‘““My
      Visit
      to
      Second
      City”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Stacy
      Dunn
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Last
      Saturday
      night,
      November
      16,I
      went
      to
      see
      the
     
     
      comedy
      of
      Toronto’s
      Second
      City
      at
      the
      Confedera-
     
     
      tion
      Centre
      of
      the
      Arts.
      This
      troupe
      of
      five
     
     
      performers,three
      males
      and
      two
      females,and
      a
      pianist
     
     
      delivered
      many
      interesting
      quick
      scenes
      to
      warm
      the
     
     
      audience
      up
      at
      the
      beginning
      of
      the
      show.
      One
      quick
     
     
      scene
      involved
      four
      gang
      members
      dancing
      and
      sing-
     
     
      ing
      around
      their
      victim.
      While
      the
      gang
      members
      were
     
     
      occupied
      with
      their
      West
      Side
      Story
      bit,the
      victim
      left
     
     
      unnoticed.
      During
      the
      middle
      of
      the
      show,
      one
      player
     
     
      of
      the
      troupe
      asked
      a
      girl
      in
      the
      front
      row
      what
      she
     
     
      studied
      at
      school,where
      she
      worked,and
      what
      she
     
     
      would
      like
      to
      do
      if
      money
      was
      no
      object.After
      she
      had
     
     
      told
      this
      guy
      that
      she
      studied
      business,
      worked
      ina
     
     
      restaurant,and
      would
      like
      to
      travel,the
      whole
      troupe
     
     
      sang
      about
      her.
      A
      few
      scenes
      dealt
      withsex.Inone
      .
     
     
      scene,a
      psychologist
      played
      word
      association
      with
      a
     
     
      patient.
      He
      would
      say
      ‘““house’’
      and
      the
      patient
      would
     
     
      say
      ‘‘sex’’.The
      patient
      would
      say
      ““sex’’
      to
      anything
     
     
      the
      psychologist
      said,but
      when
      the
      psychologist
      said
     
     
      ‘‘vagina’’
      the
      patient
      said
      Saskatchewan.
      At
      the
      end
      of
     
     
      the
      show,the
      troupe
      did
      some
      improvising.
      This
      part
     
     
      of
      the
      performance
      was
      my
      favorite
      because
      they
     
     
      asked
      the
      audience
      for
      suggestions
      for
      their
      scenes.
     
     
      For
      example,they
      wanted
      a
      period
      of
      time
      and
      an
     
     
      object.
      The
      18th
      century
      and
      a
      toilet
      were
      given,and
     
     
      the
      scene
      turned
      out
      to
      be
      about
      a
      queen
      and
      her
      lover
     
     
      arguing
      over
      the
      porcelain
      object.
      Y
      ou
      had
      to
      be
      there
     
     
      for
      this
      scene
      because
      it
      was
      too
      crazy
      to
      describe.
      All
     
     
      the
      improvisations
      were
      weird,but
      the
      crowd
      wanted
     
     
      more.Seeing
      Second
      City,!I
      wished
      that
      I
      could
      do
     
     
      those
      scenes,and
      if
      you
      ever
      get
      the
      chance
      to
      see
     
     
      Second
      City,maybe
      you
      will
      like
      to
      do
      that
      stuff.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      singers
      this
      was
      well
      carried.
      Thebanddiddoa
      ==
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Picture
      this
      (if
      you
      can):
      a
      band
      singing
      INNU
      rock
      ©
     
     
      music
      to
      a
      French/English
      audience
      in
      a
      constrained
     
     
      formal
      setting.
      This
      highly
      unlikelycombination
     
     
      occured
      simutaneously
      in
      our
      little
      town
      recently
     
     
      when
      KASHTIN
      appeared
      at
      the
      main
      stage
      of
      the
     
     
      confederation
      center...andIT
      WORKED!!!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      five
      man
      band
      rocked
      and
      swooned
      its
      audience
      ©
     
     
      with
      lyrics
      nobody
      understood,
      but
      with
      music
      every-
     
     
      body
      seemed
      to
      relate
      to.
      Songs
      sung
      in
      Innu
      were
     
     
      done
      as
      lullabies,
      ballads,
      and
      rock
      tunes.
      At
      one
      time
     
     
      during
      the
      performance
      the
      whole
      audience
      was
      danc-
     
     
      ing
      (remember
      we
      are
      speaking
      of
      that
      big
      red
      room
     
     
      that
      is
      just
      not
      conducive
      to
      informal
      behavior).
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
          
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Thankfully
      for
      all
      the
      ‘‘anglos
      only’’
      KASHTIN
      didé
     
     
      medley
      of
      Beatles
      tunes,
      including
      ‘“Give
      PeaceA
      —
     
     
      Chance’’.
      With
      the
      powerful
      voices
      of
      the
      two
      main
      —
     
     
      number
      using
      the
      only
      traditional
      instrument
      ofthe
      ~
     
     
      Innu
      people:
      atype
      of
      drum.
      Itistoo
      bad
      Kashtin
      —
     
     
      played
      yonly
      one
      token
      song
      as
      this
      instrument
      gave
     
     
      an
      incredibly
      powerful
      tempo
      to
      the
      tune
      and
      enriche¢}
     
     
      the
      overall
      performance.
      That
      small
      gripe
      aside,
      this
      |
     
     
      group
      is
      doing
      the
      important
      work
      of
      helping
      to
      |
     
     
      bridge
      the
      gap
      between
      native
      peoples
      and
      main-
     
    

    
     
      stream
      society...and
      doing
      one
      memorable
      job
      of
      it.
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ;
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      X-P
      RESS|
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      21,
      1991
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      31