life with more cowbell

Did some late night Fringing this evening and caught Twisted Chaos Productions’ performance of Then He Wakes Up at the Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM) Mainspace.

Written by Matthew Sarookanian (who also acts in the piece) and directed by Joanne Williams, Then He Wakes Up is a mind-bending, absurd good time about a morning in the life of Henry (Jordan Mechano), a man waiting for the bus who finds his daily routine thrown into chaos when he meets Felix (Sarookanian), who seems to know him even though Henry has never met him.

Are we watching a dream? In some alternate universe? Have we travelled through the looking-glass? The arrival of the woman in the green dress, Daisy (played by a very fetching and funny Perrie Olthuis) – after Felix’s foretelling of the event – and later Henry’s father (Alex Sims), who appears as a man not much older than Henry, add to the topsy-turvy fun. And the arrival of his father, who sets about the task of making Henry get along with Felix, reduces Henry to a petulant child.

A great fun, imaginative script and a very funny cast. Sarookanian’s Felix put me in mind of Johnny Depp’s Sam in Benny and Joon, an innocent, child-like young man who is misunderstood and causes great annoyance to Henry, who becomes his unwitting straight man.

Then He Wakes Up runs until July 15 at the TPM Mainspace. For full schedule details and info, visit: http://thenhewakesup.tumblr.com/

And in the meantime, check out the two promo vids.