Holy eff, does Sharron Matthews ever know how to throw a party! Sharron’s Surprise Party, the latest in Matthew’s Party series, going into its fourth year, was the perfect mixture of a Cabaret and her own one-woman musical extravaganza. She looked ever-fabulous in a gorgeous dress from Fashion Crimes (322 ½ Queen Street West) and delighted a packed audience in Tallulah’s Cabaret at Buddies in Bad Times on Monday, January 19, 2009.
In the recent interview I did with Matthews before the Party, she said that as rewarding as all her theatre experiences have been, she is happiest when she is playing herself. I was struck while watching the Party that not even the best playwright in the world could write stories as hysterical and quirky as Sharron’s, dialogue as spontaneous and vivacious, or create a character of such charm, wit and depth as Sharron Matthews. We are lucky that she is not afraid of being herself.
Sharron’s Surprise Party featured the talents of the young Andrew Broderick soon to graduate from Sheridan College’s music theatre-performance class, and the amazing Thom Allison, soon to play Roger in Acting Upstage’s production of A New Brain. Broderick has a beautiful, smooth voice, which is extremely impressive for his age. Thom Allison brought the house down with his unbelievable rendition of “The Trolley Song” from Meet Me in St Louis. He has one of the most gorgeous voices in Canadian musical theatre, which was made extremely evident as he sang “Infinite Joy” from William Finn’s song cycle Elegies. Allison and Matthews are perfectly matched superstars infused with talent and the pure joy of performing. It is also delightful to watch their interview, and Allison told a particularly funny story about his recent winter in Vancouver while performing in The Drowsy Chaperone.
We were also treated to a surprise appearance by Steve Ross, also appearing in A New Brain, who helped Sharron orchestrate the sing-along component of the Party. An always-enlightening aspect of Sharron’s Party is listening to the lyrics of pop songs as she sings them slowly, and infused with emotion and narrative, which allows the audience to really hear the words, probably for the first time. Who knew the Hotel California was haunted? Other highlights included CSI: the Musical, a homage to her days singing pop songs at Sheridan College, and George Masswohl’s comments from the audience.
Sharron is one of Toronto’s best entertainers. If you haven’t caught one of her Parties yet, you don’t know what you are missing. Mark the following in your calendar, Sharron’s February Sucks! Party is on Friday, February 27th, 2009, Sharron’s Spring Forward Party is on Friday April 24th and Saturday, April 25th and Sharron’s 2nd Annual Big Gay Party kicks off Pride Week on June 20th, 2009. You never know quite what she will say. But you can bet it will make you laugh until your diaphragm aches. To keep up-to-date with all Sharron’s news, check out her website at http://www.sharronmatthews.com/, or watch some videos on youtube at http://ca.youtube.com/user/SharronPartyGirl, or become her friend on Facebook.
In the recent interview I did with Matthews before the Party, she said that as rewarding as all her theatre experiences have been, she is happiest when she is playing herself. I was struck while watching the Party that not even the best playwright in the world could write stories as hysterical and quirky as Sharron’s, dialogue as spontaneous and vivacious, or create a character of such charm, wit and depth as Sharron Matthews. We are lucky that she is not afraid of being herself.
Sharron’s Surprise Party featured the talents of the young Andrew Broderick soon to graduate from Sheridan College’s music theatre-performance class, and the amazing Thom Allison, soon to play Roger in Acting Upstage’s production of A New Brain. Broderick has a beautiful, smooth voice, which is extremely impressive for his age. Thom Allison brought the house down with his unbelievable rendition of “The Trolley Song” from Meet Me in St Louis. He has one of the most gorgeous voices in Canadian musical theatre, which was made extremely evident as he sang “Infinite Joy” from William Finn’s song cycle Elegies. Allison and Matthews are perfectly matched superstars infused with talent and the pure joy of performing. It is also delightful to watch their interview, and Allison told a particularly funny story about his recent winter in Vancouver while performing in The Drowsy Chaperone.
We were also treated to a surprise appearance by Steve Ross, also appearing in A New Brain, who helped Sharron orchestrate the sing-along component of the Party. An always-enlightening aspect of Sharron’s Party is listening to the lyrics of pop songs as she sings them slowly, and infused with emotion and narrative, which allows the audience to really hear the words, probably for the first time. Who knew the Hotel California was haunted? Other highlights included CSI: the Musical, a homage to her days singing pop songs at Sheridan College, and George Masswohl’s comments from the audience.
Sharron is one of Toronto’s best entertainers. If you haven’t caught one of her Parties yet, you don’t know what you are missing. Mark the following in your calendar, Sharron’s February Sucks! Party is on Friday, February 27th, 2009, Sharron’s Spring Forward Party is on Friday April 24th and Saturday, April 25th and Sharron’s 2nd Annual Big Gay Party kicks off Pride Week on June 20th, 2009. You never know quite what she will say. But you can bet it will make you laugh until your diaphragm aches. To keep up-to-date with all Sharron’s news, check out her website at http://www.sharronmatthews.com/, or watch some videos on youtube at http://ca.youtube.com/user/SharronPartyGirl, or become her friend on Facebook.
