Nothing Sketchy About It —Get Thee to the Theatre!

Nothing Sketchy About It —Get Thee to the Theatre! - theHumm December 2021

By Heather Phaneuf

There I was, ear pressed up against a wooden door in the Almonte Library listening in to a Sketchy Santa rehearsal — around me the sounds of a vacuum clearing up the day. I leaned in closer. What? Sure, it was a frosty night, and yes, I had my mask and gloves on, but still a chill set in. The things I heard. The marvelous, perturbing things I heard!

Don’t even ask me about the power of the Clayton Rhombus… I tremble as I type this… you’ll just have to buy a ticket and find out. Let me just say, it was shocking to learn that a much-beloved horticultural guru in our Valley was asked about… well. It’s legal now. Pity the poor Amazon delivery guy who stumbled on the sordid story.

Something is delightfully afoot. Earlier that same week, I watched a tall, lean player stumble groggily into a local café with a well-thumbed script sticking out about a much photographed, much loved James Naismith bench on Mill Street. The sculptor, apparently a shut-in, is keen to enhance his work. You’re going to want to know more about this.

Then there’s Gus working hard on a Puppets Up! grant application on a computer that just says no. The nerve! Thank goodness we eventually arrive at a dinner party where the gift of the grape is being liberally imbibed. Oh, and there’s so much more.

Sketchy Santa is a collection of adult holiday shorts — no, you don’t have to wear them, but do admire that jolly fellow in splendid boxer regalia on the poster, won’t you? I wasn’t really ready for the shorts. I mean, what will the elves think? Don’t look – no, don’t look – ok, peek.

Music will fill the Almonte Old Town Hall too – from an original song penned by maestro Rob Riendeau himself, with music (and I’m told some lyrical adjustment) by Mike McCormick of the Arrogant Worms. There’s also a rant that’s “worth the price of admission”, an irreverent take on a handful of Mississippi Mills’ iconic figures, along with the ever-effervescent Jingle Belles as they return to the stage once again. Amidst other wonderful warblers, the ghost of Elvis will be in the building too — everyone wants in!

A series of tales by an accomplished gang of locals. An unforgettable crazy quilt adroitly embroidered together by linking scenes involving Santa and his Missus, a cavalcade of puppets, and, oh yes, elves. What’s not to like?!

Says director Kris Riendeau: “What surprised us the most was how this show morphed from seven stand-alone sketches into a full-length production.” We’re grateful it did, Kris and Rob — we’ve all faced the challenges of the last 19 months and really love the idea of a creative gathering once again. “This is certainly the most fun we’ve had all pandemic. Rehearsing in-person with masks on is still better than Zooming, and the cast has brought so much creative energy and enthusiasm to this project we can hardly believe it. It’s like they were storing it up for a year-and-a-half and now it’s exploding all over the stage.” Yes, I suspect we’ve all had moments like that.

“It always amazes me how collaborative creativity can take words from a page to the stage — each cast member adds their own colour and characterization, and often even new words. That said, the script was pretty darn funny to begin with!” Well said Kris — and let’s face it, if you ain’t got humour and hope, well, you’ve just got…whatever.

Sure, sure, there was another Humm article last month on this very Sketchy Santa, but like any great piece of craft, the news bears repeating. These thespians are not only providing us with a rarefied look at our world… yeah, that’s it… but they’re also generously supporting Puppets Up! It’s true — the colourful, joyful, rollicking mix of puppets and people from all over, will reclaim Almonte next summer from August 12–14. Haven’t you missed the puppet hullabaloo since its last iteration in 2016? Sniff. I have.

Get thee to the theatre in December! Raise your hands in the air and yell “whoopie” for Humm Team Productions bringing community theatre back to the stage just when we need it most.

The theatrical mayhem will happen on five nights in December – 10, 11, 16,17 and 18 at 7:30pm (I’m afraid the matinée on December 12 is already sold out). Tickets are $30 dollars apiece and available through Tickets Please ticketsplease.ca . Don’t delay — go catch some magic for the hollydaze.

Showing the Local Love for the Holidays! - theHumm December 2021

By Kris and Rob Riendeau

Here at theHumm we’re big on local economies. The retail and service businesses in the small towns that we cover play a huge role in the cultural life of those towns. Each store, restaurant, or small enterprise attracts and serves a particular clientele — some inside the community, some from outside. Some businesses host their own special events; others join together with local festivals to make the whole experience more vibrant. Many provide support in cash or in kind to local initiatives. All of them add their own particular flavour to the delicious mix that is small-town Ottawa Valley.......

Nothing Sketchy About It —Get Thee to the Theatre! - theHumm December 2021