‘OH, CHARLIE!’
Scott Chandler becomes Charlie Chaplin in upcoming performance.
Watching Scott Chandler morph into Charlie Chaplin is a magical thing.
One minute, he’s clean shaven. The next, he’s painting his face white, gluing on a moustache and donning a bowler hat.
The backstage preparation is necessary to channel his inner Chaplin.
“When I put on my costume, I become a different character and that’s what I hope to do on stage that night,” says Chandler, whose Charlie Chaplin tribute show, “Oh, Charlie!,” will hit the boards of the Florence Simmons Performance Hall on Sunday, July 29, at 7 p.m. It’s a fundraiser for the P.E.I. division of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Described as a “comedy, tragedy, music, dance, acrobatic, slapstick and gymnastics show,” the performance features Chandler as actor, writer and producer.
“I’m feeling really good about it. Chaplin interests me because he’s more than just a silent comedian. He’s a composer, writer, creator and, as W.C. Fields said, ‘the greatest ballet dancer who ever lived.’”
Chandler, a fan of old-time comedians, became interested in Chaplin’s world just over a decade ago, after winning a role in “That Dance Show.”
“They wanted someone to do back flips across the stage,” grins
the former Canadian national gymnastics champion.
Besides dancing and back flips, the show also included a tribute to the vaudeville years and required an actor to play the part of Chaplin.
“I told the director, ‘I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, but I’d really love to give it a crack.’”
It was a wonderful two-season experience and Chandler enjoyed everything about it — from the nightly makeup ritual to seeing
the smiles on people’s faces and hearing the crowd’s laughter when they saw his character’s antics.
“Charlie Chaplin, in particular, lends himself to an ex-gymnast’s style. So it flew well. And I really loved performing. But I wasn’t ready to make it a full-time job.”
As time went on, he looked for another opportunity to play Chaplin.
“I wanted to make people laugh.”
Lately his desire to reprise the role has become urgent.
“It became a now or never thing for me ... At 43, there’s so many years of doing flips left. So, this my chance.”
So he decided to write a show and produce it himself — with a little musical help from some people close to him.
“At first, I was going to perform with some traditional Charlie Chaplin music. But then I thought, I’m married to someone
I believe is the best musician on P.E.I.,” says Chandler, referring to his fiddler wife, Courtney Hogan, who will take part in the show with singer/guitarist Norman Stewart. “I lot can go wrong in a risky acrobatic performance. So even if I blow a knee or twist an ankle, I have these two amazing performers in my corner who will carry the show.”