tippiseagram’s blog

It turns out Kendall is funny

May 7th, 2009

By Nick Miliokas, Leader-PostMay 7, 2009

Truth be told, Colette Kendall is not the first person, nor will she be the last, to hear the words, “You’re really funny — you should be doing comedy.”

Unlike most people, however, she has taken the compliment to heart, and now, in her mid-40s, she is performing on the fringe theatre festival circuit as her alter ego, Tippi Seagram — the first name borrowed from the American model and film star, Nathalie Kay (Tippi) Hedren, the female lead in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller, The Birds, and the surname a decidedly more straight-forward reference to the longtime Canadian distiller of alcoholic beverages.

This is probably as far as it gets from a degree in biochemistry, which Kendall earned many years ago at the University of Toronto, and it clearly illustrates a devil-may-care spirit of adventure. She was, after all, a stay-at-home mother of three young children when all of this began at the Staircase Theatre in Hamilton, Ont., where she lives with the kids and her boyfriend — the guy who started the creative juices flowing with the aforementioned crack about comedy.

“All the way there, from my house to the theatre, I thought for sure I was going to be sick to my stomach,” Kendall says, recalling her initial visit to the Staircase for a comedy workshop. “But once I got over the nerves, it was like being in a sandbox again.”

To celebrate her 40th birthday, Kendall actually rented the theatre, of which she is now artistic director, and performed a full-length sketch with fellow would-be actors, along with a shorter standup routine. The sketch was received well enough, but it was the solo act that drew the rave reviews.

“People came up to me afterwards and said, ‘You have to do more of that,’ ” Kendall says. And in less time than it takes to add, “Warning: This show deals with mature subject matter and contains material that might be offensive to some,” Tippi Seagram was born. Kendall was soon on the road, first to London, Ottawa and Montreal, and eventually Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver on the western circuit — living what she describes as the “plastic bubble” existence that only a fringe-festival performer can truly appreciate.

“I’m not a risk-taker by nature, or at least I didn’t think I was, but once you hit 40, something clicks in your head and you just don’t give a shit anymore,” says Kendall, who will be in town Friday night to perform Happy Hour at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, as a fundraiser for the Regina International Fringe Theatre Festival.

Kendall, who describes Happy Hour as being “clean and corporate-friendly,” has since written two other shows, Who’s Afraid of Tippi Seagram, a sequel that is a bit more risqué than the original, and Cock Whisperer, which she performs as Colette Kendall, without costume and props, not as Tippi Seagram.

“It’s a love story,” she says, cryptically. “It consists of true stories I’ve made up about myself.”

Friday evening’s fundraiser will also feature music by Skin and Bone and the Best Buddies Blues Band. The emcees will be Rod McDonald and CBC Radio’s Garth Materie. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $30. The price of admission includes appetizers, and there will be a cash bar as well.

The Regina International Fringe Theatre Festival itself is scheduled for July 2-8, and yes, Kendall will be bringing Tippi to town on that occasion also.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she says. “I can’t wait.”

Posted by colette | Comments Off

It turns out Kendall is funny

About

Categories

Search Posts

Blogroll

Peeps

Post Archives