Swipe Right: Adventures in Dating at Windsor’s Shadowbox is Rip-Roaring Fun

Promo photo: Adventures in Dating by Rob Tymec

Whether you’ve used dating sites like Lavalife, Plenty of Fish or currently perusing a dating app called Tinder, you’ll know that dating is not always smooth sailing at all. Adventures in Dating is a rip-roaring romantic comedy by Rob Tymec that takes dating to a whole new level of crazy, with only two actors (played brilliantly by Rob Tymec and Teagan Smallhorn) but portraying over 20 characters between them.

We caught the show on Saturday night (May 11) at Windsor’s Shadowbox Theatre.

There will always be winners and losers, and sadly Jeff is on a pretty consistent losing streak going on first dates with women who might have been left too long on the crazy train. His choice of restaurant remains the same each time, and so when each date goes badly, he can still frequent other restaurants without the bad memories attached. What an optimist! While dealing with dates ranging from a chatty cathy and OCD’er to an aggressive feminist who literally knocks him off his feet, Jeff still musters the strength to get through these dates and plot away to find his next one.

Jeff’s salvation throughout these dates is often his waitress hero, Jen. She comes to his rescue a handful of times with words of encouragement and slivers of wisdom.  Their bond begins to deepen with each date under his belt. She brings to the table a whole new perspective, as well as a red table cloth. However, she’s also mending a broken heart and jumps on the bandwagon of serial dating. Tables are turned (rather switched to blue this time), as she reminisces about her “first” date experiences.  Her luck is just as bad as Jeff’s dealing with a gym rat hopped up on protein shakes to a sci-fi geek who is outraged at Jen’s comment of mistaking Star Trek with Dr. Who.

The characters are engaging, funny and down-right quirky. Rob and Teagan are so impressive transitioning from one character to the next. The chemistry together on-stage is wonderful and unless you have been blessed with only amazing dating experiences, the play is quite relatable. It personally felt at times that I was reliving my past dating life.

You can catch Adventures in Dating at the Shadowbox Theatre here in Windsor, ON.

💜You can also check out my review at 519 Magazine: 

https://519magazine.com/swipe-right-adventures-in-dating-at-windsors-shadowbox-is-rip-roaring-fun/

In Sane Company: Visiting Hours Theatrical Play Review At Kordazone Theatre

On Saturday April 14, 2012 at the Kordazone Theatre, here in Windsor, Ontario, we saw a play titled “Visiting Hours.” The play starred Rob Tymec, Melanie Postma, Kyle Pitre and Carla Gyemi.

This theatrical play was about Dr. Matthew Vaughn and his self-admittance into a psychiatric hospital. Dr. Vaughn was a renowned psychiatrist, which presented an interesting dynamic with Dr. Jeff Peterson, the doctor who was responsible for his care. Throw in a obsessive compulsive personal assistant named Petra Squire and an estranged, recovering substance-abusing sister, Amy Vaughn, and you are left wondering who is the craziest of the bunch!

The highlight of the show was absolutely the lead, Rob Tymec and his portrayal of Dr. Vaughn. It was dynamic and very engaging. In a lot of ways, one could say that Rob was actually portraying an exaggerated version of himself. One particular notable scene was Rob’s narrative at the end that he took into the audience, as well as his ad libs about patrons in the audience, which increased the interest and importance of what would normally be felt as long and drawn out.

Carla’s portrayal of Petra Squire was stiff and mechanical, which worked very well for the character. Petra displayed an eerie devotion to her job, and seemed to be enamoured by the mind of Dr. Vaughn. Her overly-professional demeanour, combined with a “sexy librarian look” screamed out “Fatal Attraction.”

Kyle’s role of Dr. Peterson had subdued comical reactions to the Dr. Vaughn character that were quite memorable. The bathroom scene was perfectly executed by Dr. Peterson not quite succeeding at being humble. Considering the reveal at the end though, Dr. Peterson could have shown more agitation towards Dr. Vaughn’s continued intellectual jabs.

Melanie’s part, playing Amy Vaughn, left divided reactions. There seemed to be a lack of an emotional connection on stage between Amy Vaughn and Dr. Matthew Vaughn. However, Melanie did appear comfortable and relaxed in her role. The shock humour segments in regards to the incestuous jokes was probably the best display of an actual connection between both characters on set. Both Rob and Melanie excelled at the dialogue of sexual innuendos.

The play did take a serious turn and gave a voice to a variety of mental health conditions, abuse, addiction and places for recovery. It also included a rather interesting connection to Spiderman. (don’t worry we won’t give it away!)

Overall, the play was filled with laughter and drama, both in expected and unexpected ways. There were laugh out loud moments, as well as some unsettling revelations that could leave you misty-eyed.

It would be best to go early so you can get a comfy couch to enjoy this performance because when you’re watching a show about insanity, it’s nice to have the extra padding!

*Review by Melissa F. Arditti and Bill Nuvo

Have you seen the play? If so, drop me a note and let me know your thoughts!