Brown brogues, black suit, red tie and stories
After years of reading, listening to and laughing at his wonderful stories, on Sunday afternoon we saw Stuart McLean live for the first time.
He gave his Christmas concert at the Centre for the Arts on Homer Street. Between McLean's stories we heard wonderful singing by Jackie Richardson, along with guitar and voice by Matt Andersen. Also between stories, Vinyl Cafe regulars Dennis and John played double bass and piano respectively.
Watching Stuart McLean perform live was fascinating. Long, lanky and slightly bow-legged, he proved to be a very physical storyteller. He kicked coltishly with his feet and waved his hands to punctuate the actions in his tales.
Picking audience favourites from a hat, he told 7 much-loved favourites, including "Dave Cooks the Turkey," in fifteen minutes, as well as delivering full versions of two brand-new ones.
McLean had giveaways -- books and cds -- to appreciate the concertgoers, and he needed help to distribute them. Enter Hanna, a twelve-year-old girl volunteer. In her fancy dress, pearls and bright blue crocs, Hanna was a charming hostess who engaged gamely with Stuart's repartee.
The stories are funny and the characters, like our family members, friends and neighbours, are easy to identify with. It's easy to see why McLean is Canada's best-loved story teller.