Review of Theatre in The Web’s “The Quarantime Show”.

30 June saw our “First Link® Memory Café featuring “Theatre in the Web Acting Troupe” “The QuaranTime Show” 7 Actors performing on-line from the Graduating Class of Humber College Theatre Performance”. The following is a brief synopsis of the show itself:

The show starts with “She’s a Maniac” as a backdrop to a montage of the characters and actors of the show. All professionally done!

She’s a Maniac is a 1983 classic song and a nice intersect for all the generations. But is there more to the song than meets the eye? As we are introduced to the host of the show you will start to wonder.

Next up is our baking slot and everything that can go wrong does. Day time cooking shows across the generations have never been this funny. Do you have a memorable moment from the past?

Since blasts from the past seem to be a theme of the show, does anyone remember the Clairol Herbal Essence adverts of the latter part of the last century? You might wish to see the 1998 Dr Ruth advert on youtube as a primer for our next segment.

We are then introduced to our sports segment, and new meaning is given to the term “spectator sport”. We will let you decide on the “action”, but this was a wholly unexpected take and shows the depth and variety of content produced for the show.

Much of the show revolves around the host and unfortunately a postal delivery happens just as our host is disposing of……. We are not going to spill the beans, but how long is our host going to be able to hold it together?

In coronavirus times getting enough exercise is difficult. The next segment provided viewers with an opportunity to try a new exercise craze that the Theatre in the Web crew have thought up. There is also a guest appearance from a Dr Jacobs presenting the research on this important tool.

Next up our host provides us with a short gardening interlude before we slot into our pet detective story with Detective Romanov. But we will leave the plot under wraps for those who have yet to see the show.

Toilet paper was in short supply a few months ago. Along with the stress of coronavirus and the anxiety of the times we are introduced to a skit on a trip to the store for toilet roll. Many felt that this segment was especially poignant.

Our host then manages to throw in a bit of Shakespeare before introducing the show’s black and white cinema moment: “Now I shall tame the lion”.

The final segment combines elements of heaven and hell with puppetry before the credits roll.

You might be surprised to know that one of the many skillsets Humber College actors learn is puppetry.

“Stream it or skip it” is a tag line on Decider which is a site dedicated to reviews of Netflix and other online content. What is our verdict? Stream it!

The show is 25 minutes long. It is extremely funny and has an incredibly diverse subject matter. The acting is great across the board and the cast work well together. Technically the show is well oiled and transitions from segment to segment are helped by the innovative host of the show. We would stream it, it would be a crime to skip it. We look forward to more and so should our communities.

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The Theatre in the Web Troupe is self-financed and dependent on alternative sources of financial support for its events and productions. Any organisations in the community that are willing to help support creative community productions are welcomed. Please contact Theatre in the Web at Theatreintheweb@gmail.com

Theatre in the Web is the name of a group of young emergent actors recently graduated from Humber College’s highly respected three year Theatre Performance conservatory program. Three hard years of early mornings and late nights, weekends as well as weekdays later produced a band of dedicated professionally trained creative artists. The attrition rate in these programs can be 50% or more over the three year period and there are no easy passes. Not only do you need to shine and endure to succeed in acting, you also need to be able to work together, to collaborate effectively.

Acting as with all creative arts is an incredibly competitive and difficult medium to survive in. While financial success is not what drives most artists the ability to procure a basic living is important to an artist’s canon and durability. In a COVID world the ability and opportunity to both create and to survive financially is a much more challenging endeavour for all of us. We believe that there are many opportunities for the creative arts and the community to work together to transform our world for the better.

Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/Theatre-in-the-web-102176201529390/