Three Ladies
Three Ladies stars the sharp-witted Belinda Cornish and the ever-hilarious Jana O’Connor, (star of CBC’s The Irrelevant Show), joined by a special guest. As they gather for a cup of tea and some gossip, each juicy bit of conversation becomes the spark for spontaneous scenes, wild characters, and side-splitting comedy.
With seasoned improvisers Belinda Cornish and Jana O’Connor sitting down for tea (with special guest Kristen Padayas at my performance), the audience is in for an inviting session of fun, gossip, and off-the-wall improvs that are birthed out of the natural flow of conversation.
Admittedly, improv is not usually this reviewer’s particular cup of tea, but these folks were incredibly watchable as they spun gold from nearly nothing. It takes great courage and skill to practice this art form and I commend anyone who risks being on stage without much of a safety net. These folks luckily had some extra support from the pit, as the incomparable Paul Morgan Donald was always at the ready with some surprise musical stings and tasteful underscoring that helped fill out our imaginations.
It was so satisfying seeing these gals tie each other into strange narrative knots and then be forced to find creative ways to dig themselves out of trouble. While some of the scenes took big swings and didn’t always conclude neatly, the attempt was always respectable, and they always made good humour out of the moment.
For today, I recommend pass on the lemonade at the festival grounds and suggest you try joining these ladies instead for some warm sips and hilarious spills. This show delivers exactly what it promises to in the program, and I had a most delightful time!
Spill the Tea By: Syenne Ko
The tea is piping hot, so pull up a chair and join Three Ladies starring Jana O'Connor, Belinda Cornish and a special guest.
With a box full of the audience’s suggestions, there were juicy topics of conversation for the cast. What was even juicier were the side scenes based on each topic of conversation. These hilarious scenarios, which were completely improvised, had the audience in stitches.
Accompanying this afternoon tea was Paul Morgan Donald, who played live music. From calming to playful, the music transformed the tea party’s ambiance at the right moments.
Make sure to catch this tea while it’s still hot!
Belinda and Jana are talented improvisors but I think as with many improv shows, the success of the performance is really dependent on what the audience prompts are. This format likely has great potential when the guest "third lady" is someone who can jump on into an improv troupe. Alas, the guest on the day I attended was really not a performer of this kind and it showed. Having an amber alert go off mid show also seemed to throw the vibe off further. A bit of bad luck but I'd give it another chance if I knew who the guest was before hand.