Written June 8, 2018
(Gananoque, ON) For more than 40 years, Canadians have been turning out to listen to the wit and wisdom of Lorne Elliott, homegrown comic/musician extraordinaire. Well, maybe not wisdom, but definitely good old fashioned home grown humour.
For three great nights (and one afternoon matinee) he has brought that well-loved style to Gananoque for fans old, new and yet-to-be to enjoy at the Royal Theatre. Last evening’s performance of “Collected Mistakes” was an intimate show treating everyone to a well mixed collection of stories and music familiar to the ear and still welcome to the heart.
From “Tonight’s the Night (We’re Gonna Get Granny Plastered” to “The Smallest Thing Known to Man”, the music is carefully laced with stories covering such diverse topics as Wiarton Wilie, maple sugaring, taxes, and funny American town names. Everyday life is funny, and Elliott wants to make sure we see just how much joy and natural humour is all around us.
Starting his career in Eastern Canada in 1974, he has performed around the world, bringing his delightful brand of silliness and Canadian charm to places like California and Australia, as well as other far flung venues thirsting for humour. His one-man show “Collected Mistakes” is travelling throughout North America, visiting stages large and small and tickling every funny bone it can find.
Elliott is more than just a stand up comic, however. He started as a folk musician who also wrote fiction, monologues, and one-liners. Refusing to be limited he reached out and started writing plays, some of which have achieved quite a level of success.
“‘The Night The Racoons Went Berserk’ won the Best New Play Award at the Quebec Drama Festival 1983 and it was produced at the Charlottetown Theatre Festival in 1986 along with ‘Culture Shock’, another comedy of his which has been produced across Canada since 1981: it was filmed by CBC TV in 1989,” states his biography. “‘The Pelley Papers’ was premiered at Upper Canada Playhouse in September 1995. ‘Tourist Trap’ was premiered in August 2000 at Theatre On The Grand in Fergus (Ontario) and it has had several productions across Canada since then. His play ‘How I Broke Into Showbiz’ was produced in Charlottetown in 2005 and again in Hudson (Quebec) in 2015. ‘Culture Shock – The Musical’ premiered in July 2009 at the Stephenville Theatre festival. Lorne received the 2012 Playwrights Guild of Canada New Musical Play Award for his play ‘Jamie Rowsell Lives’. Again in 2015, Playwrights Guild of Canada, recognized his work by giving him the Comedy Award for his play ‘MOM RUNS AMOK’.
“He has also written screenplays and TV Comedies, skits and revues. For CBC he did TV Comedy Variety shows, among others ‘What Else is On’ and ‘Lorne Elliott’s Really Rather Quite Half-Decent TV Special’.”
His look is changing a bit, but don’t let the more laid back, calmer exterior fool you – he’s still the same great comedian comic everyone has come to know and love. Get out and get the chance to see him while he’s still in town – this is an opportunity you will not want to miss.
“Collected Mistakes – An Evening with Canadian Comedy Legend Lorne Elliott” is playing live, on-stage at the Royal Theatre, 75 King Street East in Gananoque from June 5-7 at 7:30 pm, and on Sunday, June 8 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $25 each ($20 for students with proper ID), all taxes included, available at the door or by advance sale. Box office hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 1-5 pm, and one hour before the show starts. For more information, please go to www.RoyalTheatre.ca .
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