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the last resort
Director Max Reimer returns to the Globe Theatre with a hysterical musical set in northern
Saskatchewan by alex J MacPherson
L
ast year, Max Reimer directed the Globe Theatre’s
production of Billy Bishop Goes To
War, a play by John MacLachlan
Gray and Eric Peterson. He and
the cast created a darkly funny
examination of heroism, identity,
and one of Canada’s national icons.
In September, Reimer will demonstrate the depth of his theatrical
playbook by returning to the Globe
Theatre to helm a completely different sort of play — a rollicking
murder mystery musical called The
Last Resort.
“The Last Resort was a very
different experience for me,” says
Reimer, who lives in Vancouver and
has worked as an actor and director
at theatres across the country. “I’ve
directed it before, and what I was
absolutely taken by was the music by
Leslie Arden. Not only is it good, but
it’s funny. People out and out laugh at
Leslie’s lyrics and the way she constructs a song.”
The Last Resort is a collaboration
between Arden, a protégé of legendary composer and lyricist Stephen
Sondheim, and Norm Foster, one
of the most successful — and hilarious — playwrights in Canadian
history. Reimer describes it as part
comedy and part farce, a delightfully chaotic collection of believable
characters, well-timed jokes, and
occasional absurdities.
The action opens at a lodge in
northern Saskatchewan, where Nick
(played by Kevin Aichele) is keeping a
low profile. Nick was forced to flee to
Saskatchewan after he sold out some
powerful gangsters. Fearing for his life,
he took off, accompanied only by Angela (Cailin Stadnyk), an undercover
FBI agent tasked with protecting him
from harm. Things get complicated
when it is revealed that one of the
other guests is a deadly assassin sent to
do him harm. “The whole idea is that,
to Nick, every character is a hitman,
coming to get him,” Reimer laughs.
And while the characters in The
Last Resort are animated by Foster’s
peerless dialogue, their plight enhanced by Arden’s deliciously funny
lyrics, their real strength is the degree
to which the audience can identify
with them. A good comedy needs only
to be funny; a great comedy must create a situation in which the humour, no
matter how absurd, fosters empathy.
Reimer suspects the setting will only
enhance the audience experience.
“I love it because Nick and Angela,
the two that are on the run, are the
only Americans in the show,” he says.
“The rest are all Canadian characters.
I think it’s fun to poke fun at yourself,
and I think that some of the Saskatchewan jokes will actually be more fun
here in Saskatchewan than they were
elsewhere. I think people in Saskatchewan will have a nice chuckle.”
The Last Resort
September 18 - October 6 @ Globe Theatre
$29+ @ Globe Theatre box office
the tipping point
Arizona punk rockers Authority Zero find a new beginning on their latest album
Photo: courtesy oF kurt hudson
T
he first song on The Tipping
Point — the latest album
from Mesa, Arizona punk rock
band Authority Zero — opens with
the squeal of two guitars feeding back before launching into a
series of blistering power chords.
“No Other Place” is a strong and
energetic punk rock song, a return
to form for the band, who haven’t
released a record since 2010, and
proof that the SoCal punk movement isn’t dead. Singer Jason DeVore hasn’t been this excited about
a record since the band released A
Passage In Time in 2002.
“Mostly I think it’s just the energy
of the production and the writing
process of the album,” he says. “A
Passage In Time was such a pure
early album that everyone was so
excited about at such an early age.
Everything was sparking on all
cylinders. With time, ups and downs,
there are different emotions that
come with each album. But it was almost like a fresh start, a fresh energy
with The Tipping Point.”
Authority Zero was formed in
1994 by three high school friends.
DeVore came onboard shortly after.
by alex J MacPherson
Following in the footsteps of bands
like Bad Religion and Pennywise,
who created an entirely new style of
punk music, the band built a career
based on political songs, machinegun drumming, and infectious power
chord pop hooks. At the same time,
DeVore and his bandmates have
always been willing to experiment
with new ideas — an attitude manifested on The Tipping Point.
“That’s kind of what we do as
musicians,” DeVore says, referring to songs like “Shakedown in
Juarez,” a potent attack on immigration policy, and “Struggle,” a reggae
anthem that shows the band at their
most relaxed. “There’s not supposed
to be any boundaries or any one
set thing that you’re doing. We’ve
always tried to stretch things out, try
all different types of music, different
styles of music.”
But it hasn’t been easy. DeVore is
the only original member still in the
band. He has ridden out the upheavals caused by personnel changes
many times. “We’ve had people in
and out since 2008, when Bill [Marcks]
first left the group,” he says. “It’s been
somewhat unstable and unfocused
in a way. We’ve been putting all the
effort in, working our asses off, mainly
just trying to keep the group together.”
But the band’s new lineup,
which includes Sean Sellers and
Brandon Landelius, has created a
new kind of energy. “The tipping
point really was getting the right
people in play,” DeVore says,
referring to Malcolm Gladwell’s
book about how small events can
have dramatic consequences. “That
brought everything together. And I
think it shows again in the writing
and the vibrance that this album’s
got.” And while The Tipping Point
might be Authority Zero’s fifth
album, DeVore can’t help but think
that it marks a new beginning.
Authority Zero
September 25 @ The Exchange
$13 @ ticketedge.ca
Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
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Aug 23 – Aug 29
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