March 26/09 Cafe

Thanks to Andrew Chandler, a Cafe performer from January and February who relaxed on the other side of the table this month, for his following reflections on March's Cafe:

Cafe DaPoPo is an opportunity. The open format of patrons selecting theatrical treats to suit their tastes has incredible potential for a dazzling variety of performances - songs, scenes, schtick... all tailored to taste. This opportunity was capitalized on in March's installment. Despite some unusual challenges, including a number of new cafe performers and the sudden unexpected appropriation of half of Menz Bar's chairs, Cafe Impresaria Bonnie Archibald-Awalt kept the evening flowing smoothly and seamlessly, so the large crowd of Cafe patrons consumed their delicacies worry-free.

And what a variety of delicacies there were! The Cafe's unspoken promise of "A theatrical treat for EVERY palate" was upheld in style. If you've been to a Cafe before, you know the joy in discovering the wild variety of things going on around you, and this was never so clear to me as in this month's Cafe. As Keelin Jack and Ann Denny wrapped up a musical improvisation with a patron, every eye in the room caught the lumbering figure of a bespectacled Wolf in a suit, who sat down near us and proceeded to explain how he'd been a victim of three very inconsiderate and selfish little pigs. Minutes later, Steven Bourque and John Han, clad in short shorts and exercise gear came bounding through the room, drawing all eyes to Nutritional Diva Sher Clain's lessons on Trans Fats! As she and her backup dancers wrapped up their lesson, Steven Heisler (the Wolf of a few minutes ago), glided through the room to grace one lucky table with a delicate and heartbreaking scene from Michel Tremblay's "Hosanna".

Musical appetizers came to us in Holly Winter's rendition of Stephen Sondheim's tasty "Take me to the World", and John Han's new recipes for Shakespearean sonnets performed in the pop music idiom. These were bold experiments from two of Cafe's newest participants, and both show promise of even greater things to come. Ann Denny surprised and delighted us all with a song by a "part-time model". Whatever debt Ann owed to "Flight of the Conchords"' dubious-quality siren was brushed aside in this epic and hilarious saga of love and food-sharing.

For me, the most tantalizing treat of this month's cafe came in the big ensemble scene, a preview of DaPoPo's prospective future production: "Julius Caesar". While Keelin Jack's Marc Antony, lit only by flashlights, honoured the murdered Caesar with a cold mischievous fury burning in her eyes, the shadows of the citizens of Rome passed before us, caught only in sweeping flashlight beams, seizing upon words from Antony's incendiary speech, slapping, smacking, and bashing tables and chairs to lash out their growing fury. The senseless tragedy of Steve Bourque's Cinna, an innocent poet carried off by the faceless mob, was terrifying in its brutality.

Cafe Dapopo is an opportunity. For joy. For the unexpected. For art. For talented performers to share work they love with patrons who love succulent surprises.

Here's looking forward to the next opportunity to enjoy Cafe DaPoPo!