The theatre company Atomic Vaudeville has been a Victoria, BC, institution since 2004. For those in the know, it is also a place where emerging local talent can find mentorship and opportunities to hone their skills. Some performers have graduated from the Canadian College of Performing Arts; others, I honestly don’t know. But when the team gathers to create its annual Halloween show, I take notice!
This year’s FUN HOUSE sounded like one I had to check out. Although I don’t get to see Atomic Vaudeville every year, I’ve followed with interest ever since 2016. It’s not only because certain luminaries honed their craft here and moved on to establish careers of their own but also they have other events throughout the years.
There’s Mike Delamont (God Is a Scottish Drag Queen), Wes Borg, the comic musician who co-founded Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie before joining the Atomic Vaudeville team, Ingrid Hansen, the puppeteer known for her work on the Fraggle Rock revival, and Trevor Hinton, an actor who appeared in Bones of Crows. The latter is amazing because I’ve seen him perform in numerous genre shows over the years.
Who will be the next to follow that career path? I can’t say for certain. But when these talents spread their wings and make their mark beyond Victoria, people may well wonder where they got their start. This revue is one place to look!
As for this year’s show, there is an overarching narrative centred on a young woman confronting change. She finds a fun house, where four features invite the audience to participate in identifying them: a mirror, a labyrinth, a slide, and wobbly boards. I believe those were the four elements named on opening night, but don’t quote me on that! And that can change per show because this carnival attraction can include clowns and spinning devices too. These named aspects partially shape the ‘flashbacks,’ with each performer in the troupe offering their own take on the idea. They have part of a script in mind, while the rest is improvised. With writer-director Britt Small (pictured right) providing the connective tissue between these tales, what emerges is a decidedly collaborative and perhaps surreal experience.
In other words, this isn’t simply a random collection of cabaret acts, slam poetry, improv sketches, song, and dance thrown together. Some years lean more heavily into one element than another, while others, like this one, take a more surreal turn. What I witnessed in the overall arc was the story of a young woman confronting change, questioning her life choices, and asking, “What am I?” Another sketch raises the question of whether paradise by the dashboard light really exists! Those who see the show will understand what I mean, but there’s a darker undercurrent, too, suggesting that death may be lurking nearby.
If I were to compare FUN HOUSE with some cinematic and nostalgic mainstays, I’d immediately think of Weird Al Yankovic’s UHF and The Carol Burnett Show. Small has described Atomic Vaudeville’s productions as being more like The Muppet Show in an interview published by Capital Daily, but I believe there’s a lot more going on here!
The tale she has constructed also hints at Spirited Away and maybe A Midsummer Night’s Dream too. When the heroine encounters a vampire in this strange court of individuals dressed in an assortment of exotic attire, I couldn’t help but wonder. Could he be Oberon? Or should that be the strange big-boned father figure? The latter has a more Puck-like demeanour so I can’t say. It’s hard to unsee that connection once my mind starts deconstructing the play. Even the strangely nonsensical wedding scene, delivered in a language that sounds like a mix of Greek and urban drawl, begins to make sense when viewed through that lens.
As for the individual pieces, some explore the use of technology in the performing and visual arts, including a small critique of AI. Another traces technology from 1961 onwards, while others offer personal realizations about how life can become tangled. And yes, there’s plenty of Canadiana mixed in, which made me grin. I’m fairly sure I heard sound bites from The Littlest Hobo and My Secret Identity.
When the literary part of my brain wanted to kick in and figure out the deeper meaning of everything, I told it to shut up. I wanted to enjoy FUN HOUSE for what it was, rather than pause to consider why the talky, free-verse poetry was important. I was there to enjoy the evening, get witchy, get funky (who knew Indigenous rap was a thing?), and leave the theatre with a smile.
Anyone visiting this Garden City during the Halloween season really should check out Atomic Vaudeville. They are a group with a unique gathering of talent. And it’s never too late to discover what the company has to offer. After all, when someone says, “Welcome to my FUN HOUSE,” most people might get a little cautious. But enter with your eyes wide open, and you may be surprised by what you find.
Atomic Vaudeville’s FUN HOUSE Ensemble (from playbill)
Tony Adams, Lola Ball, John G. Boehme, Tasha Cadence, Regan Chevalier-Shortt, Emily deKorte, Claire Diamant, Kathleen Greenfield, Sue Hallatt, Kelly Hobson, Finn Kelly, Louie Lang Norman, Steve Miles-Berry, Jack Widow, Chelsea MacEwan, Dimitriy Matiienko, Sarah McKibbin, Michael Rodgers, Alejandro Rojas, Shvii Rosen, Jill Seggie, Megan Vukelic
