Payne and Bitterness!
Pages Books & Magazines and NOW Magazine, with Harper Collins Canada and Penguin Group (Canada), present:
Rob Payne with What’s On Tap? comedy troupe members Andy Sherbin and Paul Lee & The Bittergirls Annabel Griffiths, Alison Lawrence & Mary Francis Moore. In collaboration with the ALTdot COMedy Lounge!
Every Monday night at the Rivoli, brave and hilarious comedians take to the stage as part of producer Zoe Randall’s ALTdot COMedy Lounge. On March 14th, This Is Not A Reading Series teams up with ALTdot COMedy Lounge to present two of the funniest books of the season. Join us as Rob Payne, with the comedy troupe What’s On Tap?, and the Bittergirls Annabel Griffiths, Alison Lawrence & Mary Francis Moore yuk it up as feature performers in the ALTdot COMedy Lounge!
Rob Payne’s Sushi Daze is a hip, smart, romantic and funny coming-of-age story, that perfectly captures a “Lost in Translation Zeitgeist”. It follows Jamie Schmidt, a North American ESL teacher in Japan, on a cultural road trip through a seldom seen side of Japan, which includes Hello Kitty breast pumps and students more interested in learning dialogue from Pulp Fiction and Deliverance than building their conversation skills. Rob Payne is once again the king of the quick-witted comeback. His irreverent style is tempered by a talent for recognizing the inner truths that all of us are searching for. Come celebrate the launch of Sushi Daze and hear Rob Payne deliver a hilarious monologue about the book’s origins and about being a teacher of English in Japan. Rob will be joined on stage by sketch comedians Andy Sherbin and Paul Lee, from the comedy troupe What’s On Tap?
Rob Payne is the author of Live by Request and Working Class Zero. The former editor of Quarry magazine, he has edited two anthologies of Canadian short fiction, Carrying the Fire and Pop Goes the Story. His writing has appeared in such publications as Canadian Fiction magazine, Zygote and Front & Centre. He has also written for the sketch comedy troupe What’s On Tap? Rob Payne has lived in Ottawa, Yokohama and Perth. He now resides in Toronto.
What’s On Tap? has performed at numerous venues and events, including the Banff Television Festival Comedy Cabaret. Members include Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who plays Randy Ko on Global TV’s “Train 48, and Andrew Sherbin, a long-time contributor to the Toronto sketch comedy scene.
Annabel Griffiths, Alison Lawrence & Mary Francis Moore, co-authors of Bittergirl: Getting Over Getting Dumped (Penguin Canada)
Ever been dumped? Ever had your heart stomped on? Been publicly humiliated? Had to hide in the washroom stall until that special someone left the restaurant with their new squeeze? You’re not alone. Because you’re a bittergirl.
A bittergirl is sassy. A bittergirl is sexy. A bittergirl knows how to throw on an evening gown, strap on a fabulous pair of shoes, and tell a story like no one else. Whether you were dating for five months, living together for four years, or were married with three children, you can be a bittergirl, too. So, what’s a bittergirl to do? Honey, blow that nose, wipe those tears, get out of bed, and join the bittergirls Annabel Griffiths, Alison Lawrence & Mary Francis Moore at the Rivoli as they reprise the funniest moments from their hit play bittergirl.
And while you’re at it, buy a book or two! Bittergirl the book (based on the play) takes you from initiation into the bittergirl club, including warning signs, the shock of rejection, the seductive lure of “the moment of weakness,” and relationship apathy, through your first solo appearance, and on to the bittersweet moment when our bittergirl realizes, “Wow, I’m over him.”
Bittergirls Annabel Griffiths, Alison Lawrence, and Mary Francis Moore have, collectively, been dumped fifty-seven times. The professional actors, writers, and directors wrote and performed the play bittergirl, which became a cult hit in Toronto, New York, and London, England. They live in Toronto.
