Don’t know how to break it to all you avant-garde theatre buffs, but the surprises mash
of the Quebec summer stock circuit, anglo division, has been Four Anglos of the
Apocalypse, starring Ricky Blue, George Bowser and newly minted thesps Josh Freed and
Terry (Aislin) Mosher.
The Anglos, featuring the music of Bowser and Blue, the musings of Freed and the cartoons
of Aislin, did a dozen shows at Theatre Lac Brome in Knowlton. Every one played to a sold-
out house and standing ovations.
Such was the case at the show I caught. Plus, I actually witnessed folks falling out of their
seats in uncontrolled fits of hysteria. I overheard others, unable to get from the show’s
waiting list into the theatre, plead with and try to bribe box-office attendants for ducats. And
I saw, for the first time ever at a local anglo theatre production, people actually – shock,
horror – scalping tickets.
As Jackie Mason would say: “Ve’re a hit!� So much so that theFour Anglos will be
doing another two shows Sept. 17 at Theatre Lac Brome – for which only a few tickets still
remain – and will then be bringing their act to the big city for six performances at the
Centaur Theatre, Oct. 18 to 22.What’s next? Broadway?
“We’re so out, we’re in!� Blue proclaims. “Who knew?�
“In the words of Agatha Christie, when she had a hit at the age of 90, this is most
encouraging,� Bowser chimes.
Four Anglos of the Apocalypse is the whimsical, often selfmocking, 50-year chronicle of the
survival of the Quebec anglo.
“Now we’re fighting for survival among ourselves,� Blue cracks. “Mosher has
nearly muscled the rest of us offstage with his giant slide-screen. He’s really getting into
this acting thing.�
Even the show’s director, Nicholas Pynes, artistic director of Theatre Lac Brome, is
initially at a loss to explain its success.“People have seen Aislin’s cartoons, have
read Freed and have heard Bowser and Blue, but never all together,� he says. “Still, I
didn’t know what to expect. I had no idea what sort of chemistry they would have
together, particularly since Freed and Aislin are new to performing live.
“Yet if I had known they were going to be this popular, I would have arranged a lot more
performances and would have charged a lot more for tickets, too,� jests Pynes, also
bullish about the showings of Honky Tonk Blue, Sexy Laundry and The Tall Girl on this 20th
anniversary season at Theatre Lac Brome.
Pynes admits that Four Anglos, based on a Blue Metropolis session with the same players,
was a work in progress when first staged in July. “And it has stayed that way the rest of
the summer,� he says. “We’re constantly refining, but it remains raw Quebec
humour. People love to laugh – especially at themselves.� And who knew that the
anxiety of conjugating French verbs in an array of tenses, including the ever-daunting plus-
que-parfait, could so tickle the funny bone?
Blue raises his hand. OK, but apart from him, few others believed. But now they do. And donâ
€™t be surprised to see Four Anglos of the Apocalypse in an even longer run at a theatre
near you sometime in the future.
of the Quebec summer stock circuit, anglo division, has been Four Anglos of the
Apocalypse, starring Ricky Blue, George Bowser and newly minted thesps Josh Freed and
Terry (Aislin) Mosher.
The Anglos, featuring the music of Bowser and Blue, the musings of Freed and the cartoons
of Aislin, did a dozen shows at Theatre Lac Brome in Knowlton. Every one played to a sold-
out house and standing ovations.
Such was the case at the show I caught. Plus, I actually witnessed folks falling out of their
seats in uncontrolled fits of hysteria. I overheard others, unable to get from the show’s
waiting list into the theatre, plead with and try to bribe box-office attendants for ducats. And
I saw, for the first time ever at a local anglo theatre production, people actually – shock,
horror – scalping tickets.
As Jackie Mason would say: “Ve’re a hit!� So much so that theFour Anglos will be
doing another two shows Sept. 17 at Theatre Lac Brome – for which only a few tickets still
remain – and will then be bringing their act to the big city for six performances at the
Centaur Theatre, Oct. 18 to 22.What’s next? Broadway?
“We’re so out, we’re in!� Blue proclaims. “Who knew?�
“In the words of Agatha Christie, when she had a hit at the age of 90, this is most
encouraging,� Bowser chimes.
Four Anglos of the Apocalypse is the whimsical, often selfmocking, 50-year chronicle of the
survival of the Quebec anglo.
“Now we’re fighting for survival among ourselves,� Blue cracks. “Mosher has
nearly muscled the rest of us offstage with his giant slide-screen. He’s really getting into
this acting thing.�
Even the show’s director, Nicholas Pynes, artistic director of Theatre Lac Brome, is
initially at a loss to explain its success.“People have seen Aislin’s cartoons, have
read Freed and have heard Bowser and Blue, but never all together,� he says. “Still, I
didn’t know what to expect. I had no idea what sort of chemistry they would have
together, particularly since Freed and Aislin are new to performing live.
“Yet if I had known they were going to be this popular, I would have arranged a lot more
performances and would have charged a lot more for tickets, too,� jests Pynes, also
bullish about the showings of Honky Tonk Blue, Sexy Laundry and The Tall Girl on this 20th
anniversary season at Theatre Lac Brome.
Pynes admits that Four Anglos, based on a Blue Metropolis session with the same players,
was a work in progress when first staged in July. “And it has stayed that way the rest of
the summer,� he says. “We’re constantly refining, but it remains raw Quebec
humour. People love to laugh – especially at themselves.� And who knew that the
anxiety of conjugating French verbs in an array of tenses, including the ever-daunting plus-
que-parfait, could so tickle the funny bone?
Blue raises his hand. OK, but apart from him, few others believed. But now they do. And donâ
€™t be surprised to see Four Anglos of the Apocalypse in an even longer run at a theatre
near you sometime in the future.
| "Four Anglos of the Apocalypse" Bill Brownstein -- The Montreal Gazette September 8, 2005 |
| Four Anglos of the Apocalypse plays Saturday, Sept. 17, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Theatre Lac Brome in Knowlton. Call (450) 242-2270. The show comes to the Centaur Theatre, 450 St. François Xavier St., Oct. 18 to 21 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Call (514) 288-3161. |
Written and starring Ricky Blue, George Bowser, Josh
Freed & Terry Mosher (aka Aislin) These four well known
Quebec political commentators share their points of view
by recounting the history the "Anglos of Quebec" in
words, music and cartoons. A unique view of a unique
province ~ no self-respecting Quebecer should miss it.
Freed & Terry Mosher (aka Aislin) These four well known
Quebec political commentators share their points of view
by recounting the history the "Anglos of Quebec" in
words, music and cartoons. A unique view of a unique
province ~ no self-respecting Quebecer should miss it.
