PREVIEW
Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl
Friday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m.
Arden Theatre
5 St. Anne Street
Tickets: $28 Call 780-459-1542 or online at ticketmaster.ca
Nobody likes to use the R word – recession. But in an ultra-sluggish economy, it’s difficult for bright-eyed, eager graduates to find jobs in their chosen field – especially if that discipline is anthropology.
However, Rebecca Perry’s Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl is a spirited show that resonates for most 20- and 30-somethings. For that matter, anyone detouring from a chosen career will be able to relate.
In this one-woman show, Joanie Little is an anthropology graduate who was encouraged to chase her dreams, and was told a job and money would follow. Except it didn’t.
To pay the bills, Joanie is forced to take a job as a barista. While serving customers their cup of java, her imagination turns the coffee shop into a jungle and the quirky customers morph into a variety of animals.
“At heart, it’s about a young woman trying to find her place in the world. She’s trying to make the best use of her skills until she finds a real job. She’s not letting the system beat her. She’s making the most of her underemployment,” said Perry in a telephone interview from her Toronto home.
The one-nighter running at the Arden Theatre on Jan. 31 has played across Canada and the United Kingdom since 2013 to a series of successful reviews.
The 75-minute production is largely based on Perry’s own experiences as a barista after graduating from George Brown Theatre School.
Unable to find steady employment as an actor, Perry took at job at the well-known Toronto café called Aroma located on the corner of Bloor and Bathurst streets.
“We had regular customers and some were pretty quirky. I decided to write funny stories about them, and after a few months I realized I had a play,” Perry said.
Throughout this lightweight comedy, she slips in and out of 30 characters learning life lessons, dealing with employer-employee relationships, facing employee showdowns, and there’s even a dash of romantic angst.
It’s interesting how her big, burly boss Dave morphs into a gorilla, or how Zach, a neighbourhood construction worker comes across as a neon zebra with fluorescent stripes. And then there’s the super cool dude with a cat personality while another uptight man is catalogued as a penguin.
“There are so many characters and it’s so fast paced and dynamic, it’s easy to keep it fresh. I enjoy doing solo shows. It feeds my creativity.”
Throughout this bizarre state of affairs, Perry drops in a lot of jazzy songs originally sung by the greats. A live guitarist accompanies her dusky voice in what could be interpreted as an intimate cabaret setting.
“It’s very funny, but there’s a lot of heart. It’s part of my story. But it also encourages people not to give up on their dreams even if the job market is slow.”
