TOMATOES TRIED TO KILL ME BUT BANJOS SAVED MY LIFE - VAN FRINGE 2018

14/9/2018

Adjunct Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University. CEO at Westmoreland Coal. CEO at Telescpectrum Worldwide. President and CEO at Jackson Hewitt. President and CEO at Farm Fresh Inc. This is not the CV of a Fringe performer. At least not usually. But this year Keith Alessi has come to Fringe to show as that even a recovering executive might have something to offer the arts. This show is exactly the kind of intimate and vulnerable performance we come to the Fringe to see.

I am not particularly a banjo fan, but after seeing this show I now understand the appeal. Alessi weaves beautiful stories for us, some moving, some funny, but all are accompanied and enhanced by the 3 banjos he has on stage with him. For the banjo enthusiasts in the group you will be tickled by the occasional banjo joke and Alessi’s solo performances of some very famous songs, and one at least he wrote himself.

Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved my Life has toured Canada’s Fringe scene from Toronto, through Edmonton and now in Vancouver. Next Alessi will be taking his show international and heading over to Australia. Working with a very talented group of performers, Alessi may be a newcomer to Fringe, but I don’t think it will be his last time charming an audience from the stage. Check out his website TomatoesTriedToKillme.com to enjoy some of Alessi’s favourite places, banjo builders and music. He is also offering comp tickets on his website, so if you feel like you need to see this show, but are tight on cash, you can email them and request one.

Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved my Life is playing at Carousel Theatre 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival.

~ reviewed by Brieanna Fiander

1 Comment

Brieanna

15/9/2018 22:53:36

Just got this email from Keith and had to share:

“Dear Brieanna,

Wow! I hardly know what to say. Thank you seems wholly inadequate.

When I started this journey to the stage I had no idea what to expect. I had been to a lot of theater in my life and I had always thought "how hard can that be?" Well, as I found out, HARD!

I put a show on in Chicago in front of family and friends before heading out on the Fringe circuit. I wanted to get the feel for lights, microphones, etc. At the first show I had two young men come up to me afterwards, crying. They had been dragged to the show by a friend. It turns out they had lost their father to brain cancer two years ago.

He was a banjo player. They hadn't heard a banjo in two years.

They miss him every day. My energy was similar to his. They felt him in the room. They felt he had called them there. We had a huge group cry and hug. I gave them some fatherly advice. How the dad would be proud of them, etc.

And then I knew why people do this theater thing. I knew I had a story that was landing and I had to tell it.

Toronto was sparse. Small audiences. Not particularly kind reviews. I kept refining the show. I had an audience of six one night. Deathly quiet. Afterwards, I had a young man, age 30, collapse into my arms. He was the CEO of a small tech company and he was in the middle of a fight with what looks like terminal cancer. He was inspired to keep fighting the good fight. I soldiered on, believing in the message and now knowing that reviews and audience size weren't the measure of success

As you no doubt figured out, there's more than a bit of evangelizing in this for me. I'm not looking to be discovered or launch a new career. I'm not looking for financial rewards. I donate 100% of my gate back to the Fringe festivals I'm at. I'm just trying to get a message out while having great fun doing it.

It was on to Edmonton. A small opening night (29) audience, Friday at 11:30pm. And a horrible review. "Alessi doesn't connect with an audience, the topic is 'well worn' and it doesn't rise to the level of a full theatrical production". No kidding. It's a guy with a banjo, not Hello Dolly! As an unknown, it was an uphill battle to start with. To have a 2 star review when up against 250 other shows was difficult to swallow. I'm not looking for a reviewer to drum up business, I have no financial incentive. But I was hoping it wouldn't keep people away.

And then something happened. We kept working the lines and talking to people. 40 showed up at the next show. Then 50, 60, 70 and finally 80. Audiences standing at the end. At every show, I was having incredibly emotional post show interactions. Cancer survivors. Family members. Spouses who had lost their partners. Medical professionals. People interested in banjos. A 62 year old volunteer who thought he was too old to learn guitar. He was going to start lessons. People who told me they had to hear my message that night because of whatever it was they were going through. Lots of tears and hugs.

I came home to Vancouver not knowing what to expect. You were at the opening. It's been that way every night. Each audience different but accepting, warm and responsive. Vancouverites aren't as physically embracing as Edmontonians but plenty of great feedback. We're having impact.

Which takes me to your review. You have no idea how touched I was by your kind words. It was validation. Coming at the end of the run leaves me on a high note. You "got" me.

I'm going to have to unpack all the emotions of the Summer soon. For now I'm going to enjoy the last two shows. I need to think about what to do with this project. I've been invited to do performances in Chicago, Roanoke and the Floyd Country Store! Is it over then? Fringe next year? Who knows? I'll figure it out later.

It's been the most important and rewarding thing I've ever done. A ride of a lifetime. It has been so worth it.

Thanks so much for sending folks to me and being such a beautiful part of my journey.

Lots of love,

Keith”

TOMATOES TRIED TO KILL ME BUT BANJOS SAVED MY LIFE - VAN FRINGE 2018

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