Monday, March 7, 2011

Ski Bum: The Musical


About 5 years ago I dipped my toes into the world of environmental activism. I moved from Whistler to Fernie to work at a biodiesel production plant and started a non-profit organization spreading the word to ski bums alike about the impending doom of smaller snowpacks and fewer powder days in a warming climate. But, after a bout of sifting through large vats of conjealed fryer grease and awkwardly talking to crowds about climate change, I came to the realization that I wasn't really good at it. Maybe music was a better platform for me to plant the seeds of environmentalism. However one great thing emerged from that year of finding myself in the eyes of the planet.....I met Tyler Bradley.

Tyler is a resident of Rossland, BC, a ski town in the Kootenay's much like Fernie. He joined us that year in our march to green up ski resort operations and now five years later I have re-discovered Tyler Bradley. As it turns out he is an extremely telented writer and contributes his talents to various magazines, blog, film, and recently theatre. His latest work? "Ski Bum: The Musical" which is put on by Iron Mountain Theatre and I had the opportunity to catch the show last night on their stop in Fernie.

Now I'm not a theatre critic and I haven't recently attended too many musicals, but I can tell you from beginning to end this musical was epic. If you are ski bum you will laugh to tears. If you are not a ski bum, you will laugh to tears and get an entertaining insight on the culture that exists in ski towns. The musical is based around a cultural anthropologist out to study the behavior of ski bums by ethnographically inserting himself into the mix of ragtag characters. Every ski bum term is hilariously defined through comedy, song and dance. Song titles such as "Legendairyism", "Skinnin' on up" and "Ballad of the Lonesome Plow Driver" will have you in hysterics. If you don't fall in love with the characters, you might be a robot.

That said, I am happy to re-discover my friend Tyler Bradley. Go see it. The Iron Mountain Threatre crew are touring the Kootenay's with various productions and a schedule can be found at their website: http://ironmountaintheatre.wordpress.com/
Also Check out Tyler's blog at http://tabradley.tumblr.com/

As for me sifting through vats of congealed fryer grease? Maybe it wasn't for me, but I guess if it weren't for that job, I wouldn't have moved to Fernie in the first place and might never have picked up a banjo. Thanks grease! You're tha ......man?
-Tim

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