Labrador - Four Stars
University
of Victoria theatre grad TJ Dawe has transformed into a somewhat cerebral
stand-up comic over the last few years. The creator of such shows as Tired
Clichés and Stating the Obvious has also become a fringe favourite,
judging from the packed house at Wood Hall on Tuesday night.
His new show, Labrador, chronicles his Canadian tour with a children's theatre company staging Treasure Island for schools. Dawe's determinedly lopsided view of the world - a blend of Jerry Seinfeld's observational humour and writer Sherwood Anderson's love of the peculiar - makes the mundane intriguing. For instance, a routine ride on an airplane is sort of fascinating as Dawe, childlike, ponders over the motion of the propellors. The whole thing climaxes with a hilarious and oddly moving story about visiting a Labrador bar. His bizarro-world surprise ending is the mark of a performer bent on avoiding the easy way out.
Adrian Chamberlain
Victoria Times-Colonist
Thursday, August 31, 2000
