Homo Alone ★★★ The Other Palace | Nov 29, 2024 - Jan 5, 2025


For the most part, the plot of this Christmas offering parallels the storyline of the 1990 movie. When Kevin's family goes away, the 8-year-old is accidentally left at home and ends up amusingly having to fend off some rather ineffectual burglars. The issue with this version is that it's really not that easy to parody a film that didn't take itself very seriously the first time around. This may be the reason that a lot of the humour of Homo Alone depends on comments about the production itself. Jokes about the cheapness of the props and the fact that four actors have to play multiple roles abound. That shtick plus lots of gay shock humour account for the majority of the show's laughs in the first act, despite there being an issue with the sound at the beginning of the show which resulted in a number of lines being lost through over projection and inadequate enunciation. For us, things got better in the second act with some amusing parodies of Christmas songs, and Steph Asamoah's tangential Celine Dion spoof. The opening number of Act II was particularly successful, and the cast seemed to find a groove. In general, the performers work very hard and bring lots of energy to the show, but it sometimes seems as if they are struggling to convince us that we are having fun. Indeed, the audience participation moments seem forced, and as we leave the realm of parody and enter that of panto, very little is added to the show. Jack North as Kevin's closeted gay father puts in a performance that is outrageously camp while Allie Dart as his careless mother, does a nice job of channelling Catherine O'Hara from her role in Schitt's Creek. Elliott Evans is terrific as Kevin, but as an 8-year-old it is somewhat confusing, and a bit awkward, when he decides to come out to his parents. Overall, it doesn't feel as if the gay gloss on the original film really works, and while both the cast and writers demonstrate some great potential for comic fun, this may not have been the best vehicle for their parodic talents.

Rated: ★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Mark Senior

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