tony molesworth
Tony Molesworth’s Vaudevillian Stand-Up Busking show Pickin’ ‘N’ Schtick, which comes from Toronto and plays as part of the Atlantic Fringe Festival, is reminiscent of that nutty uncle who pulls silver dollars out from behind our ears.
Mostly sheepish and innocent, Molesworth’s act is strongest when he is doing his busking act. He has some good juggling and magic tricks and his pacing and lead ups to the pay off moments are well timed and effectively induce some awe. He throws in some casually amusing one liners, but the stand up segment in the middle is the weaker aspect of the sixty minutes. It may have been better to make that aspect of the show a little shorter and to just use the strongest material, because there are some good jokes in there but the momentum drags until he returns to the magic.
I love the fact that he plays the banjo and the songs that he writes are not quite as tightly crafted as I would have liked lyrically, but his banjo is played so jauntily, that it is easy to forgive. I did find his diction to be a bit of a challenge as he sometimes mumbles, especially when singing, which makes it difficult to discern his words and to catch the punch lines.
In all, Pickin’ ‘N’ Schtick is a harmless little show, although it is way over-priced. If you’re lucky, you might get a balloon animal out of it!
TWISI Rating:
Pickin’ ‘N’ Schtick plays at DanSpace (1531 Grafton Street) at the following times:
Wednesday September 5th at 8:15pm
Friday September 7th at 8:40pm
Saturday September 8th at 2:50pm
Sunday September 9th at 8:30pm
It is $10.00; to book tickets please visit this website or call (902) 999-7469 or visit the Box Office at the Seaport Farmers’ Market at Pavilion 20 on Marginal Road. Tickets are also available at the venue ONE hour before the show. Happy Fringe!
