblance to Kevin Smith. At the end of every month a new bill of unrelated acts, local and international, are brought together to create a unique and one-of-a-kind entertainment event that this city has been lacking since the late 1930s.

“We take people that you would normally only see at corporate parties and private functions and put them on stage,” says Jordan.

Don’t know what to expect? Well great, neither does he.

“Every facet of the show is unpredictable,” points out Jordan. He wants to give the performers an environment in which to thrive.

“I just let it happen.”

The evening is billed as more than a show; it is a social gathering, and a community in the making.

And indeed, being in the audience does feel like being part of the community. The Pop Shoppe sodas, the Dad’s cookies, the chance to win dinner at Tubby Dog: what more could one ask for in a night on the town? You feel like you are sitting around Jordan’s living room on any given Saturday night, rather than in a theatre.

This is exactly the experience that Jordan is going for. “This show is like hanging out at the pub after the performance for the audience.” And anything goes.

If improv isn’t your thing, then maybe music, card tricks or contortionists are. That’s the beauty of a Variety Show: there’s a little something for everyone.

Cirque du who provides the audience with impressive displays of body twisting, splitting and folding that has mouths agape and minds wandering. Where did she learn how to do that?

Turns out, right here in Calgary. Cirque du who appears courtesy of Velocity Motion Werks, a school of circus arts run by artistic director Peter Van Thiel. If you’ve ever thought about running away and joining the circus, you can start by going to their drop-in classes every Saturday between 4:00 – 6:00 pm for only two bucks!

The evening ends with musical guest, Neil Gunhold. He’s a man who likes to roll with the punches. He can perform doo-wop death metal, a country version of Nine Inch Nails’ Closer or a bluegrass version of Guns n’ Roses, depending on his mood. His conversational and open nature on stage and his explicit thoughts about his craft only add to his dynamic music.

Mark Twain, Abe Lincoln, Jackson Pollock, Tom Sizemore and Bobcat Goldthwait all manage to play a part in the evening. Throw in some wacky pig mug gifts, hand-stitched coasters and free snacks at intermission and you have yourself a Variety Show.

As summed up by one of the performers: “it’s the same thrill as getting a tattoo by a blind guy.”