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Comedy, death-defying feats among highlights
This year, the Stampede Grandstand Show turns 50. For Dave Pierce, the Grandstand Show’s artistic producer and director, that means celebrating all those things that have made this summer show so popular.
“I started working on this 50thanniversary show 16 months ago because I want it to be the best possible tribute we can give to all the wonderful stuff we’ve been able to accomplish in those five decades.
“Our tribute show has to remind people how and why this became such an iconic stage show,” says Pierce.
This made-in-Calgary entertainment event began life in 1968 when the Stampede board brought in impresario Randy Avery from Chicago to create a Las Vegas-style extravaganza.
“Before 1968, the entertainments which followed the chuckwagon races were all travelling shows that were on a summer circuit. Randy Avery was brought in to create a custom-made show and part of his vision was to create The Young Canadians,” says Pierce adding, “the rest is history.”
It’s a family history because the Grandstand Show became a family affair for Avery as well as for the Stampede. Randy eventually passed the gauntlet of producing and staging the Grandstand Show to his son Bill Avery, who helmed the yearly spectacle until 2013.
To acknowledge the contribution of the Avery family to the Grandstand Show, they asked Rachel Avery, Bill’s daughter and Randy’s granddaughter, to be the host of the 50th-anniversary show. Entertainment is in Rachel Avery ’s blood. She is a Los Angeles-based screenwriter, director, actor and producer.
Pierce says one of the highlights of each of the previous Grandstand Shows has always been the featured comedian.
“We want people to laugh and to have a great time so we’ll be featuring more comedians in one show than we’ve ever done before.
“Comic ventriloquist Ronn Lucas and his monster puppets is an institution in both Las Vegas and Calgary. He has appeared at the Grandstand Show six times already and people have always asked us to bring him back. To help us celebrate our 50th year, Ron is bringing with him Buffalo Billy, the Stampede’s favourite puppet.”
Where Lucas is the senior comic, Drew Lynch is the young newcomer to the Grandstand Show.
“Drew was a baseball player and he was hit in the throat with a ball producing a stutter (that) he has had to deal with and he’s turned that speech impediment into his trademark, winning awards and acclaim on such shows as America’s Got Talent. Drew is the same age as some of our Young Canadians so his youth is an important addition to the show.”
Pierce says he also wanted a way to celebrate the 1988 Winter Olympics so he’s bringing in Michael Edwards, better known as Eddie the Eagle, the British skier who became famous for finishing last in his two events.
“We’re going to literally fly Eddie in each night on his skis, wearing his famous jumpsuit. As he’s descending, he will do a meet-andgreet with the audience members below him. That should get people into a great mood.”
Pierce knows people will not be laughing during illusionist Darcy Oake’s appearance because he will be doing his death-defying bear trap illusion in which he must escape from a straitjacket before the trap snaps him in half.
“We have always found people really love those acts that are so scary they do not want to watch but can’t take their eyes off the performer. This definitely describes what Darcy will do with his act.
“We also have roller skaters Alina Leiva and Yunier Morales, whose act is as breathtaking as it is terrifying,” says Pierce.
Canadian pop rocker Andy Kim will also perform during the show. He wrote the chart-topper Sugar, Sugar and sang on the record as a member of the Archies in 1968, which Pierce says is a great reason to feature Kim as one of this year’s special guest performers.
Pierce says the highlight of the 50th-anniversary show will most likely be the video tribute to The Young Canadians.
“It will be a virtual choir. We sent out notices to all the former Young Canadians around the world and asked them to perform It’s A Wonderful World. We are editing these videos into a virtual choir that will end with a very special surprise.”
Pierce will appear in the Grandstand Show for the first time in 25 years with his longtime friend Tim Tamashiro.
“We’ll be doing a tribute to Gord Downie. Tim and I used to perform together and we’re going to do it this time with Tim’s band The Relief Band and a 17-piece orchestra to a tune I wrote.”
Pierce has written all the original music for the 2018 edition of The Grandstand Show and he promises “it’s some of the best music I’ve ever written. It has to be because this is the Grandstand Show ’s 50th anniversary.”
I started working on this 50th-anniversary show 16 months ago because I want it to be the best possible tribute we can give to all the wonderful stuff we’ve been able to accomplish in those five decades. Dave Pierce, Grandstand Show’s artistic producer, director