Canada, Its Complicated Tour brings unforgettable history lesson
An evening of biting comedy and satire was held at the Moose Jaw Cultural Center when the incomparable “Canada, It’s Complicated Tour” stopped in the Friendly City for one unforgettable night.
People were on the edge of their seats laughing, even though some of the jokes felt uncomfortable at times. A snapshot of Canada’s history was presented, occasionally poking fun at some of our history as we know it, with indigenous stories leading the way. The play was directed, co-written and co-produced by Mary Walsh, of This Hour Has 22 Minutes fame.
It is a satirical revue examining Canadian identity & history on the heels of Canada 150. Along with Mary Walsh, Canada, It’s Complicated was written by some of the country’s leading comedians and musicians, featuring two Indigenous cast members (Chad Anderson & Dakota). The production was written in part by several notable Indigenous collaborators, including Thomas King (Governor General Award winner, novelist, and creator of CBC Radio’s Dead Dog Café), Marie Clements (award-winning Métis playwright, performer, director, producer, screenwriter, BC), and Tiffany Ayalik and Greyson Gritt of Quantum Tangle (2017 JUNO Award-winning music duo from Yellowknife, NT).
There was lots of dancing and singing, which presented Canada in its diverse shapes and forms, with not only riveting entertainment but a learning experience like no other. After the show, comments expressed a refreshing review to see Canada’s history portrayed in such a fun way that also teaches and highlights past ‘truths.’ Here were some reviews from some audience members: “It was amazing! I absolutely loved it. They put a nice little satirical way to explain Canadian history and that’s what I liked about it. It made me laugh. With everything that’s happening in the world, it’s nice to come somewhere and laugh!”—Karen.
“I loved the idea of having different backgrounds from First Nations and French and how everything came together that kind of messed up the whole system of Canada. I loved how they presented that in this great comedy. It’s interesting to see how things came into play. You don’t realize all of this until someone slaps you in the face with this information in such a comedic way. I am happy we can chuckle about it. This was an absolutely amazing learning experience.”—Warren. “I actually really enjoyed it. It portrayed Canada the way my history teachers all taught it to me just in a more entertaining form. I already knew the history but this was a great refresher portrayed in a generally tasteful manner. It was wonderful. I hope people can get a chance to watch it. It was very entertaining.”—Michelle.
The play is performed by a diverse set of actors from all across Canada. Cast member Dakota from Saskatchewan says the play is an amazing way to present Canada in a way like never before. “I think this show is an important one for Canada 150 because it’s a history lesson in 1½ hours but it’s not your typical history. It’s biting satire, comedy with song and dance numbers that all incorporates Canada’s history, whether it’s bad or good, frowned upon or hidden. There’s a lot of hidden history that people don’t know about like a lot of the treatment of indigenous peoples and other races. It’s great because it is educational and you don’t even realize you’re learning until after the show.”
The feedback she says has been great even though some of the content may be uncomfortable for some viewers. “The tour has been lots of fun. We’ve been getting great feedback. We started in St. Johns Newfoundland and we were happy to stop in Moose Jaw. It’s fun to hear the audience feedback and it’s been a great adventure and lots of learning. Our casts are from all over the place. I’m from Saskatchewan but we have members from Quebec, Nova Scotia, Vancouver, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Winnipeg.”
To follow the tour you can go to www.comedy150.ca.