"Amidst all of the hilarity and poking fun at other people’s pathetic postings and missed connections, there was also a strong element of empathy and compassion that came through."

Show: Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata

Written by: Bill Richardson, Veda Hill

Director: Amiel Gladstone

Performers: J. Cameron Barnett, Dmitry Chepovetsky, Bree Greig, Veda Hille, Selina Martin, Barry Mirochnick

Venue: Arts Club Theatre Revue Stage

Run: January 24th to February 11th, 2012

Reviewed by Tessa Perkins

This was an extremely entertaining and hilarious show that had me laughing almost continuously for ninety minutes. If you have ever browsed through Craigslist just to see what weird things people post on there, consider this a superb collection of the strangest, most amusing postings you can imagine — set to music to make it even more enjoyable.

Do you need a box of fourteen various cat hats for all occasions? How about a children’s guillotine (only been used once)? Maybe you would have a use for a signed copy of the bible? Or maybe you would be interested in sitting in a bathtub full of noodles for one dollar? It is hard to believe the lyrics of these songs were taken from actual Craigslist postings.

These songs were all extremely well composed and the comic timing was perfect. I really enjoyed their Chicago parody that has a girl listing all the things she doesn’t want in a roommate, and the recent Philosophy graduate (Bree Greig) who needs to give her stuffed penguins to a good home. She rocks out singing a song in which she lovingly recites all sixteen species of penguin in alphabetical order. I had that song stuck in my head after the show; it was both amusing and educational.

My favourite character in the show was a grammar-obsessed lady (Selina Martin) who corrected the mistakes in the postings as they were said. Martin also played an old cat lady who was selling her cat hats and sang about her deceased cat, Snowman. Another great segment was Dmitry Chepovetsky’s song about paying someone to sit in a bathtub of noodles and describing exactly how the gig would work. He would require at least a five-minute stay and you don’t need to bring sauce.

J. Cameron Barnett was great on the Saxophone and he also did a hilarious song about wanting to drink coffee with another guy sometime in their underwear, (but he’s not gay or anything – “It’s just a male bonding sipping thing.”) He also did another great number in which he had a dead moose to sell and Chepovetsky needed a dead deer to convince his wife he’d been hunting for the week.

Amidst all of the hilarity and poking fun at other people’s pathetic postings and missed connections, there was also a strong element of empathy and compassion that came through. I found myself feeling sorry for the old cat lady, and understanding that sometimes people are just so lonely that they will post something in the hopes that the person they glimpsed on the bus or in the coffee shop will see it. Their most touching song was “Did Somebody See Me Today?” and I thought it provided a great theme for the show as they sang about loneliness and human connection.

The set for the show was full of lamps of different shapes and sizes, most likely procured on Craigslist. I absolutely loved this show and I think it touches on some extremely universal human emotions as we all struggle to find what we want and get rid of what we don’t need. If you need a good laugh, this show will surely deliver.         

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