An Evening with Uncle Val
Written and performed by Andy Jones
Directed by Lois Brown
Runs October 1-19 @ Theatre Passe Muraille’s Mainspace
By Daina Valiulis
Popular comedy today is usually on the more sarcastic side and maybe this is just what I’m used to: self-deprecating, shocking and/or offensive, imitations à la SNL or political satire such as The Colbert Report. An Evening with Uncle Val, by contrast, can be described as “polite Canadian humour.”
Uncle Val is a 70-year old man who moves to St. John’s, Nfld. for eye surgery, and ends up staying there with his daughter Margaret and son-in-law Bernard, their children Jimmy and Kimmy, and two matching poodles. Throughout the show, we hear Uncle Val’s observations of life in the suburbs as he writes letters “home” (we are never told where this is) to his friend Jack. Writer/actor Andy Jones also steps out of character throughout to explain where his inspiration for the show came from. Set in 1987, Jones attempts to illustrate the changes going on in Newfoundland and in his own life at the time.
A one-man show about a character that Jones created in 1978, Uncle Val plays to an older demographic. Indeed, jokes about pension plans, and being a grandfather who scares his grandchildren into believing they were raised by wolves (in order to avoid telling them where babies come from), were found to be hilarious by the mostly middle-aged audience, while I was just bored.
To tell you the truth, it was difficult to stay focused. Val’s “story” had no forward motion and no conflict. It could be argued that Uncle Val comes to St. John’s very unhappy, grows accustomed to it, then finds his place in the family, discovering hope for the future; however, this progression of character was lacking something. Uncle Val is supposedly out of his element, a “fish out of water” (in keeping with the East Coast theme), and instead, he seems to be in control and speaks with a Newfoundland accent — making it seem like he belongs there and defeating the concept of being thrown into an unfamiliar culture.
Jones could have made Val more lost and befuddled at first, eventually finding his way and being “won over” by Newfoundland. Knowing where Val has come from and how his old culture clashes with the new one would have presented a conflict and made for a more interesting show than a man on stage rambling about life in the suburbs.
On the plus side, Jones is clearly passionate about telling stories about the East Coast. Canadian stories should be told, but the time period doesn’t resonate with my age group. If you’re from Newfoundland, or of a certain age, you may get the jokes and enjoy this show. If you don’t think the peculiarity of a “tea in the woods” is funny, stay home.
