Sometimes going to see live theatre is just a fun night out. Sometimes it hits you with a message, obvious or not. And sometimes your reaction to it will surprise you.
Seeing last night’s performance of SplasH20 at The Studio Theatre in Chaffey Hall was all three for this writer.
The sketch comedy was created in 2005 by Dan Watson, Etienne Bayart and Mathieu Chouinard and is being performed in Huntsville by Watson along with Rob Feetham and Ben Muir. On the surface, it’s all fun veering occasionally into the absurd. There’s the slapstick comedy of a sketch about the humble drinking glass, the Francophone fish who are smarter than their owner despite the confines of their tank, the ballet that gets a little too physical for the dancers, and the onstage creation of sound effects for a sketch about a dripping tap repair gone wrong, among others.
Through them all, Feetham, Muir and Watson show off their prowess for physical humour. Working with minimal props – in some sketches none at all – requires skill in pantomime and timing and they nailed it. A mere facial expression was at times enough to get the audience roaring.
Although there were social messages within the sketches – about climate change, for example – the biggest message I took away didn’t come until after I left the theatre and reflected on what I’d seen.
SplasH20 is water-themed, but it’s also about finding whimsy in the everyday, about creative expression, about not taking yourself too seriously. Yes, SplasH20 is silly, laugh-out-loud entertainment, but it’s also a reminder that in a world that seems at times to be falling apart humour can bring us together.
I was there solo – the blind date part of my blind date review fell through, as they sometimes do – so I arrived with my inner child instead. Both of us delighted in the humour and the wonder brought by a talented trio. This is summer theatre not to miss.
SplasH20 is presented by Edge of the Woods Theatre and plays July 20, 21 and 23 at 7pm and July 24 at 2pm at The Studio Theatre in Chaffey Hall. Tickets are $20 per person or $50 for a family pass (2 adults and 2 children). Get them at the door or online here.
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SplasH20 from Edge of the Woods Theatre on Vimeo.
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