Vaudeville is in her blood. Susie Francis is a seventh generation performer of the old-fashioned art of singing and comedy known as vaudeville that she learned from her father, Fran Dowie. Before he died, he made her promise to continue the family business that helps groups raise funds by putting on shows. Now the Langley performer travels to help other groups get their start, for example, the new vaudeville group on the Coast, The Funtastics, who will hold their first show on April 29.
"It's a chance to pass on knowledge that my dad gave me," she said.
Last January a group of about 18 people in the 55-plus age group auditioned to be part of the Coast's newest troupe. Some have never performed before; others are more experienced and have appeared in amateur theatre.
Miss Berni G, an entertainer who loves to bash out the old songs on her piano, is the musical director, and she's having a hoot, she told Coast Reporter.
The entertainment dates back to the mid 1800s, Francis explains, when the first minstrel shows took to the stage in costumes that seem dated now -white folks dressed in blackface. But it was a good venue for comedy, and audiences loved it. In amongst the singing and dancing, there was room for dog acts, acrobatics and fun for the whole family. In the '20s, burlesque emerged in America as a type of vaudeville with more risque acts suitable for adults only. In Britain, the entertainment style diverged into the music hall variety show that is still popular today.
But the family fun continued with the entertainers of yesteryear such as Red Skelton and Burns and Allen who used vaudeville as launching pads for their careers.
"We're following the American style mostly, with a little British added," Francis said. It's suitable for families. She encourages grand-parents to bring their grandchildren.
And will the music be familiar? If you are a senior, it's the songs your parents sung, Francis suggests. Other features include the can-can girls, Keystone cops and flappers who do a mean Black Bottom (that's a dance, for those born closer to this century). There are also barbershop quartets and silly comic routines. Ed Smith solos with the classic song Don't Be Cruel to a Vegetable and the other guys in the Bucket Quartet dress in mutton chops and straw hats to croon Ain't She Sweet. Mo Farn astounds with his comical magic act, and Gloria Fyles kicks up her heels with the other can-can ladies. When the men turn serious to sing a Victorian era song, The Old Oaken Bucket, the dignified tone can only last so long before they are interrupted by a comical interlude involving a real bucket.
"That's what vaudeville is all about, finding humour in something ordinary," Francis said.
The backdrop is a custom job painted by volunteers to look like the old fireproof curtains required on vaudeville stages. Typically they carried advertising and this one is no different. Local businesses have helped to sponsor the show with their ads.
The Funtastics will perform two shows: on Friday, April 29, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 1, at 3 p.m. at the Seniors Centre in Sechelt. Tickets for $15 are at the Seniors Centre, Monkeychips in Sechelt and Hallmark Cards in Gibsons.
