The Show Must Go On

"The Show Must Go On" is a sweet and delightful show about the tribulations, and occasional triumphs, of taking a small theatre troupe on the road across Canada, across its length and breadth in all seasons. Jeff Leard played Rumpelstiltskin no less than 185 times in that year, but something new always seems to happen so that he does not get a chance to get bored. It was his first "real job" after university, and he knew he was lucky to get a full-time acting role. 

He displays a great sense of comedy and timing as his tales range from the gross to the terrifying to totally unexpected bonuses. I loved hearing the touching story about performing in Telegraph Creek, a small town in the very north that rarely ever gets theatre troupes, and where 150 kids insisted on getting autographs. Organized crime and sex-starved teachers and the endlessly vast Canadian prairies all make their appearances too. 

Leard talks about how seeing a children's theatre production at age 5 turned him into an actor. He does not claim that he is having a huge impact on the world, but many little impacts. One small regret is that I would loved to have seen a complete reprise of his Rumpelstiltskin show (and the Beyoncé songs turned into nursery rhyme parodies).