TRAFFORD TANZI
A Review by the wizard of id

This is NOT a review of a pro wrestling event but it, and the show it's about, should be of interest to pro wrestling fans...

Trafford Tanzi is a stage play written by British playwright Claire Luckham. It first debuted as a pub show in 1979 and has since been translated into 12 languages and performed by theatre troupes around the world. The play, set entirely in and around a wrestling ring features the life story of the title heroine, Trafford Tanzi, and her struggles to overcome the oppression and sexist attitudes of her parents and husband. Filled with colorful characters, raucous music and songs, Trafford Tanzi's depiction of one woman's feminist journey to independence and respect remains relevant even in today's modern age of gender equality.

Pro wrestling IS theatre and so is Rock & Roll. Trafford Tanzi is a "rock & roll play" so it just seemed natural that the OWIE team should go check out a local production of this world famous dramatic offering. Having seen the Village Theatre of Waterdown production of Trafford Tanzi I can honestly state that if you're a wrestling fan, you should go see it too. Trafford Tanzi is a damn good time.

• Trafford Tanzi: Rachel Janosi
• Dean Rebel: Geoff Connor
• Mum: Dianne McEwan
• Dad: Andrew Finnigan
• Ref & Dr Grope: George Sanford
• Platinum Sue, Platy Sue, Madame Whipadore: Kyla McCall
• Platinum Sue's Playmate: Holden F. Levack
• Ring Girls: Meghan Storey & Alaina Mayer

• Composer & Lead Vocals: Chris Cracknell
• Bass Guitar & Vocals: Monica Knott
• Lead Guitar & Vocals: Peter Lloyd
• Percussion & Vocals: Travis Roe

• Producer: Laura MacKay
• Director: Michael Rae
• Costume Designer: Morgan Brandt
• Choreography: Emanuela Dussin
• Wrestling Coaches: Ernie Moore, Ronnie Logue, David Savelli

Located in the small town of Waterdown, the Village Theatre is a small but roomy venue. Access involves climbing stairs to the front door and then some more to get into the theatre area. (Given my physical limitations at the time I might have been better off seeing if they had an entrance for the handicapped.) The theatre section of the building has tiered bleacher seating on the entrance wall with the stage located on the opposite. For this production the stage was divided into seating on one side and the Science Ninja Big Ten band on the other because the dominant feature of the room, the wrestling ring, was set up in the center of the venue. Theatre goers could sit ringside on three sides of the ring while cast members occupied the space between the ring and stage during the play. Characters made their entrances from stage center, down a lighted ramp to the ring. There were plenty of helpful staff around, handing out playbills and escorting people to seats while the Science Ninja Big Ten Band played tunes during the wait for showtime.

They're an interesting bunch, the Science Ninja Big Ten Band. Led by composer Chris Cracknell, who also plays the part of Dean Rebel on some shows, the band is a tight knit group with some serious musical chops. Aside from providing the show tunes for the play's musical numbers they also perform all the accompanying background music as well as vocal participation throughout the play. Eclectic in look and attire, their enthusiasm and perpetual smiles soon won over even those elderly patrons who might otherwise have found the Rock & Roll flavored tunes a tad raunchier than their normal tastes. (It should be noted that earplugs were offered to everyone at the door.) Perhaps the biggest surprise for me about this band was discovering the vocal talents of the group's sole female performer, Bassist Monica Knott. This diminutive lady possesses some powerful vocals and as it turns out, she not only has experience singing with a number of bands, she also sings with Opera Hamilton and numerous choirs. Those vocal talents were showcased during one number and literally brought goose bumps to my skin. (And I mean that in the best way.) The Science Ninja Big Ten Band was so good a fit to the Trafford Tanzi production that I find it difficult to imagine another band in their place. The music of the Trafford Tanzi production seemed to me like the love child of Richard O'Brien and Warren Zevon.

As a special opening night attraction, a pre-show pro wrestling exhibition match took place featuring a couple well known wrestlers from the local scene... Rip Impact faced off against "Motion Picture" Ethan Page". Page, accompanied by his manager Mr Melo was first out to the ring and the pair immediately let fans know they were the "bad guys" with their insults and arrogant attitudes. Rip Impact was greeted with hearty cheers and like everywhere else he appears, was swiftly embraced as the hero. For an exhibition match this bout was very competitive and the crowd, despite not being "regular" pro wrestling fans, had little trouble getting into the action; they cheered and booed at all the right times for all the right reasons and clapped in unison in an effort to rally Impact every time the evil Page had him in difficulty. Mr Melo did a good job keeping his ringside antics to a minimum allowing the two stars in the ring to carry the action. Page dominated much of the match thanks in part to his willingness to break the rules but his arrogant attitude proved to be his undoing. After folding Rip almost in half with a sitout powerbomb for a nearfall, Page paused during his set-up for another to point towards wrestling legend Ernie "The Executioner:" Moore, who was seated on the stage with another legend, Ronnie "The Phantom" Logue. Page yelled "This one's for you Ernie Moore, you old bag of bones!" and then hoisted Impact up to deliver a second powerbomb but Rip had recovered his wits during the pause and slipped from Page's grasp. Impact grabbed a surprised "Motion Picture" and nailed his Sliced Bread #2 for the pin and the win. Fans applauded the victory and all the participants of this rousing little seven minute opening bout.

Ernie Moore and Ronnie Logue weren't just there as random theatre aficionados; they, along with David Savelli (aka Rip Impact), were the wrestling coaches who worked with cast members for weeks to prepare them for the rigors of performing in a Rock & Roll Wrestling Play. Moore and Logue had high praise for the Village Theatre troupe for their hard work and dedication to learning the necessary falls and maneuvers required to portray pro wrestling as realistically and safely as possible. Logue was quick to point out that the project was a "lot of work" and a time consuming task that they, and their "students" devoted hours of time to in the weeks prior to opening night. Savelli did the bulk of the hands-on work with cast members while Moore and Logue used their wealth of experience to take the printed descriptions of wrestling action in the play's script and instill them in the cast members with the needed understanding of ring psychology to bring them to life in the context of the play... all the while keeping safety the primary concern. Given the short period of time they had to accomplish this task and the complete lack of any pro wrestling experience had by all but a couple cast members, the team of Moore, Logue and Savelli did a fantastic job molding them into credible ring performers. It probably helped that the cast were all experienced to some degree in theatre and physical comedy but kudos still for achieving the level of skill that they did, especially considering that none of them possess the physical development and athletic ability a regular pro wrestling gig demands.

Pro Wrestling purists need not worry... the Village Theatre of Waterdown cast and crew did nothing to sully or devalue the business. In fact, they did a damn fine job with the actual wrestling during the play and the show ending final match between Trafford Tanzi and her estranged husband Dean Rebel was as good as many other debut matches I've seen pro wrestling novices deliver. That being said, it's unlikely that any of the cast will be appearing on any Maximum Pro Wrestling events any time soon. They learned what was necessary to fill the requirements of the play... in a convincing manner in a fashion unlikely to cause injury (although many of the moves do have a very real element of risk). Nor were they flawless in their execution; there were some mistakes and ill-timed maneuvers. No doubt some of these were a partly a case of opening night nerves as there was a noticeable improvement as the play went on, particularly by leads Rachel Janosi and Geoff Connor. As the two main characters, Tanzi and Rebel respectively, they handled the bulk of the wrestling action. The mistakes and flubs that did occur weren't a detriment to the show, if they were noticed by the non-wrestling fans in attendance at all. Trafford Tanzi IS an emotional comedy so those moments fit seamlessly into the mix of scripted physical comedy.

Set in two acts, the play is the life story of Trafford Tanzi, first introduced to fans as the reigning European Champion during the introductory moments hosted by the ref (George Sanford) who, aside from his officiating duties and turn as the perverted Dr Grope acts as the event host for the duration of the play. Each of the acts is divided into separate "bouts" that feature a chronological look at Trafford Tanzi's life story. In Bout 1, she is just a baby in diapers and grows older as the play progresses. Along the way we see how her twisted and cruel parents, her "friend" Platinum Sue, the aforementioned Dr Grope and her boyfriend, then husband, pro wrestler Dean Rebel all try to keep Tanzi down and under their control. Timid and unsure of herself to start, Tanzi eventually finds the strength to strike out on her own and the play culminates with her exacting revenge on her cheating spouse in a winner take all wrestling match where the loser must give up wrestling and accept the role of subservient housemate. Never overly emotional the story still manages to portray a woman's struggle for independence and respect while dealing with abuse, false friendships and chauvinistic behavior from the ones she loves the most. Lots of laughs and some rousing musical numbers keep the play upbeat and moving at a decent pace that never even gets close to boring or uninteresting.

Before I talk about the things and the performances I did enjoy I'm going to get the negatives out of the way first...

• I found the antics of Platinum Sue's playmate somewhat confusing - not the in-ring sequences or his musical number; Holden F. Levack did a credible job with those. It was during the opening and between bouts that his over the top flamboyant gyrations seemed out of place. It was only later in the second act that his character had any specific role or lines that clearly defined him as the effeminate love-puppy of Sue. Once that relationship had been clearly defined his gyrations and hyperactive ways made sense but prior to that I was wondering who he was and what exactly he was doing or the point to it. I didn't dislike his early moments, I just couldn't fit them into the dynamic of the play's early structure.
• I couldn't understand or hardly hear Mum's first musical number. I'm not sure if that was an issue with the microphone and sound system or whether it was caused by my own hearing issues which make it difficult for me to hear certain pitches and tones. I had no problem with her second number in the second act.

The other negative I found major enough to devote a full paragraph to it as it definitely impacted on the entire play and my enjoyment thereof... According to the playbill the part of Trafford Tanzi is alternated between three actors. Rachel Janosi played the part of Tanzi on opening night and the alternating leads, Meghan Storey & Alaina Mayer played the part of the Ring Girls which was basically them entering the ring prior to each bout with cards displaying the bout number and assisting Dr Grope during his bout with Tanzi. They also joined other cast members at ringside when not actively involved with a scene. For much of the play most of the characters not directly involved in the action in the ring remained at ringside, alternately dancing to the music numbers, adding vocal interjections (most often Mum & Dad) or handing in various props. For the most part they added to the show in the ring, not detracting from it and their participation as ringside cheerleaders did a lot to raise the visual enjoyment level of the whole show but... in Meghan Storey's case, she seemed to go above and beyond her duties as Ring Girl in a seemingly desperate attempt to garner attention to herself by dancing, gyrating, waving and otherwise trying to engage spectators while the real action was unfolding in the ring. It seemed distracting and self serving to me... in that it had no real relevance to her role or what was occurring in the play at those times. None of those behaviors were exhibited by her counterpart Alaina Mayer nor were there any other major parts for the Ring Girls beyond what I've already described so to me, Storey's behavior seemed adlibbed for personal gain. If that "look at ME" behavior WAS scripted then they never gave a reason for it or a resolution to it at any point during the show. This continual distraction from a bit player that did nothing to add to the story was my only real complaint about the show. There were enough great performances to more than make up for my distaste at Storey's efforts to draw attention her way but I think I would have enjoyed the show a lot more had she shown the more restrained enthusiasm of her fellow Ring Girl, Alaina Mayer. In pro wrestling they have a saying for what Storey did, it's called "Stealing heat."

So, with that negative out of the way (And again, it was certainly not bad enough to cause me to not recommend seeing the play) here are the people and performances I most enjoyed...

Rachel Janosi in the title role of Trafford Tanzi was a pure delight from start to finish. Her delivery was never overstated and her timing in both the physical comedy and the verbal delivery was spot on. She was the star of the show which was no small feat considering some of the characters she shared the ring with who, by virtue of the script, had far more opportunity to play over the top outrageous characters. Apparently Janosi has only recently returned to theatre from a three year hiatus but has experience in a number of roles including appearances in "Annie", "Romeo & Juliet" and "Arabian Nights" among others. She's not just a capable actor... Janosi did a fine job with the pro wrestling part of the production as well and along with Geoff Connor as Dean Rebel, she supplied an exciting main event grudge match to close the show. And speaking of Dean Rebel...

Geoff Connor's portrayal of Tanzi's overbearing, chauvinistic, cheating husband... the wannabe wrestling star Dean Rebel was hilarious from start to finish. Like the best real pro wrestlers, Connor seemed to know just when and how to engage the audience with looks, asides and other interaction. Compared to some of the other characters his physical comedy was understated but never failed to provoke laughter from the audience. I can think of a few local wrestling "heels" that could take a few pointers in evil ways from Dean Rebel and, as I mentioned above, he and Janosi did a damn fine job with the show's only "real" wrestling match - the main event winner take all affair that involved a number of slams, falls and other bumps. While Connor's character was the main heel of the play he wasn't the most hated guy in the ring... that dubious honor went to Dad.

Tanzi's Dad was portrayed with exquisite evil delight by Andrew Finnigan, an actor with previous experience with Village Theatre of Waterdown and also Theatre Burlington. "Dad" got some of the play's best lines and his facials were priceless. Finnigan has no problem sacrificing dignity for the sake of his performance and watching this slightly portly individual dancing or attempting to wrestle had me laughing so hard my sides hurt (and not just because I had abdominal surgery a week prior to the show.) Even now as I type this review I'm chuckling, thinking of his performance during the show which to my mind clearly proves that he's very good at what he does. Perhaps even more impressive is that Finnigan could be a scene stealer... chewing up the set and his fellow actors if he chose but he never came close to overshadowing the other cast members. To play such a nasty cad well and yet stay within the balance an ensemble cast requires takes skill and a command of one's craft. Finnigan did a great job and for me, seeing his name on a playbill for an advertised show will be a draw to this reviewer. I'd like to see more of this artist's work.

Another great performance was supplied by Kyla McCall who owned the role of Platinum Sue, Tanzi's childhood "friend" who ultimately sparked the heroine's rebellion against domestic servitude by sleeping with her husband Dean Rebel. McCall's turn as dominatrix Madame Whipadore was absolutely priceless and a tour def force of comedic brilliance. Next to Mum's rousing Stand By Your Man musical number, Madame Whipadore's decimation of her playmate and reunion with her old childhood pal Tanzi was a definitive moment of the play. McCall's portrayal of Platinum Sue as a young girl in Act One was very good but her corseted, riding crop wielding Madame Whipadore character was brilliant and damn near stole the show. Seriously, this is one "bout" you don't want to miss

Special mention goes to George Sanford who played the Referee and the cruel Dr Grope as well as acting as the show host. His spooky drawling delivery and stumbling physical mannerisms not only added considerably to the comedic aspect of the production but also came eerily close to being a perfect parody of an aged wrestling official.

Mum was played by Dianne McEwan in her first Village Theatre of Waterdown appearance. She has previous experience with Theatre Burlington, West End Players (Oakville) and Peel Players in Brampton. McEwan's Mum character, herself a woman subjugated by her husband and society was hardly a sympathetic figure and one played to a rather subdued effect which made her Stand By Your Man musical number in the second act even more powerful and noteworthy for its striking contrast to her earlier moments.

Those mentioned above and the other bit players, along with some great lighting direction and of course, the musical styling of the Science Ninja Big Ten Band made Trafford Tanzi a visual and aural delight and I wasn't the only one to leave opening night gushing about how much FUN the play was to attend. The cast and crew at Village Theatre of Waterdown did a great job bringing this classic work by playwright Claire Luckham to life and I have no reservations at all about telling wrestling fans that this play is a can't miss show. I enjoyed it immensely and I think you will too.

Gordo, the wizard of id

~~~~*~~~~

Trafford Tanzi runs at the Village Theatre in Waterdown until March 6th. Check their website for show times, ticket prices and other info - just click the logo below!

Poster image courtesy: Village Theatre of Waterdown
Cast Photos by: Pat McCarthy
Band & Wrestling Legends Photos by: Mrs Id

Comments? Feedback?