After you’ve relaxed with the paper, pick up the pace at Bearly’s
JEREMY WEBB | OFF THE LEASH
Chronicle Herald, Sun. Apr 11, 2010

IN HALIFAX, Sunday is not a day of rest, not in the entertainment industry!

Today, after putting down your paper or switching off your computer, if you are reading this at thechronicleherald.ca, you can see plays and shows in many genres. With your permission, I would like to “unleash” a few upon you right now.

I joined theatre lovers this past week at The Bus Stop Theatre on Gottingen Street where Eastern Front Theatre is presenting Sheldon Currie’s sweet, tender and oh-so-gentle, comedic love-triangle play, Lauchie, Liza & Rory.

In fine form were performers Christian Murray and Natasha MacLellan, multi-role-playing for all they are worth. The delightful Mairi Rankin on fiddle added musical sugar, spice and more than a dash of poignancy.

You really should consider catching this play before it closes on April 18.

The Bus Stop Theatre has new management. The new head honcho of this gem of a venue, Clare Waque, has already been putting in long hours transforming the theatre into a destination you won’t regret. Support the arts and check it out this week.

Tonight you can follow in my footsteps — if you dare — and take in the Blues Jam Night at Bearly’s House of Blues & Ribs on Barrington Street. The bar does a great line in ribs and wings but hungry or not for meat, you can satisfy your craving for good music.

Under the leadership of Brad Conrad, a member of the incredibly popular Mellotones and a Juno and multiple ECMA winner, the band blew my little British socks off last Sunday with some old-school surf music and I vaguely recall the night winding up with a rendition of Ghost Riders in the Sky.

The boys in the house band can play anything with anyone and the calibre of “jammers” is worth a visit. The house band includes Conrad on guitar; Matt Hebb on guitar; Garry Potts on drums and Morrow Scot-Brown on bass.

Where else, but Bearly’s on a Sunday night, can you rock out to such a diverse sound and where else do you get to hear live surf music? I’m going again and taking my Hawaiian shirt collection.

Early last week, I joined every theatre professional in town at the Merritt Awards, the annual orgy of back-slapping, celebration and beverage consumption.

Alderney Landing Theatre was throbbing with happiness as artist after artist picked up the pewter awards and thanked everyone they could think of in a series of speeches.

I had the pleasure on getting up and handing the Best Actress award to Shelley Thompson, for Glorious, at Festival Antigonish. Bill Wood was a popular Best Supporting Actor winner for East Of Berlin. There wasn’t a dry eye when Jean Morpurgo rose to accept her Legacy Award. The after-parties continued long into the night. What a great week to be Off The Leash.

Jeremy Webb is an actor, director and member of the board of Theatre Nova Scotia. To invite Jeremy Webb to lose his leash at your party or event, drop him a line at offtheleash@herald.ca, and catch up with him at www.offtheleash.ca