Last Thursday the good folks at Wham City kicked off their comedy tour in the fabulous basement of the Bell Foundry in Station North. The venue – unfinished and adorned with all manner of graffiti – was transformed from dingy subdomain of a partially refurbished and repurposed industrial relic to an unexpectedly cozy performance space. The ability to use spaces like this in such a way as to allow audiences to forget themselves speaks to the inventiveness and imagination of Wham City.
More than this, it appears that the members have a genuine affection for one another. If not I’d like to imagine they do because the effort was triumphant and I’d bet that most of the audience left feeling better than when they came. The optimist in me has to believe that there’s sincerity somewhere in that equation.
I’d like to reinterpret the evening by way of haiku.
Photo by Brooke Hall, haiku by Justin Allen.
peer into the dark
for the love of their laughter
no depths too funky
one cop-two coppers
wet was this slow motion kiss
straight man bit anew
Bell Foundry walls
canvas for outlaw painters
lovelier than blah
Egg Schrader strange bird
happened upon a pun or two
the costume cracked up
subtle psychosis
quiet anger building rage
loved laughing at you
strange introspection
two heads speaking inside one
non compos mentis
we came here to smile
and Wham City delivered
thank you belly laugh
awkward serenade
a reluctant volunteer
The Creepers fer sure
3D CGI
you coveted Costanza
brilliant young Resnick
Bowie or Schrader
eyes closed you would never know
look see his package
strange faceless weirdo
call and scare them all away
stalking from afar
prestigious award
drunken lecturer expelled
exponential truth
Tool Time gone awry
the son of Tim died too soon
twisted Wham City
well done you who wham
your levity made us smile
worth all ten dollars
