Labrador - Five Stars
Ever
been asked one of those questions that you know you should know the answer
to, but are lost for any real answer. Such is Labrador - known for its political
ties to Newfoundland and not much else.
Vancouverite TJ Dawe sets out to educate and entertain you with his tales of travel to the cool, rugged coastal land.
He traps you in his spell the moment after he walks on stage, carefully places his feet on the blue X taped to the stage and opens his mouth.
Dawe plays himself, an actor who lands a cross-country tour - albeit playing Long John Silver in a children's show. The tour takes him to Labrador, which his grandfather left as an infant many years ago and never returned to.
Dawe borrows his uncle's parka, hops a plane and arrives in Labrador City - not much of a city, he says, more just a bunch of bunkers and stores lose enough together that people won't freeze to death while walking between destinations.
But is it so cold there that the wind pierces through a parka in seconds, bringing the wearer to the ground in shock? Do the locals all look as thick and bulky as tree-stumps?
Must visitors partake in the initiation right of choking back four shots of "screech" - a thick, hideous brew - in one gulp at the Labrador City bar?
Or are these just the makings of a great, fictional story delivered by a superb teller of tales?
One answer is clear after seeing Labrador at Boy Scouts Hall: Dawe has created hands down one of the must-sees of the year.
His performance and the play itself are utterly engaging and raise the bar for one-person performances at the festival.
Kim McNairn
Saskatoon Star-Phoenix
Tuesday, August 8, 2000
