A New Irish Variety Shows Featuring Five Hilarious Skits
HARRY CUSSEN
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VANCOUVER – Give yourself.... A Kick In The Arts! This new Irish variety show is produced by Frank Talbot and Harry Cussen – both well-known actors and producers in the Vancouver Celtic community.
I recently spoke with Harry Cussen about Give yourself .... A Kick In The Arts! He explained that it’s really a variety show with a play on words.
He said, “it’s a fun show that will interest people who aren’t normally theatre goers to have a good night out.”
The show will run for two night on October 22 and 23 at the PAL Theatre at Georgia and Cardero by the Bayshore Inn. Another matinee will be held in White Rock on November 7 at the Elks Club for the Irish Club White Rock.
The first half of the program consists of five skits featuring Frank Talbot, Michael Morgan, Tom O’Sullivan and Harry Cussen.
Harry said, “the skits are really very funny and involve normal everyday things that are brought to life. For example, you go into a restaurant for a simple meal and you’re inundated with options. There’s a skit about a judge who is looking for a strong case but he has a very minor one, but by the end of it he has a very strong case.
The second half is a one-act play called The Thirst about a shebeen (a pub without a licence) being invaded by the Garda Siochana (Irish police) after hours. The publican tries to talk himself out of his predicament and he does it by making everyone thirsty, including the policeman.”
Harry was born in Cork City. His mother is from Ballybunnion and his father from Charleville.
Speaking about his own background and how he got into theatre, he said, “‘My father met my mother when he was home on leave from the First World War. She was 16 and they ran away together but they weren’t allowed to live together for two years. Well, he was away most of the time in the war anyway.
“I always dabbled a little bit in theatre when I was in school in Ireland. I always loved theatre, I think every Irish person loves theatre. We don’t mind making fools of ourselves.
“When I moved to Florida in 1985, that’s when I really got involved in theatre. At that time there were a lot of illegal Irish in the United States, and quite frankly all they were doing was hanging around pubs.
“So, a couple of us got together one day and spoke about the talent that there was around and we decided to put on a show.
“That was 23 years ago, and it was amazing the amount of talent that we found. The very first play we did was Playboy of the Western World and there were more in the cast than in the audience on the first night.
By the time we finished the play, we were getting 1,200 to 1,400 people a night....we had built-up a great following in a beautiful theatre in Delray Beach.
“I still live in Florida but also have a place in Kitsilano and live here in Vancouver about four months of the year. I do more theatre work here now than in Florida because I have given that over to younger people.
“But, I’m still involved in the Theatre Festival which was started some 20 years ago. I became involved about 15 years ago when it was formally incorporated.
“This is an International Irish Theatre Festival and it’s held in Canada one year and the United States the next – they alternate between the two. We have 12 different companies which are official members.
“When we hosted the festival in Florida in 2003, I brought three groups over from Ireland and since then they have become part of the festival. It’s a friendly competition and next year it will be in Calgary for the first time in 20 years.”
For tickets and information about Give yourself... A Kick In The Arts! at the PAL Theatre call (604) 633-0330 or (778) 228-2748, or e-mail: frankandmac@gmail.com. For tickets and information about the matinee in the Elks Hall in White Rock, call Kathy King of the Irish Club White Rock at (604) 536-7723, or e-mail: kathypking@shaw.ca.
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