PREVIEW
Al Simmons
Saturday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m.
Morinville Community Cultural Centre
9592 – 100 Ave.
Tickets: Single $15, Family pack $50. Call 1-888-655-9090 or online at www.ticketpro.ca
When a fire tore through children’s entertainer Al Simmons' Magic Workshop in February 2018, destroying props and costumes collected for more than five decades, he was desolate.
At the time Simmons said, “When I think about what’s gone, it destroys me.”
The Juno Award winner and Order of Manitoba recipient said many of the burned items were irreplaceable and could not be purchased because they were handmade.
But neighbours, friends and fans rallied with a GoFundMe campaign and soon Simmons and his son were back in hardware stores hunting for odd pieces of junk and recycled parts that could be incorporated into Simmons one-of-a-kind props.
Nearly a year after the fire, the Manitoba resident is back on the trail delivering his special brand of comedy, music and invention to multi-generational families.
He will appear at Morinville Community Cultural Centre on Saturday, Jan. 26, with three 50-pound suitcases of props and costumes.
“I get so much joy out of being on stage. That’s my life force. My wife and I raised three boys, and it was a joy to hang around with them and build things,” said Simmons who lives on a 15-acre Anola property located about 40 kilometres from Winnipeg.
One of the inventor’s favourite hats was an ordinary cooking pot that, when opened, displayed the entire contents of a kitchen including a spatula and egg beater.
Another hat audiences easily recognized was “the Alien Hat” constructed from Princess Auto surplus parts, telephone cables and Ping-Pong balls.
A new hat Simmons calls the “Flame Head” is built from broken computer parts, fabric and high intensity LED lights.
“My son went to Winnipeg to pick up some supplies. In a garbage can he found a computer. We took it apart, and boom, there it was. That one came together miraculously. It built itself.”
And then there are the ones that defy logic. Simmons just took apart six clarinets and is trying to build one instrument. But this one is full of headaches. Nothing is working the way it should.
“I just went out to the shop and realized the paint didn’t adhere, so I have to try with different paint. Some things don’t come together quickly,” he said, chuckling.
Simmons first discovered an inventive streak during the early years singing Frank Sinatra-styled crooner songs. One of his keyboardists built a Leslie speaker (a combined amplifier and loudspeaker) from Plasticine, cottage cheese containers and bicycle parts.
“I’d always enjoyed taking things apart when I was young. I thought this is fantastic. One of the first things I tried was an exploding toilet seat complete with sirens, bells and whistles.”
One of Simmons' greatest joys is learning children have started building things after seeing his show.
“If some kid out there has a similar inclination, it’s an affirmation that you don’t have to be like everyone else. It’s OK to be different.”
