kayla lorette
There was a quote recently in an obituary of a prominent theatre and music critic which I must paraphrase because the article seems to have disappeared into the entrails of the Internet; however, the gist was that this critic was so eager to review anything that his peers joked that if a car had difficulty parallel parking he would be there clamouring to write about the process. I was reminded of this theatre critic and his zeal for capturing everything on Wednesday evening at the Rearview Mirror when esteemed improviser Kayla Lorette hosted an Improv Show on her birthday. I attended this show primarily to honour Miss Lorette on the day of her birth, with no intention of writing a review of her birthday party, and yet I quickly found myself surrounded by incredible talent and performers that I have not had prior opportunity to write about. Indeed, the evening was so divinely theatrical that it felt like a travesty not to commemorate it here at TWISI.
Kayla Lorette was joined in her birthday hosting duties by Alana Johnston, which is always a match made in hilarity heaven. I once described Kayla and Alana as a duo somewhere between Thelma and Louise and Chip and Dale, which seems to accurately capture their unique, rich, endearing friendship and continuously clever and kooky banter. Together, these young ladies are two of Canada’s funniest and most brilliant improvisers and they are guaranteed to keep any audience in the sort of stitches one had expected from Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin at the Oscars.
Of course, to co-host a comedy show on her birthday, it was inevitable that Kayla’s esteemed guests would seize the opportunity to give a roast to the host. This was kick started by the vivacious Inessa Frantowski who did a dynamic stand up set, although her roast proved to be more of a fondue: sassy and sweet, yet ultimately satisfying. Birthday boy, Adam Christie, followed up with a charmingly self deprecating stand up set about the woes of being freshly single. From all the sketch comedy and improvisation that I have seen in the past year I have learned that one of the secrets to a successful set is pure, ardent commitment to whatever it is that you’re doing. Sarah Hillier and Alex Tindal exemplified precisely how outrageously funny it is when a performer throws his or herself with the ultimate in zeal into everything that he or she is doing with their performance of a brilliant birthday interpretive dance.
Which brings me to Ron Pederson. Geez. Along with Dora Award winning composer (and frequent impromptu pianist for The National Theatre of the World) Waylen Miki, Ron co-wrote a brilliant original song especially for the occasion, which he sang with his signature panache and gusto. My initial reaction to this tune was the thought that it had been penned by the flamboyantly fabulous Caustic Carmen Ghia (from Mel Brook’s musical The Producers), but as it progressed the influence of such Tin Pan Alley masters as Cole Porter and Noel Coward became increasingly apparent. Ron and Waylen’s lyrics were especially crisp, the rhymes clever and always tight and they boasted of such ingenious revelations as “I smoked a bong and wrote this song” and rhyming Kayla with “can’t fail ya” “tip the scale, yeah” and “want to nail ya.” Class! In all honesty, the song was a wonder that tore the Rearview Mirror’s house down. I hope we can expect great things from further Miki/Pederson collaborations in the future.
Kayla was treated to a guest appearance on the infamous talk show of Matt Folliott’s alter-ego, Hugo, who usually graces the stage at The Short Notice Show, an underground comedy show that Kayla, Alana and Matt coproduce each month where Hugo always asks his guests “the tough questions.” Folliott is an incredibly agile improviser and his characterization of Hugo is a zany mixture of Geraldo Rivera and The Swedish Chef.
One of the reasons I was so insistent on reviewing Kayla’s birthday party is that I needed to tell you all about Sandra Battaglini, one of the most outrageously hysterical stand up comics in this city. Sandra’s set is often a mixture of prepared notes of shrewd observations she has made which reflect the absurdity of the postmodern world, combined with her continually sharp and always uncensored reactions to the room in the moment. The effect is an intense belly laughter that leaves you feeling like you’ve done a round of crunches. She’s literally so funny it hurts.
The most incredible thing about plucky Kayla Lorette and sassy Alana Johnston is their passionate commitment to fostering, supporting and championing both the burgeoning and more established improvisers, sketch artists and comics in Toronto. Together these girls are ensuring that inexperienced performers have an opportunity for exposure and they are helping to create a strong Improv community that is tight-knit and supports one another’s various ventures, where the more established comics are able to inspire and teach the new generation.
As far as Kayla and Alana are concerned, they are Toronto’s Famous Improv Socialites and they will likely inspire you, regardless of your gender, to aspire to be a stronger, blossoming and more empowered woman. Just like Kayla.
