Riding a reputation built on applause

At first glance, Chase Padgett’s one-man show Six Guitars at the Arden Theatre seems like a promotional inaccuracy.

After all, he only uses one guitar. But he plays his instrument in six assorted styles relaying the stories of different characters.

The special six are fairly distinct from an 87-year old blues veteran, a young wannabe metal rocker and a Mexican studying classical music to a snobby jazz aficionado, a twangy country singer and a gay folkie.

Dubbed by Internet reviewers as “engaging, clever, funny and surprisingly enlightening,” Six Guitars is the creation of Padgett and Jay Hopkins of the Orlando improv troupe SAK Theatre.

It’s a hybrid of different elements that Padgett enjoys – music, storytelling and improvised stand-up. Each character offers a few life lessons while dipping into the odd musical interlude.

“These characters are all archetypes. They’re not famous characters. They’re built on a mix of people I’ve met,” said Padgett. “Every single one is based on the truths of musicians that inspired me.”

There’s Tyrone Gibbons, the old Chicago bluesman. His inspiration was a live Buddy Guy in Las Vegas where the entertainer casually chatted with the audience playing a guitar in one hand and carrying a drink in the other.

While Tyrone has a deliberate quietness, Michael Mersh, the wannabe metalhead is all over the place – a textbook case of attention deficit disorder.

“His energy is music. That was me in high school. I was fully involved with music. I was so over playing the trumpet and I connected with the guitar. I started playing blues and that inspired rock. To this day I still love Eric Clapton.”

This cast of colourful characters includes the patronizing Wesley Tankerfield based on Jeff Rupert, a saxophone professor he studied with at college.

“His playing was beyond reproach, but his entire identity was based on jazz. He implied jazz was the most superior form of music and called people ‘jive-turkey.’ Can you imagine anyone using the word jive-turkey?”

Padgett’s Emanuel Ortega is a Mexican classical guitarist played with a heavy accent. Again, this character is drawn from a former classical music instructor.

“I was his worst student. I just didn’t connect with classical music, but I had to take it in college. He spoke in broken English and came up with these metaphors that didn’t make sense.”

And then there’s Rupert Colt, the drawling country cowboy who just wants to make it big and the sensitive folkie battling personal demons.

Pagett came up with these characters after college while working at Disney World and Universal doing improvisations for eight years.

The paycheque provided a steady middle class income and benefits, but after eight years on the job performing Beetlejuice and Grinch characters, he was ready for new challenges.

“That was performers’ boot camp. You learn to be precise after doing the same show 5,000 times.”

Six Guitars premiered at the 2010 Orlando International Fringe Festival and later traveled the Canadian Fringe Festival circuit where in 2013 it became one of the top five highest grossing shows in Winnipeg’s history.

Today Padgett lives in Portland, Ore., surrounded by inspiring artists who continue to challenge and encourage him to further hone his chops.

“Six Guitars is definitely full of laughs and it’s definitely a great time with great music.”