The Other Houdini

Robert Feetham.

What if the famous escape artist Harry Houdini was just an average Joe with something to prove? Creator and performer Robert Feetham explores this alternative to greatness in his one-man show The Other Houdini, a zany tale of an aspiring stuntman, presented by the Theatre Lab at Unit 102 Theatre.

The Humber-trained Feetham (who has worked with the master clown Philippe Gaulier) flexes his physical theatre chops in this fast-paced, laugh-out-loud funny staging of a series of escape acts. Directed by Lisa Marie DiLiberto, Viktor Lukawski and Jenna Mariash, with dramaturgy by Adam Paolozza and musical direction by Cameron Michael Murray, The Other Houdini is clumsy and idiotic, falling down, rolling around, bursting out of boxes and attempting sloppy, so-called death-defying stunts in the hopes of making his mother proud. The audience is often asked to participate in the action as Feetham reads minds, talks to the dead and ultimately succumbs to his own foolishness in an endearing comical performance.

At this stage, the production is still being workshopped and is need of fine-tuning, however, with a bit more practice, The Other Houdini is destined for success.

The Other Houdini runs until Dec 1 at Unit 102 Theatre (376 Dufferin Street). Visit theatrelab.ca for more information and to buy tickets.