|
Throughout everything, Chris continued to act in amateur theater. He appeared in productions for the London Little Theatre, the London Community Players, Oakridge Secondary School, and University of Western Ontario's (UWO) Talbot Theatre. That amateur theater exists at all is testimony to the concepts of manifest destiny and a calling. In amateur theater you dedicate hundreds of hours in exchange for cold pizza, poor ventilation, mounting tension, camaraderie and a few rounds of applause by a small group of people. And if you're very, very lucky, maybe a couple of hundred dollars to inadequately cover your expenses. And in between rehearsals, wardrobe, performances and the inescapable personal dramas of cast and crew, you must keep your day job.
At 25, Chris landed a part in John Gerry's production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The raucous musical comedy is loosely based on the true-life closing of Miss Mona's Chicken Ranch in 1972. Miss Mona's was a famous bordello in central Texas, USA that was targeted by a small-time television consumer advocate noted for his wigs, his facelifts and his white polyester leisure-suits. While the set design was manageable, the large cast size required doubling, or quadrupling as the case may be, on supporting roles. So Chris actually landed four parts, including that of a Texas A&M college football player (Texas Aggie #7).
The role is part of the show's rowdiest musical number, requiring considerable athletic agility and stamina while bounding across the stage singing energetically. A vigorous training schedule was maintained throughout October and November by cast members in preparation for a performance scheduled, March 1986. Gerry told reporter Noel Gallagher, "I told them you can't dance and sing at the same time unless you're in shape." In January, actual rehearsals began and, per Gerry's instructions, actors arrived with scripts already memorized. In February a flu epidemic swept through London on top of a fierce Ontario winter, but the cast members put in three hour rehearsals, three nights a week and Sunday while maintaining their mundane jobs. The play was a hit, however, garnering favorable reviews and plenty of applause. Director Gerry recalls "When Chris bounded across the stage ... people noticed."
|
