Al Simmons @ Centrepointe Theatres – January 8, 2018

   Kids will laugh and applaud the crazy antics of Juno awardwinning
children’s musician Al Simmons at Centrepointe Theatres
on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2018. And Simmons encourages his audience
to participate.
   “This isn’t TV, it’s a live show. I want the crowd to be vocal,” says
Simmons. “It’s all part of the fun.”
      After the show, he often asks children what their favourite funny
part was. A child once surprised him by asking what Al’s favourite
part was. His answer? The audience.
   “Watching the audience reaction is the best part of my job,” says
Simmons. “For me, it’s like I’m unwrapping presents: ‘What’s in
this one? Wow!’ It’s a total surprise each time. I live for it.”
Simmons and his siblings grew up in a fun household. His father
was a fan of the Vaudeville acts in the 1920s and ‘30s. He routinely
performed pratfalls and visual comedy for his children, much to
their delight.
    So when Simmons started his career as an entertainer, the idea of
visual comedy and a Vaudeville style seemed natural. “My father
was always being goofy,” says Simmons, “but I had no idea what
he was doing was called Vaudeville until I saw videos of Vaudeville’s
Mozart of Mayhem: Spike Jones. He was a kindred spirit.”

   Simmons had no formal training, but he had a knack for storytelling
and getting a laugh. “I was working as a clerk at Manitoba
Hydro. Every morning I’d have a different comedy routine for the
engineers. They encouraged me.
   “Then one day I just quit my day job and overnight, I became an
unemployed entertainer.”
Luckily for Simmons, Winnipeg was a great place to start a career
as a family entertainer. With his wacky and unique act, Simmons
became a favourite at clubs and festivals. “The entire community
was really supportive and gave me the opportunity to constantly
try new things.”
   Simmons says the dilemma he has now, after almost 50 years in
the business and a shed full of bizarre gadgets and wild costumes,
is which mechanical hats and musical contraptions to choose. His
Centrepointe Theatres performance will surely be eccentric, witty
and most of all, fun.
   “I want to unleash a child’s creativity: be inventive, play any
musical instrument, or even build your own wacky ones.”
Al Simmons performs at Centrepointe Theatres on Saturday,
Jan. 6, 2018. Visit www.centrepointetheatres.com for ticket
information.