We also had a great review of the Bustin' Out All Over show at the Shadbolt
JUNE 5TH, 2012
Bustin’ Out All Over
BY SHELIZA MITHA
Shh… can you keep a secret? Not to worry, because not keeping a secret is the entire premise of “Bustin’ Out All Over” – a new musical cabaret playing at the Shadbolt Centre on June 1st and 2nd. And in true cabaret-style, the Studio Theatre was transformed into a cozy and intimate lounge, complete with candle-lit tables and bar.
In “Bustin’ Out All Over,” the Shadbolt commissioned six multi-talented, multi-disciplined performers to create 15-minute pieces about the nature of secrets and what occurs when they can no longer be contained. The result? A very touching, humorous and personal set of stories that are told through monologue, stand-up, skits and songs.The evening kicked off with music from the Kent McAlister Trio, and then taken over by the immensely talented host and emcee Neezar Joeseph – who entertained us in a variety of ways, not the least of which included dressing up as a cross-dressing “badass bunny” and giving a rousing performance of the popular Secret deodorant slogan and song from the 1970s: strong enough for a man, made for a woman. If this sounds familiar to you, then you haven’t really heard it unless you’ve heard it sung as a rock song by the “badass bunny.”
Marco Soriano was our first official secret-revealing performer of the evening, sharing his journey: “The Second Coming.” What started out as a light-hearted monologue about vampires and zombies eventually gave way to some poignant and sometimes painful stories of Marco’s childhood – endearing stories about his Italian family, his Catholic upbringing and his coming out that made you laugh, made you want to cry and just plain made you want to hug the heck out of him.
True to cabaret form, music also played a big part of “Bustin’ Out All Over” with accomplished singer and songwriter Beth Southwell – who charmed the audience with her hauntingly beautiful songs about life, love, happiness… and secrets, of course.
The always-entertaining Melanie Yeats helped to close the evening with her own witty stories about the various meanings behind her chronic lateness and what that says about her… according to her therapist. Melanie started her piece with a sort-of stand up routine, sharing the ups and many, many downs of her highly amusing experiences in the actual and online dating world – imbuing every turn of phrase with a comical genius that had the crowd in stitches. But little did we know that the best of Melanie was still to come.
Her stand-up took a surprising and humorous turn into song, complete with music and back-up singers with her laugh-out-loud ditty “I’m in love with my therapist.” Eventually, we – as the audience – were all asked to chime in, commiserate and sing-a-long because as Melanie so astutely pointed out… “we’ve all been there.”
Kind of. Well, mostly. At the very least, we’ve all experienced some sort of unrequited love. Right?
Although the Shadbolt’s 2011/2012 season has just one more performance before it officially comes to a close, Deer Lake Park will play host to a number of exciting summer events and concerts.
Be sure to check out DJ Leanne & Co. at Live at the ‘Bolt on June 22nd, then mark your calendars for upcoming events at Deer Lake Park – including Symphony in the Park on July 15th and the Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival on August 11th. For more information on these and other events, visit the Tourism Burnaby Events Calendar or win concert packages to events at Deer Lake Park with the Burnaby Summer Concert Series!
Sheliza Mitha is a freelance writer and editor based in Burnaby, BC.
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