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The Banshee’s New Wig

Reviewed by Donald D'Haene, June 27, 2009

Warning: This review may contain spoilers.
Part of London Fringe Festival 2009
Written, Composed and Directed by Pappie J. Ozmand
Played by Heather May Bailey, Martin Ellison-Wareing, Mike Wareing, Jeana Lowes, Neila Lawson, Kye Lea Handelman, Ray Clancy, Julie White, Steven Moniz, Timothy Lewis, Greg Eadie, Tia Brown
Wolf Performance Hall
June 19–28, 2009

This Banshee Has To Be Seen To Be Believed III

A couple of decades ago, I convinced a friend to watch the John Waters movie Pink Flamingos. He cried, “Don’t make me!” I won, but I also lost because I didn’t need no sniff card to figure out soon enough that that movie was a piece of sh*t!

Zoom ahead to May 2, 2004. I’m sitting fourth row and John Waters is sitting behind me for the final, original Broadway run of his musical Hairspray.

That one artist could go from Pink Flamingos to the fantastic Hairspray is unbelievable. And the moral of that story: we all have to start somewhere; it is so important to not let criticism decide your fate as a creative artist.

And so Pappie J. Ozmand, who is only seventeen and made Top 50 in a recent Canadian Idol, I believe you should not let the following review of your show, The Banshee’s New Wig, in anyway deter you from pursuing your dreams. In fact, I’ll go out a limb and state that I had more fun watching your show, which I didn’t like, than I did watching some other Fringe shows, that I did.

Your show was so bad, it was good. Well, almost. And so you get my third honourary title, “Has To Be Seen To Be Believed” — the second one I’ve bestowed this year! But this time, I’m not speechless.

The synopsis states, “Set in 1970s New York City, The Banshee’s New Wig is the story of Margo O’Brien, a shy and sensitive banshee disguised as a long lost relative who finds herself in unmarked territory when she arrives at the doorstep of the O’Reilly family.”

Watching how this plotline actually played out, I thought I was having a gay nightmare, but no one would wake me up! So I guess you’d call it a waking, working nightmare as I had to take notes for my review. It’s that Alice in Wonderland insanity all over again!

Give me strength.

On the other hand, if this were a kindergarten class production, I’d stamp it brilliant! From the lyrics which I could pick up, I believe Ozmand has a way with words. The problem was, the delivery was often so weak, I wanted to demand a teleprompter.

One character says to another, “You don’t say much, but your eyes speak a thousand words.” Good thing she didn’t look into my eyes!

The mother in this show reminded me of Mimi on The Drew Carey Show. The problem is I never thought she was funny either.

Ray Clancy as Grandfather O’Reilly has a good singing voice. Too bad the character wasn’t written with Alzheimer’s as it would have went well with the lyrics he forgot and the ones he did remember such as the line, “It’s all coming back to me now.”

And at one point, Heather May as Margo says, “I look quite ridiculous here.” If you only knew, my dear. Such lines were unintentionally hilarious.

Some characters screamed. I wonder how they’ll feel when they read my review.

One bit that did work was the hot dog vendor. He was very funny. The young lad reminded me of Wanda Sykes. Too bad he only had a minor role.

Ozmand writes in the press release material, “Why give people something they’ve seen before?” He adds, he wrote “the original 148-page screenplay in less than a week…The result: a memorably vibrant and shameless quirky musical masterpiece.”

Like I said, folks, this one has to be seen to be believed.

Donald D'Haene has been involved in local theatre for two decades. This fall, he will be a contributing writer for London's newest Arts Magazine, The Beat. He is PR Consultant for Pacheco Theatre’s Dec 2--5, McManus Studio production of P.S. Your Cat Is Dead and Producer for MTP's 2010 March musical, Nine.

4 Comments on “The Banshee’s New Wig”

  1. Heather Grace says:
    June 27th, 2009 at 7:06 pm

    Your words would have more credibility had you taken the time to spell correctly the name of the writer/director - Pappie J. Ozmand. A bad review is fine, but if you’re criticizing someone else’s work you really should make sure your own is spot on. Not only does it make you look unprofessional, but it is extremely disrespectful to the young man whom you are reviewing.

  2. Donald D'Haene says:
    June 27th, 2009 at 7:22 pm

    I have a last name that people rarely spell right, so I understand how you feel. I really don’t know how I missed that. I promise for the rest of my life, I will tell myself, "It is Ozmand with a Z." Thanks for setting me straight and my apologies to Mr. Ozmand!

  3. TiL Admin says:
    June 28th, 2009 at 2:06 am

    That’s partly my fault too; I remember thinking that I should check the name (which would’ve been easy, as it’s right there in the listing) but I missed it. I’ve corrected the review—thanks for your comment, Heather, and my apologies to wonderfully-named Pappie J. Ozmand.

  4. Ozmand says:
    July 4th, 2009 at 3:19 pm

    Dear Theatre In London Readers,

    I don’t know where else to put this message so I am posting it here below one of my favourite reviews about ‘The Banshee’s New Wig.’

    On behalf of my company, I would like to say a grandiose thank you to everybody who attended a performance of ‘The Banshee’s New Wig’ during our run. I’d also like to congratulate our cast and crew on their incredible efforts. It was a show which required tremendous heart, endurance and creative bravery and I am glad to have been able to find so many talented character actors in the city.

    Though the number seventeen might look petite on paper I warn audiences, critics and professionals a like never to associate feelings of doubt or have short expectations for the young artists of today. For my age, I have already had a punchy career in entertainment. Starting at the age of twelve I was prowling on the stage as a rock ‘n roll hooligan, I was running around Toronto with glam rockers, had a stint on a reality television competition and have been constantly practicing my music. (which has always been my main focus) This has led me to meetings with some of the most successful music industry executives in the country.

    Regardless of how my public persona is interpreted I can assure you that I have very little ego. Those who actually take a second to meet me find that the fact is I am very shy, insecure and vulnerable. I’ve worked hard to get where I am and I am simply mimicking my contemporaries in their straight forward approach. One thing I’ve learned in this business is that everybody knows that they’ll hear the word NO at least twenty-five times before they get a yes but it really is all how you look at it. I’m sure most of my friends would agree that this industry produces criminals more rapidly than New York in the 1940’s and you’ve got to be a clever fisher man/woman to keep yourself above water. (funny quote coming from a vegetarian.) To my contemporaries, I suggest that you stay positive and remember to love.

    Regarding this lovely review:

    For the type of entertainment that I am trying to achieve (at least with the Banshee) which is often times campy, over-the-top, raw or even cheeky on purpose Mr. D’Haene’s review was perfect! I make no jokes when I state that in my opinion this review proves that Mr. D’Haene has bad taste, just not bad enough.

    We’ve gotten a kick out of this one! Most critics are lazy and can’t put two sentences together. Mr. D’Haene had a clever approach and I suggest that regardless of what your thoughts are on a piece, not to sacrifice your English skills and sound like a drab bat. Mr. D’Haene refused to do just that and I look forward to reading future reviews from him.

    I consider it a triumphant show, especially our closing night. Everybody was on the top of their game and we went out with a bang. See the people on ‘The Banshee’s New Wig’ cast listing up there? Hire em!

    The audition notice for my next production is posted on the forum. Please check it out either as an auditioner or an audience member. It is a very challenging piece, far more dramatic than ‘The Banshee’s New Wig,’ but it explores my second passion which is for African American History.

    Thank you very much!
    -Pappie J. Ozmand

    P.S. All this fuss about the Ozmand with a Zee thing has inspired me to write a song.

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