The Jasper Theatre Arts Collective (JTAC) just about blew the roof off the Legion with something not so completely different last Wednesday.
The performance was an encore from a show last fall when they put on well-known sequences of major Python movies such as Monty Python and the Holy Grail. That night was such a success JTAC planned another show for the spring, which took place on June 7.
鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 do the same things so we spent our entire winter watching Flying Circus and picking our favourite skits,鈥� said Julie-Anne Weaver. 鈥淚t was a fun project.鈥�
Fans of the iconic British troupe already know watching one or two classic Flying Circus skits can be a gateway to intense comedic experiences so it was no surprise that watching it live in person had people in stitches.
鈥淲e built on it slowly,鈥� Weaver said. 鈥淎t first you鈥檙e just hanging out - it鈥檚 hard to call it research when you鈥檙e just watching videos, but we tried to keep an eye out for things we thought were really humourous. We made up a huge list and kept paring it down until we got to a select few that we really enjoyed.鈥�
The fidelity between JTAC鈥檚 interpretation and the original United Kingdom export was commendable, starting early with a seriously physical delivery of the ubiquitous opening line 鈥淚t鈥檚sssss鈥�..鈥� of 鈥淚t鈥檚 Monty Python鈥檚 Flying Circus.鈥�
This was followed by an energetic interpretation of the Anarchist Peasant who gives a piece of his mind to a presumptuous King Arthur in the Holy Grail before an absolute commitment to the Hungarian Phrasebook and its companion sketch, Court Charades.
All of this was followed up with a Cleese-worthy rendition of the Ministry of Silly Walks and the second annual JTAC Silly Walks Competition, which was won by a high-kicking contortionist who identified herself as Jessica Reed.
After intermission the audience was kept laughing with a deadly Silly Job Interview and perennial fan favourite Nudge, Nudge (say no more) followed by a bombastic staging of Self Defense Against Fresh Fruit that was so disarmingly hysterical it may have crossed the line into copyright infringement.
The JTAC meets Tuesdays at the Legion starting at 7 p.m. and is open to anyone who wants to foster a dramatic arts scene in Jasper. They usually put on two shows a year, occasionally dabbling in workshops, spoken word and improv.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a way to show support for anybody in this community that wants to do theatre, and to foster an appreciation for the theatre arts.鈥�
Craig Gilbert
[email protected]
