I thought I’d park in the underground and walk to
Wellington. Fresh air and exercise
before the show? Waded through the spittoon we call a sidewalk; lot of people
with a bad taste in their mouth. And I
was in open-toed shoes. Panhandler outside the garage, another with his cap in
hand a few feet down and a God-fearing crusader (banner in hand) at King &
James. I’ve had a vision of a pedestrianized King William; fear we’ll see
another Hess Village before the revitalization is complete. Surprised that twenty-somethings were out
before 8PM. In my day, you had to sit in
someone’s room ‘til 10PM while those around you drank their insecurities
away. Then they could confidently enter
a club and enjoy themselves.
Would pedestrianization work on King William? There is a mix of restaurants, clubs and
coffee shops at the West end, a void of back lots, police station, long term
care and Goodwill then Theatre Aquarius as the East anchor. Hope the new Chop House at the bottom of the
Lister Block fares well. Just missed a
food truck on the old Zellers lot.
Opening Night for Mouse Trap at Theatre Aquarius.
I rubbed shoulders with the benefactors; they in their heels and LBD’s,
me in what turned out to be head to toe Marks Work Warehouse. Surprising how you can dress it up, though.
Great show and I hope you’ve all sworn yourselves
to secrecy on the whodunit. Sixty years and counting; must be doing something
right. I’m a big fan of Trish Lindstrom
who was last here in Educating Rita. North Americans struggle with British accents
and in my next life, where I may actually win the lottery, I would contribute
to a fund specifically designed to help actors master the various British
dialects. There are no Cockney maids in Mouse Trap.
Good to see a full house and so many people
excited about the UPCOMING SEASON .
What to do about the Fidget-Arses, the Gossips,
the Candy Poppers and those that are willing to turn a cell-phone down but not
quite willing to shut the thing off? My
seat mate plowed through an entire tube of Mentos in two minutes. That gentle rustle of peeling paper in one space
is amplified in a quiet theatre. And I
would say, if you’re uncomfortable in your cravat and jacket, take the jacket
off. Don’t flap the program all night long
in an effort to cool off. I know I’m not
alone in this thinking.
Seeking a little après-theatre, decide on a wander
down James. Whatever immunity I had left
after a week of cold was gone by the time I got back to the car. Hamilton has come a long way but we need a
little tweaking. Made it as far as
Barton to find most places closed or closing; the little man from the garage
had found his way down James and was still looking for a quarter.
Travelled through a lot of places in the last
little bit and whether it’s a small town or corner of a capital city, the
streets are clean, buildings are in good shape and the paintwork is fresh. We’ve got to crack down on building owners to
do a little maintenance every now and again.
Just reading about the latest Gore fiasco. Surely we have to have a set of conditions in
place whereby owners are given a short period of time to get the spit
& polish going. Supercrawl is one thing but getting people out and about on
any other night should be a goal. 