A Canadian Bartender at Butlin's
Butlin’s is a tacky British family resort distinguished by its prison-camp architecture, the lame nightly entertainment in its many theme pubs and its horribly underpaid staff. TJ Dawe once spent a summer working at Butlin’s – in the third capacity, not the second – and he’s spun his experiences into yet another of his funny, observant, engaging Fringe monologues whose themes seem hopelessly scattered at first, yet beautifully unified once Dawe takes his final bow. There’s nothing profound or flashy about his observations, but Dawe captures an entire subculture of Tuesday night drinking binges, understimulating British TV programming and weekly “knobbly knees competitions” in language so vivid and economical that stands out even in a festival overflowing with dozens of self-deprecating, autobiographical one-man shows.
Paul Matwychuk
VUE Weekly
August 21-27 2003
