ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The Resource Centre for the Arts’ Live Magazine returned Nov. 30, the second virtual installation of the regularly occurring, multi-curated, multi-disciplinary event held in 2020.
At the helm of this particular Live Magazine was actress, comedian and writer Monica Walsh of Kanatu Theatre and The Mon Show.
Having previously reviewed The Mon Show for Valentine’s in 2018, I was somewhat familiar with Walsh’s brand of comedy, generally focused on women’s issues and plights, and all things Newfoundland.
On this evening, Walsh was accompanied by writer, street performer and clown Vanessa Cardoso Whelan, veteran actor and writer Andy Jones of CODCO fame, and Mom’s Girls sketch comedy queen Alison Kelly.
Pre-recorded at the LSPU Hall on Nov, 28, the socially distanced “cohorts” performed a series of short skits, starting with stage directions to set the scene.
Walsh and Jones kicked off the evening with a piece featuring two divorcees at a bar, ordering complex drinks and annoying waiters. Even at their most “Karen” and “Kevin,” both believe they’re low maintenance people.
Next up was Walsh’s skit about using the dating app Tinder on her laptop, because her flip-phone isn’t able to handle the new technology. In thinking about how we present ourselves to strangers, Walsh spoke of her confusion and admiration for Walsh spoke of both her confusion and admiration for a Tinder user with a particularly sexually explicit profile name, musing about what people might learn from this straightforward approach.
Another piece featured Kelly and Walsh denigrating people’s definition of “essential items” during a state of emergency, only for the pair to go off the rails upon realizing they’re out of red wine.
Cardoso Whelan reprised a 2018 Mon Show skit about a head injury obtained in a mosh pit. She felt concern for the other person involved, and the fresh Black Horse beer someone had just bought her – “it would be a waste if I didn’t drink it,” despite the concussion, she figured.
Two skits featuring Walsh’s fiction roommate Spock – yes, the Vulcan of Star Trek fame – inspired laughter by musing on Spock lamenting Walsh’s abuse of her RRSPs, and seeking a screech-in. Instead, Spock received a “screech-out” – when you yell about your problems, get coffee, then go to the Village Mall to look for sales.
Another re-work from 2018 told the ridiculous tale of a woman opting to join a Men’s Rights Activists meeting, soon taking over the group and criticizing the lack of food, atrocious bathrooms, and the venue as a whole.
My favourite performance of the night came from Jones, playing Walsh in a piece about Walsh’s ongoing saga with Newfoundland Power – “a game of back and forth that’s titillating somehow.”
A “persistent lover” regularly sending letters and always seeking commitments (of the financial kind), Walsh notes the similarities and differences between her own love life. Finally, she is the disinterested man, and Newfoundland Power is the one lusting for her attention.
The show finished off with a 25-minute long discussion about elements of sketch comedy and theatre – where they intersect, how they differ, and so on.
In the casual chat, the group spoke of taking on new identities, developing characters, telling stories, movement, audience engagement and more.
Alhough it’s hard to gauge audience reception virtually, Walsh, Jones, Kelly and Cardoso Whelan deserved a standing ovation.
