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jaala(The unofficial Frantics website has been hijjacked, but you can find some information here and at an archive of the site.)
The Frantics performed together for the first time since 1987 this past weekend, in Toronto. And I got to see it! I managed to grab the second last ticket to make it to their second show at the Tim Sims Playhouse on Saturday ("the end of our tour" one of them called it) and as I almost certainly don't need to tell anyone familiar with their work, it was an absolute blast! I'm paying for all the travel time now of course, staying up to finish an assignment at this time in the morning... but it was worth it.
Although seeing these people in person was exciting enough, both the material and performances were good as well. I was relieved to note that unlike other aging reunion acts (e.g. Simon and Garfunkle) about fifty percent of the show was new material. So not only did I get to see such the visual aspect of such classics as "Heaven is for Presbyterians", "A Piece of Pie", "Bill From Bala", "A Poem", "Butcher's Heart", and "Clean Up Your Room", but I also got to see such wonders as a song about Roots which featured Rick Green and a incredibly large fluorescent pink dildo. (Or if it wasn't new it certainly didn't make it to CBC. Though mostly less racy than the average late-night improv set, this show was naturally less censored than 1980's CBC and even 1987 CD content.) I also got to witness the more vaudevillian nature of their stage shows; probably my favourite sketch of this sort featured Paul[1] as a chainsaw, picked up by another person, swung about sideways in mid-air and used to massacre the other two.
There were maybe one or two people younger than me, but they were dragged in by a parent. I recognized a lot of comedy and/or improv people. I got into a conversation with some guy (don't remember his name) who said he has a "friendly rivalry" going on with Rob and has heard (?!) about the Whosers. The couple sitting next to me included the producer of Boot to the Head. Andrew Bush was there as well, acting just about as fan-ish as me; he remembered me from Jamboree 2002 as well, which was nice.
I met Rick, Paul, and Dan and got their got autographs for my CD[2], said hi to Peter again, and thanked them all for the show. Everyone was really nice even though I had to interrupt (egged on by Andrew, I might add) their conversations with friends to talk to them briefly. Dan seemed rather impressed that I had heard of both Mr. Interesting and "Puppets Who Kill"; I really regret that I can't get to his one man show playing on Wednesdays in September. Once I finally left, I wore a giddy grin for a good five minutes walk down King Street.
Eeee! *waves arms about, girly* (Again.)
[1] Why, oh why doesn't this guy perform more often? Not to belittle the considerable skill and talent of the other three, but I think that the customer reviewer on amazon.ca who keeps talking about the brilliance of Peter's performance is actually referring to Paul. And I'm inclined to agree that for versatility, especially in using his voice, Paul is the best in the troupe.
[2] Yeah, I couldn't help myself from asking for autographs. At least I kept the camera in my bag! As he signed, Rick said, "You know, this will be worth thousands of dollars eventually!" Dan started off with the same spiel but modified it to "This will be worth... well not much of anything, really." Well, it's worth it to me.
The Frantics performed together for the first time since 1987 this past weekend, in Toronto. And I got to see it! I managed to grab the second last ticket to make it to their second show at the Tim Sims Playhouse on Saturday ("the end of our tour" one of them called it) and as I almost certainly don't need to tell anyone familiar with their work, it was an absolute blast! I'm paying for all the travel time now of course, staying up to finish an assignment at this time in the morning... but it was worth it.
Although seeing these people in person was exciting enough, both the material and performances were good as well. I was relieved to note that unlike other aging reunion acts (e.g. Simon and Garfunkle) about fifty percent of the show was new material. So not only did I get to see such the visual aspect of such classics as "Heaven is for Presbyterians", "A Piece of Pie", "Bill From Bala", "A Poem", "Butcher's Heart", and "Clean Up Your Room", but I also got to see such wonders as a song about Roots which featured Rick Green and a incredibly large fluorescent pink dildo. (Or if it wasn't new it certainly didn't make it to CBC. Though mostly less racy than the average late-night improv set, this show was naturally less censored than 1980's CBC and even 1987 CD content.) I also got to witness the more vaudevillian nature of their stage shows; probably my favourite sketch of this sort featured Paul[1] as a chainsaw, picked up by another person, swung about sideways in mid-air and used to massacre the other two.
There were maybe one or two people younger than me, but they were dragged in by a parent. I recognized a lot of comedy and/or improv people. I got into a conversation with some guy (don't remember his name) who said he has a "friendly rivalry" going on with Rob and has heard (?!) about the Whosers. The couple sitting next to me included the producer of Boot to the Head. Andrew Bush was there as well, acting just about as fan-ish as me; he remembered me from Jamboree 2002 as well, which was nice.
I met Rick, Paul, and Dan and got their got autographs for my CD[2], said hi to Peter again, and thanked them all for the show. Everyone was really nice even though I had to interrupt (egged on by Andrew, I might add) their conversations with friends to talk to them briefly. Dan seemed rather impressed that I had heard of both Mr. Interesting and "Puppets Who Kill"; I really regret that I can't get to his one man show playing on Wednesdays in September. Once I finally left, I wore a giddy grin for a good five minutes walk down King Street.
Eeee! *waves arms about, girly* (Again.)
[1] Why, oh why doesn't this guy perform more often? Not to belittle the considerable skill and talent of the other three, but I think that the customer reviewer on amazon.ca who keeps talking about the brilliance of Peter's performance is actually referring to Paul. And I'm inclined to agree that for versatility, especially in using his voice, Paul is the best in the troupe.
[2] Yeah, I couldn't help myself from asking for autographs. At least I kept the camera in my bag! As he signed, Rick said, "You know, this will be worth thousands of dollars eventually!" Dan started off with the same spiel but modified it to "This will be worth... well not much of anything, really." Well, it's worth it to me.
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Date: 2003-09-15 09:03 am (UTC)I have really enjoyed the Frantics' radio shows which I've downloaded. They are quite fun. :)
Boot to the head ...
Date: 2003-09-15 10:27 am (UTC)*G* Sounds like you had fun. very cool!