It was a sticky day, the kind that makes you long for winter’s cruel slap. Last thing i wanted to do was sit in a theatre with a bunch of bodyheat. Imagine my surprise when the show started with a cool, breezy jazz that calmed the senses while a fedora-wearing shadow clacked away on a typewriter. The shadow would soon emerge from behind the screen, now a zoot suit-clad investigative reporter-turned-entertainment columnist named Danny Bell. He’s about to watch his deadline whiz past him and his editor is breathing down his neck.

I feel for the guy. His neo-noir fasttalk and smooth turns of phrase keep him out of hot water, for now, but he’s got a story to chase. He’s caught the whiff of a scam and once he’s on the scent, nothing can distract this bloodhound—except maybe the odd dame or two. Can’t blame him – both the gals in the show were brimming with class and could talk their way into any 40s-era gangster movie. They keep up with Bell’s quick, dark humour with quip after well-crafted quip. Real swell skirts. But even the sight of some well-placed gams won’t deter our intrepid reporter as he sets off to prove that the town’s biggest hero – a psychic that can commune with the dead – is nothing more than grifter. But will he lose his job in the process?

Venue 3 Royal St. George’s Auditorium, 12o Howland Ave., Toronto

60 min.

Fri, July 2 7:30 PM – 310

Sat, July 3 12:30 PM – 313

Sun, July 4 11:00 PM – 326

Wed, July 7 6:00 PM – 342

Thu, July 8 8:45 PM – 351

Fri, July 9 4:30 PM – 355

Sat, July 10 3:30 PM – 362