Bink.

Reviewer rivalry: Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans band concert

Together, are they stronger or weaker than before?

By Joel MacKenzie and Jacey Gibb

bvious terrible puns aside, after
O= Jim Bryson and his
accompanying band perform
at the Biltmore, these two reviewers

developed clearly different opinions on
this emerging Canadian folk-rock hybrid.

Jacey Gibb: Before | tear Jim Bryson
apart, I think it’s appropriate to commend
the opening band for saving the evening
for me. Gold star to you Siskiyou!

Joel MacKenzie: They were pretty solid.
JG: But this isn’t an article about Jim
Bryson and the Siskiyou band; it’s about
Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans band, the
band that I thought I was paying seventeen
dollars to see. What did you think of the
show? ;

JM: I was disappointed that John K.
Samson [the singer of The Weakerthans]
wasn’t actually a part of the Weakerthans
band, but in retrospect I probably should
have done my homework before the
concert and made sure that he was indeed
going to be there. Jim Bryson was a good
front-man substitution, though.

JG: True, I should’ve noticed that the
poster was advertising for the Weakerthans
band and not just The Weakerthans. I
watched a couple videos of some of their
past gigs and Samson was actually singing
on stage alongside Bryson, so his presence
was definitely missed. Even if he wasn’t
performing his own stuff, I still would’ ve
liked to see him live again.

JM: Same here.

JG: The way I see it is: the Vancouver
Aquarium wouldn’t advertise a chance
for you to come see a sea otter, leading
you to believe you’re going to witness
the entire animal, and then be subjected
to disappointment when you're greeted
with just the body, and no head. All while
charging you seventeen damn dollars to
see it. That’s how I felt while watching
Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans band.
JM: But cutting Samson out of the

band isn’t the same as cutting the head
off a body. He’s only one fifth of the
band and while he is indeed talented,

it’s the members collectively that make
up a group. And their unique sound that
supports The Weakerthans could be heard
prominently behind Bryson’s style and
vocals.

JG: The musical style was obviously the
same because of the backing band, but
Samson is one of my favourite songwriters
and his lyrics were sorely missed. Without
his words, the songs sounded, well, like
something by Jim Bryson.

JM: But Bryson shows that he can hold
his own weight as a lyricist. His lyrics are

* simplistic, yes, but they’re still interesting,

honest and thoughtful.

JG: And boring.

JM: Maybe they aren’t as abstract as

The Weakerthans’: they focus mainly on
romantic relationships from one person’s
point of view. But what’s wrong with that?
Nothing, that’s what. Although, his lines
can be pretty corny (take the one about the

 

Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans

“kissable cousins” for instance).

JG: That line makes me more awkward
than anything, considering its incestuous
nature.

JM: Well, that aside...

JG: I’m probably just being resentful that

Jim Bryson helped in the decapitation of
my Weakerthans sea otter. I’ve listened to
his album so I see where you’re coming
from but I still would rather have Samson
over Bryson any day.

 

Brecht’s Kabaret at Douglas

Epic theatre in more ways than one

By Cody Klyne, Arts Editor

he almost transparent smoke lazily

pooling outside the studio theatre

doors should have been the first tip
off to the ambiance that would become a
defining feature at the opening —_ of
Brecht’s Kabaret.

Greeted by a maze of tables,
ensconced by chairs filled with eager
bodies, were it not for the occasional hiss-
crack of a can of soda being opened, I’d
have felt like I’d been wholly transported
back to the 1940’s, working my way toa
seat at the back of a local jazz club. The
catwalk stage. The dim lighting. The hush
‘of the crowd as the ensemble stealthily
moved to take their places. This was
cabaret alright. Little did I know what was
truly in store.

The aforementioned ambiance and
setting, outside of being evocative of the
playwright’s time, discretely served a
purpose: the flair, style, and movement of
a cabaret backdrop acted as the necessary

framework and presented an expectation
that catered perfectly to the stop-start flow
from standalone piece to standalone piece.
Artfully presented, the cabaret motif
acted as a playful shell and workspace for
what in other circumstances might have
come across as rigid pacing, allowing

‘for a surprisingly organic relationship to

develop. In essence, it was a performance
within a performance.

Directed and compiled by
Allan Lysell, Brecht’s Kabaret is the
amalgamation of choice excerpts, poems,
readings, and songs written and composed
by influential German dramatist Bertolt
Brecht. While Brecht may be most
widely known in the theatre world for
his contrasting views on the role of the
actor, emotion, and reflection of reality in
a performance, at least when compared
to more traditional practitioners, the
colourful personalities brought to the
stage by this ensemble were, in spite of
this, irresistible and helped, as a troupe,
to create a truly dynamic and engaging

production.

The entire cast of second-year
students (Zachary Wood, Candace Simon,
Julia Mauro, Laura Geluch, Matthew

Falletta, Ashley McPherson, Laura Shortt,

and Victoria Mae Stainton) were just as
at home on the stage as they were on top
of tables or navigating their way through
the crowd. While I might suggest wearing
a pair of sunglasses to lessen the impact
of the inevitable blasts from the spotlight,
the audience interaction and constant
in-and-out of the players worked as a
reminder of the setting and reaffirmed
a consistent tone in delivery. Loaded
on commentary that, among acting as
a window into a not so distant wartime
political landscape, remains as poignant
as ever, a balance was struck in both °
choice of passage and method of delivery
that kept me guessing as to what would
come next.

Having attended, and later
commented on, a number of productions
at Douglas now, I found Brecht’s Kabaret

to be the most unconventional and
thought provoking to date. While, unlike
in past performances, there isn’t one
standout role or aspect of the production
that comes to mind, the most concrete
statement I can make at this point is
perhaps at the same time its greatest
triumph: my new found interest in Brecht
will carry on long after this cabaret

has closed up shop. Congratulations to
everyone involved! :

 
   

Brecht’s Kabaret

A polttica! sotertalament fram Bertali Brecht -
evesier of Bpic Theatre and s vebement aotiteat.