Gunmetal Blues at Deep Cove Shaw Theatre

Gunmetal Blues, written by Scott Wentworth (Book), Craig Bohmler, and Marion Adler (Music and Lyrics), and it’s running November 13 – 30 at First Impressions Theatre on the waterfront in Deep Cove. Gunmetal Blues, directed by Artistic Director Claude Giroux, and featuring a large cast of three (more on that later), feels like a musical Raymond Chandler novel, dialing up the feel of noir, its campy dialogue, and hardnosed characters, while at the same time going full satire in a mashup that is both nostalgic and new, and exceedingly fun.

Direct from the Red Eye Lounge, Buddy Toupee tickles the ivories in a double-dealing world of rain-slicked streets and demolished dreams. This jazzy hit musical features long time First Impressions collaborator Gordon Roberts, returning vocal powerhouse Nick Hefflefinger and introducing the sultry vocal and multi character talents of Amelia Trotter.

Gunmetal Blues is a whodunit wrapped in a lounge act, a nod to the noir films of Bogart and the like. Buddy Toupee, sits at the piano, introduces the show and provides narration, accompaniment (musical and otherwise) throughout, and is at times a conscience for private investigator Sam Galahad. Roberts is an extremely talented piano player, an expert singer, and a fantastic guide for the audience to follow along with. It’s a jazzy score that is not overly complex but solid, with songs that are at times tongue-in-cheek and at others melancholy. There’s a shroud of stark loneliness to this genre and Gunmetal Blues captures that very well. A song like “Childhood Days” is the perfect example of this, sung by Buddy as well as Sam and Laura, one of the plethora of blonds played by Trotter. This song is the one moment of levity in an otherwise satirical and comically stereotypical story and shines a light on the solitary lives of the lounge singer, the private eye, and the femme fatale. It’s also a showcase for the vocal and acting talents of this triumvirate which is nothing to scoff at.

Tickets online www.firstimpressionstheatre.com or call 604-929-9456.