Live and in person at the Studio at the Streetcar Crowsnest, Carlaw and Dundas. Baram and Snieckus presented by Crow’s Theatre. Playing until December 22, 2024.
www.crowstheatre.com
Big Stuff, is a little show about big, important things written and performed by Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus. Both are celebrated comedians and improvisors who have worked at Second City and in many comedy venues. They are also married, to each other so their comedy chops are very finely tuned.
It’s about the stuff we keep and the stuff we let go. Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus are polar opposites when it comes to stuff. He has no problem with tossing anything no matter how sentimental. Naomi Snieckus on the other hand keeps everything and she has a good reason to justify holding on. While Matt Baram tosses stuff, he holds the memory of it close to his heart. He remembers the nickname his father called him when he was a kid. He has fond memories of his mother but no mementoes.
Naomi Snieckus has her late grandmother’s crochet needle even though Snieckus does not crochet. It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t crochet, according her, it was her grandmother’s crotchet needle and she needs to keep it to keep her grandmother close.
Toaster’s, Naomi Snieckus keeps toasters whether they work or not because it has a memory. There are several toasters around the set. There is a childhood book, a mug etc. She even begins to save mementoes that might have been important in Matt Baram’s life too—such as a framed example of a parent’s needlepoint.
There is a story framing all this. They are driving a UHAUL full of a late parent’s stuff back from LA. They are at the Canadian border and Snieckus remembers that there might be a baggie of pot in the back of the truck. Snieckus and Baram do some role playing about how they are going to handle the questions of the border guard. They are master improvisors but have to get their stories right. There are about 100 cars in front of them in line before they are questioned. They are nervous and creating what they will say, but not mentioning the pot. And then they go off on a tangent, explaining why they are in a UHAUL driving from Los Angeles in the first place.
That leads them to tell how they met (at Second City), fell in love as a result, and how they delt with it—they were both married to others at the time.
While it is a polished script, Baram and Snieckus do improvise. When we enter the theatre there is a folded card and pen on each seat. The card says to note a thing you have that reminds you of someone.
The audience dutifully writes about all manner of stuff they have that reminds them of someone. The cards are then collected in a cardboard box and will be used during the show—and we turn in the pens too. During the show, when Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus are talking about items that are memorable to them, they take a card from the box and read it. They then ask gently who wrote the card and to tell them about the item. Sometimes the cards and memories are poignant—one woman noted her father’s handkerchief and she got teary remembering how important it was to remind her of her father. Baram then took out a cotton handkerchief from his pocket to show that he too uses a cotton handkerchief and not a Kleenex He then says he’s been using it since the opening. It gets a laugh but this is the kind of quick wit these two comedians have. Naomi Snieckus is just as quick with a quip as Matt Baram it. Their patter is good natured, teasing, loving and kind. They don’t throw barbs at each other.
I love the whole notion of memory and stuff that nudges us to remember. Big Stuff is similar to Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe in that it twigs the audience to remember the things that gave them joy. The premise of the play is that when the narrator was a young boy his mother tried to commit suicide and was in the hospital recovering. The boy then started a list of every beautiful (brilliant) thing that he thought would twig her to joy. The first item was ice cream. Each member of the audience was given a card with an item and a number on it. When the narrator called out a number, the person with the card with that number said what the item was out loud. The audience then became complicit in the story-telling. And of course, it got us to think of things that were ‘brilliant’ to us. I thought of that show while watching Big Stuff.
The production of Big Stuff is terrific. It’s funny and very moving. The basic story is quirky but so resonant. We can all picture ourselves in that situation—picking up the parent’s stuff and having to get rid of it. What do you keep? What do you toss? What memories does it all dredge up? What games are played to make a person move to make a decision?
The set by Michelle Travey is wonderful—a whole side wall is loaded with brown cardboard boxes one uses to more stuff. They are stacked one on top of the other. There are ledges within the stacking that has a toaster a book a glass, a jar, a memento. There are two chairs in which Baram and Snieckus sit when they are driving or recalling another sketch.
It’s directed by Kat Sandler, with speed, clarity and enough time for the humour to breathe. Baram and Snieckus are often on the move to keep the vision varied. And the programme credit that Rebecca Northan is the improv consultant, speaks volumes.
Rebecca Northan is a master improvisor and her care and respect for the audience is legendary. She never talks down to an audience and she never humiliates them for a laugh. She knows who wants to engage and who doesn’t and respects that. She has passed that care to Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus, it seems to me. They are gentle and respectful when they read a card and ask who wrote it, and then to tell them about the memory. Sometimes they engage with the audience member and when they are finished with the encounter they say “Thank you.”
I love that care….so different from lots of comedians who look on the audience as fodder. Baram and Snieckus look at the audience as equal partners in a community.
Big Stuff makes you think of al the stuff in your life—clutter, mementoes, stuff to toss etc. and stuff to keep and why regarding both. It’s a sweet show with a big heart. Liked it a lot.
Baram and Snieckus with Crow’s Theatre presents:
Plays until December 22, 2024.
Running Time: 90 minutes (no intermission)