Good Timber

It's been a while since we visited the Firehall Arts Centre, and last night's performance of Good Timber made us happy to be back. We've come to expect multi-talented ensemble casts at Firehall shows, and Good Timber fits that mold to a tree. The show features six actor/singer/musicians from The Other Guys Theatre Company performing Robert E. Swanson's logger poetry mostly set to music.

There isn't really a sustained narrative, but each song and poem tells its own story, all against a backdrop of wonderfully curated archival photos and video. Sometimes it was difficult to decide whether to watch the cast or the screen, especially when said screen featured images of handsome, strapping young lads from days gone by.

You might think this production has a fairly limited target audience, and certainly those with any kind of connection to forestry will find it especially gratifying. That being said, anyone with a penchant for rousing folk harmonies will enjoy the show. A caveat for the logging lay people: read the glossary before the show starts, lest all of the jargon sail over your head like a falling widow-maker.