"The Hootenanny Revue"
Coming soon to a theatre, bar or parking lot near you!
The Cast:
Carolyn Mark
Luther Wright
Jenny Whiteley
Jim Bryson
Oh! Susanna
Shuyler Jansen
Hank and Lily
Tolan McNeil
Diona Davies
Dan Whiteley
Cam Giroux
Gord Tough
Joey Wright
Sounds Like
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What is a Hootenanny?
A Hootenanny is a musical parfait. Separate acts
taking turns while playing together. A Best-case
scenario open-stage. A variety show!
2. HOW many drink tickets?!!
3 X 19 Please.
Red wine, white wine and beer
3. Why is that guy wearing a mask?
Hank Pine wears a mask because if he was to reveal his
true handsomeness, he would become devoured. If you
read the Hank and Lily comic book all is revealed.
4. What kind of music is it?
The good kind. Good singing. Good playing. Good songs. A Good show.
For hearts not wallets.
The Story of The Hootenanny Revue so far...
Once upon a time there was a girl named Carolyn Mark. She lived in Victoria and hosted a weekly open mic
called The Hootenanny. Then she went on tour and met up with a handsome maniac named Luther Wright.
One day while they shared a veggie dog, Luther turned to Carolyn and said "Why don't we put on a Hootenanny in Kingston?" The necessary phone calls were made and the talent wrangled and to make a long story boring, at the end of the night as they stood in the sold out Irish bar with the line up around the side of the building and the sign-up board boasting the names of such musical royalty as Sarah Harmer, Oh! Susanna, Jenny Whiteley and N.Q. Arbuckle, Carolyn and Luther began to suspect that they just might be "on to something" and like all good obsessive compulsives (which is to say all musicians!, they immediately wanted to repeat the experience oh about as soon as the show had finished.
The next year, Luther chartered a boat(!) and The Hootenanny sailed around Kingston harbour with Carolyn
doing the hosting and Oh! Susanna and Jenny Whiteley and Sarah Harmer behind the microphone and Captain Wright behind the wheel and dozens of teary eyed fans left behind on the dock because dang if the darn thing didn't sell out again.
Well the very next year a tour of Ontario and Quebec was booked and Luther and Carolyn and Jenny and Suzie traveled around with the quilted Hootenanny banner (hand sewn at least twice by Miss J. Mclaughlin of Victoria who also designs the tour posters and merchandise case and hell even sits in sometimes)
leaving trail of warmed hearts and swollen livers in their wake.
One day Carolyn woke up in the back of the van feeling a little homesick. She turned to her captors and said,
"You know Ontario's great and all but you guys really oughtta come out West sometime."
The following fall, the group(sans Oh!Susanna who was busy having a baby) expanded to include Shuyler Jansen (who moonlights as one quarter of Alberta's Old Reliable but currently represents Saskatchewan) and Hank and Lily (up and coming spooky cabaret feel-good duo whose characters are based on a comic book of their own invention, from Victoria of course). With ranks now swollen to fourteen strong, the group toured around Alberta and B.C. performing The Western Hootenanny Revue. The act became tighter. There was now a theme song and everybody wore matching outfits and the show took on the feel of a slightly evil Up With People with a hearty nod to the inspiration behind most showfolk- The Muppets.
Last Spring & Summer, the whole gang (with Suzy back in the saddle) toured "the east" again while discovering
the true spirit of what it means to be Canadian and how to work well in groups which is no easy feat with
five Capricorns running around all seriously believing that they are in charge. There are even plans afoot to
record an album and tour DVD.
And just like in the movies, a gang of down-on-their-luck misfits band together and become heroic, able to
face the world with confidence while learning alot about themselves and others.
And they all lived scrappily ever after.
The End
