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He began his showbiz
ambitions as a selftaught
musician, and became
quite proficient
with several instruments,
including piano
and guitar."I originally
wanted to be a rock
star, but I didn't have the
voice for it," he said."So
my dad told me that I
should get a degree. I
enjoyed food and science,
so I decided to
pursue a degree in food
science." When he got
his degree in food science,
one of Avati's first
jobs was to work for a
major food company in
Australia, where he
helped to introduce the
Magnum line of premium
ice cream (which
is now available in
North America).
However, being a
sharp observer since he
was a child,Avati decided
to pursue comedy
just as strongly as he
pursued his other career
paths."What made
me go into comedy on a
hardcore basis was the
fact that doing stand-up
allowed me to be more
of myself onstage," he
said.
While few comics do
bilingual shows,Avati
enjoys doing his shows
with the set-ups in English
and the punchlines
in Italian."I love doing
the double entendres
and play on words in
both languages," he said.
"It's a fun technique that
really evokes a lot of
laughter, and I get a big
kick out of being funny
in two languages."
He also enjoys the
fact that whatever city
he performs in, his
shows manage to bring
together their respective
Italian communities
of all ages."My shows
attract kids, teens, parents
and grandparents.
Usually, I would see
three generations at my
shows laughing along
with me, and it makes
me tick," he said."When
you come to my show,
you leave entertained
and you talk about the
good experience you
had there."
For more information
about Joe Avati's "Back
To Basics" tour of
Canada, check out his
website at www.joeavati.com.
To read more
about Joe Avati and his
current Canadian tour,
check out my blog
"Stuey Nulman's Short
World", which can be
found at:
www.stueyn.blogspot.ca
* * *
About 200 people
gathered at the Dollard
Civic Centre on October
4 to join West Island
Community Shares
(WICS) at the "Walk for
Community Shares"
launch of their 15th annual
fundraising campaign.
Caroline Tison,
WICS' Executive Director,
welcomed the participants
by inviting
them to be heroes in
their own right by making
a donation that will
aid the 36 local charities
that help 38,000 West
Island residents in need.
She added that the
fundraising goal for
2012-2013 is to reach
"$1 million + + +" by
March 31.
Vincent Lamoreaux,
WICS' new President,
addressed the crowd by
saying "You are all super
heroes.You are ordinary
people who do amazing
things.This is a call to
action for West Island
residents to do something
great for the community."
Tison and Lamoreaux
also unveiled a brand
new Mercedes-Benz
Sprinter withVous &
You - West Island Community
Shares' official
mascots - emblazoned
on either side of the vehicle.
The Sprinter,
which was donated by
Mercedes-Benz West Island,
is going to be used
by any of WICS' 36 organizations
anytime they
need it towards their
work for the community
at large.The event
ended with a 2.5 kilometer
walk by all of the
200 people present who
represented the organizations
under the WICS
umbrella and the
group's many sponsors.
* * *
The Centaur Theatre
began its 2012-2013
season on a dysfunctional
note last week
with the Quebec English
language premiere of
Jean Marc Dalpe's drama
"August,An Afternoon
in the Country". The
play takes place in the
space of a hot August
afternoon in a nondescript
rural town in
Quebec. Monique
(Danette McKay), a middle-aged
woman, pays a
visit to her family's rundown
farmhouse to announce
her engagement
to Andre (Pier Kohl).A
celebratory dinner is
planned by her brother
Simon (Chip Chuipka)
and sister-in-law Jeanne
(Pauline Little).What is
supposed to be a joyous
occasion ends up with
tensions rising as high as
the midday August temperature,
with a tense,
hidden family secret unveiled
between Simon
and Jeanne's daughter
Louise (Eleanor Noble)
and her husband, the
farm's handyman
Gabriel (Graham Cuthbertson).
This production plays
out like a Tennessee
Williams drama with a
Quebecois flavour to it.
The cast does quite an
effective job turning a
family celebration into a
simmering dysfunctional
situation that comes to
its eruptive climax.Two
stand-outs are newcomer
Arielle Palik, who
plays Louise and
Gabriel's high strung
daughter Josee, who
loudly defines what
teenage angst is all
about; and Clare Coulter
steals the show as
Paulette, the family's eccentric,
gruff and pointedly
witty matriarch,
who provides most of
the play's comic relief
(and believe me, we all
wish we had a grandmother
like her).With
all those elements in
place, you certainly feel
the heat of a rural family
that's quickly falling
apart in the heat of a
hot August afternoon.
"August,An Afternoon
in the Country" is playing
at the Centaur until
October 28. For tickets,
call 514-288-3161, or go
to www.centaurtheatre.com.
* * *
Well, the wait is over.
After a great deal of
taping in a studio on St.
Patrick Street over the
past month, the new
face of the popular 70s
TV game show "Match
Game" will begin airing
on the Comedy Network
every weeknight
at 8 p.m. starting this
Monday (October 15).
Join host Darrin Rose,
as he oversees two contestants
match wits (not
to mention snappy, double
entendre responses)
with six celebrity panelists
for cash prizes. Inheriting
the mantle of
the late Brett Somers
and Charles Nelson
Reilly as regular Match
Game panelists are
Canadian comics Debra
DiGiovanni and Sean
Cullen. Joining Debra
and Sean on the twotiered
set are a wide
range of celebrity panelists
ready to fill in the
blanks, including Tom
Green,Andy Kindler,
Samantha Bee, Caroline
Rhea, Janeane Garafalo,
Jeremy Hotz,"Kids in
the Hall" alumni Kevin
McDonald and Scott
Thompson,Yvette
Nicole Brown ("Community"),
Tara Spencer-
Nairn ("Corner Gas"),
D.L. Hughley, Colin
Mochrie,Amanda Tapping
("Sanctuary") and
Montreal comics Joey
Elias and DeAnne Smith.
With them and a whole
host of other celebrities
on board, the "blank"
will certainly be flying
on Match Game.
* * *
If you have an event
that you want publicized
in the Grapevine, please
send the information to
my attention at bookbanter@hotmail.com.
Comment on this article at:
www.westendtimes.ca
West Island Community Shares' Executive Director Caroline Tison (Left)
and president Vincent Lamoreaux. ( All photos: Stuart Nulman)
West Island Community Shares' brand new Mercedes-Benz
Sprinter official vehicle.
the 2.5 kilometre walk that officially launched West Island Community
Shares' annual fundraising campaign.
* OCTOBER 13, 2012 13