Canadian Import is an Engaging, Atypical Coming Out Story

Canadian Import is an Engaging, Atypical Coming Out Story

It's 11:40 PM on a Sunday night. Jeremy Banks is about to deliver a 60 minute monologue. There are seven of us in the audience. Banks delivers his performance as if to a sold out house, he will have our rapt attention throughout his piece. It is more than the fact that he has traveled thousands of miles to get here; Banks clearly loves what he does, and he has a story to tell us. Welcome to Fringe.

In The Big Smoke, written by Ron Fromstein, Banks plays Tommy a young man who decides to move from his small home town of Wawa to the big city of Toronto. â┚¬Å”Decidesâ┚¬Â may be too strong of a word here, since Tommy is a person that life happens to, almost as if he isn't an active participant.

The Big Smoke is a coming out story, of sorts. Tommy goes from Wawa where being a â┚¬Å”fagâ┚¬Â is completely unfathomable to him, to living on Church Street, arguably one of the gayest communities on the planet. Tommy manages to physically and emotionally explore homosexuality while blithely remaining homophobic; a complex psyche, but a simple and surprisingly funny tale.

Banks is an engaging storyteller, rarely using more than two square feet of the bare stage in the Mandell Theater. It's easy to forget he isn't telling his own story, as he subtly submerges himself in Tommy.

At the close of his show (12:40 AM!), Banks expresses gratitude to his audience for being there at such a late hour, he is honestly touched. I think I can safely speak for the seven of us when I say that grateful feeling was mutual.

Show: The Big Smoke
Theatre Group: Fringetastic â┚¬â€œ Vancouver Island, Canada
Venue: Pink
Remaining Performances:
5/23 Mon. 9:25 PM
5/25 Wed. 11:10PM
5/26 Thu. 8:00 PM
5/27 Fri. 6:00 PM

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