"Bob Shivery, come on down!"

I know how hard it is to make comedy look easy -- the reliance on and toying with convention, the meticulous set up, the split-second timing behind a good larf. Comedy is pretty darn tricky. In the end, you write what amuses you and hope that the audience comes along for the ride.

The Bob Shivery Show has no shortage of over-the-top antics, crazy adventures, sight gags, corny puns, throwaway lines, and quirky situations (yes, "quirky" is a word I've gotten used to; I hear it a lot). But I've tried to give the play a heart, the essence of the story being, as Frank says in an earlier version, "dream big, risk big."

As a lifelong student of comedy, I've thrown a good few shout-outs to my comic influences into the Shivery mix: Loony Tunes, Popeye, Walt Disney (the irascible Donald Duck was always a favourite), Ethel Merman, Billy Wilder, Batman, Get Smart, etc.

So there you have it, The Bob Shivery Show is, as a colleague described it, "a fantasy adventure romantic comedy." Oh, and don't forget quiz shows - they're good for a few yuks for sure.

The Bob Shivery Show soundtrack

For another window into Mr. Shivery's world, I compiled a YouTube playlist of 17 songs that chronicle Mr. Shivery's journey all the way to Calgary: some hurtin', some happy.

Listen to the soundtrack on YouTube here

The list of tunes:
1. Nature Boy - Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass
2. A Well Respected Man - The Kinks
3. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - Diana Ross and The Supremes with The Temptations
4. 100 Days, 100 Nights - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
5. Ain't No Way - Aretha Franklin
6. Learnin' The Blues - Frank Sinatra
7. Radar Love - Golden Earring
8. Love Potion Number 9 - The Searchers
9. I Fought The Law - Bobby Fuller Four
10. (You're The) Devil in Disguise - Elvis Presley
11. I Put a Spell on You - Creedence Clearwater Revival
12. The Mountain High - Dick and Dee Dee
13. Melancholy Serenade - Jackie Gleason
14. Everybody Wants to Be a Cat - Psapp
15. Night Time Is The Right Time - Ray Charles
16. Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get - The Dramatics
17. Jitterbug Waltz - Fats Waller

Bob to Frank: "You read my blog?"

And Frank replies, "Never miss a post." 

Shelley Banks, a writer and blogger at the top- notch Latitude Drifts blog, describes the Shivery experience here.

In a Theatre near you!

The Bob Shivery Show is settling comfortably into its three week run at Calgary's Lunchbox Theatre. The intrepid Bob Shivery embarks on a perilous quest to Calgary to rescue the girl of this dreams from the clutches of a Calgary oil man and, as ever, highjinks ensue.

Mr. Shivery on the world wide web:

The Lunchbox Theatre website

Calgary Sun article by Louis Hobson "Shivery Show a Showdown in Love"

Downtown Calgary article: "The Bob Shivery Show all about the journey for love"

Live! The Bob Shivery Show! September 10-29, 2012

Calgary's Lunchbox Theatre presents the world premiere of The Bob Shivery Show! For more information, click here.

Bob's Swift Bits June 12, 2012

(BOB is updating his blog, Bob's Swift Bits. He repeats the blog post out loud as he types.)


“Why am I a postmaster? After hours, during twilight time, this post office – my post office– takes on a special air. The hustle and bustle of the day to day – the sound of keys in the lock boxes, the locals bantering in the lobby – fades away. But there’s still a hint of mystery.

“When I was a kid, I’d tear out coupons from the back of comic books and send away for all kinds of stuff. And a few weeks later in my mailbox, a package of Sea Monkeys, a magic kit, a ventriloquist book. And the magic continues. Who knows – tomorrow a parcel wrapped in brown burlap from Madagascar or Micronesia might find its way in the door, smelling of sunshine and cloves. Or maybe fish.

“A gift from faraway. You wonder what it would be like to unwrap it, to experience the connection between sender and recipient. First, you carefully remove the stamps – pictures of hummingbirds or maybe tribal masks. Then cut around the wax seal…" (BOB stops typing.)

What’s wrong with me? I would never do that. I took an oath to the Queen not to tamper with the mail.

(BOB sighs and deletes this passage. He walks to a window and looks out at the night. Somewhere in the distance a dog barks. He hum/sings to himself.) You are my sunshine, my only sunshine… (BOB walks back to the computer and resumes typing.)

“There – woman. Here – man. Don’t look now, but there’s a rift the size of the Grand Canyon yawning at your feet.

“What does it take to bridge that gap? A word? A touch? A gesture? A dollar? A million dollars? You’d do anything because the closer you get to the edge, the more beautiful she is. But mind the gap; you can’t walk on air – not even for her.”

It's a play!

Love is a long road, so bring plenty of sandwiches and gypsy water. Bob Shivery's quest to save the woman he loves will propel him down the No. 1 all the way to Calgary.

Lunchbox Theatre presents the world premiere of The Bob Shivery Show September 10-29, 2012 in Calgary, Alberta.

This play was developed with support from the Alberta Playwrights' Network and the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre.