The Yum Yum Room

Filip Ranebo; Laura Quirke; Bryan Mackenie

Despite my weekend schedule being filled with science, I managed to make it to the last show of The Yum Yum Room, staged at the Courtyard Playhouse. The coming-of-age play, written by Stephen House and directed by Sarah Dufayard, is set in a town in the playwright's home country of Australia, and touches upon subjects such as bullying, teen rebellion, growing up, and social stigma.

Filip Ranebo; Sol Abiad

The story is kind of open-ended; I'm guessing the titular room itself is a metaphor for escaping within when faced with the real world. Filip Ranebo plays the angst-ridden main character, Tom, who is portrayed as retaining a childish demeanor into adolescence. Major plot elements are his tempestuous relationship with his father, played by Bryan Mackenzie, ridicule from his peer group, and a naive fling with a schoolmate, played by Laura Quirke. Tom deals with these issues with the help of an elderly confidante, Mrs Mac, who is played extremely well by Sol Abiad with an age makeover. 

Youth talent at the GYEM Open Mic Nite

It's the kind of talent you won't see at your neighborhood bar's open mic -- primarily because most of these kids would not be allowed in. And there is plenty of talent, given a public platform once in a while thanks to the Global Youth Empowerment (GYEM), one of the city's culture hubs for young 'uns.

The event at thejamjar went over half an hour beyond its planned closing time, as act after act took turns on the stage to entertain several dozen attendees with usually great music and positive messages. One could witness a diverse range of instrumental and vocal abilities in multiple genres, from the likes of Scott Attew, Physical Graffiti and David Beats Goliath. There was also a little beatboxing and a lot of rap, including some Arabic rap, a bit of rap theatre, and a stunning rap-off near the end. It was a serious display of talent, and a testament to the drive of those too young to drive, impressing even a borderline fogey like me.