On Friday, Sep. 12 and Saturday, Sep. 13, Scott Thomas performed his Fundy Fringe hit play Less Miserable at the Saint John Theatre Company’s BMO Studio Theatre. Both shows began at 7:30 p.m.,
Less Miserable, an improvised play that uses the soundtrack from Les Miserables, was a huge hit at the Fundy Fringe Festival, which took place in August.
Scott promised two nights of tremendous laughter, and he did not disappoint.
Friday night’s setting was Mount Everest. Thomas played Mike Indigo, a man,struggling to move on from the death of his best friend while climbing Mount Everest. “Who am I? Mountain climber or drunkard?” Thomas sang as Indigo decided if he will venture forth to save the young Jennifer from the yeti.
It featured classic moments, such as a yeti singing about why he kidnapped Jennifer, a shepherd describing how goats are noble, and the villainous Juan hiring 100 ninjas (or 99) to kill Indigo.
The plot twist? Goats really are noble and saved Indigo from 100 (or 99) ninja stars, as well as defeated the ninjas.
There was a larger and livelier crowd on Saturday night, where the setting was Gotham City. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there were more deaths, “I am going to be your parental father figure now” scenes, and a few less ninjas.
About halfway through the show, there was a humorous song after Tim/Robin’s parents died. Bruce Wayne took it upon himself to adopt Tim, whom he renamed Robin. Another song involved the Joker detailing how he went above and beyond in making traps for Batman in a factory: “But you forgot about the guy from NASA who has a nuclear missile! And the choir!”
At the end of each show, Thomas would sit upon the stool, look out into the crowd, and sing words of wisdom. If we are given the choice to drink or climb, climb. This was followed by asking the audience to sing with him in a final hurrah.
For those interested in improv, check out Cheese/Monkey/Box/Pirate’s “Pay What You Like” night on Sep. 27 at the Saint John Theatre Company. Scenes will be created based upon the material provided by local talent – artists, writers, musicians, etc. It promises to be an entertaining evening!
