Is it an insult to be called a "ham"?

I was in "Tombstones" - it was pure Ham, BUT with a lot of thought, effort and meticulous rehearsal from some wonderful people ... and me. Sure, the term ‘Ham’  could be offensive in some circumstances - perhaps being labelled a "ham actor," in "The Merchant of Venice," or "Travelling North" etc, but in a mad farce such as "Tip Toe Through The Tombstones" it was pure ham, the more the merrier! 

I attempted to channel Terry Thomas for my role and used one prop (a monocle) outrageously, worse every night. I recall laughing like a drain with Jeff about it all after the show, vamping up the ham factor. Speaking of vamps, we had a few of those, thank Heavens!

I must admit that I'd been a little worried that some of my "serious theatre" friends wouldn't like it, however one of them told me that she still cherished memories of "Last Tango in Little Grimley" (in which I had a role at Stirling a few years back) and she loved "Tombstones." I was also concerned about the new lady in my life, who's German and a theatre buff. She loved it so much, she urged her daughter to attend. She did and consequently vowed she was smitten with community theatres (she'd seen "The Sum of Us" at the Old Mill last year, thought it was superb and now she'd seen community theatre "do comedy," declared she had no idea how vibrant, good and alive theatre was in Perth. She wants to get involved.

As for your review Jeff, you innocently and in the spirit if fun, did hurt a lovely person, which was very awkward for all of us.  It’s interesting, in that we all want to be told we played a character convincingly, but often we don’t want to be told we are that character, despite the fact that we all pull on our own experiences to flesh out a role. May I suggest that you don’t change anything on the website, but give me a call and I’ll let you know and I’m sure you’ll call the person concerned. 

As for you Gabe!!  … Maate! White suit and carnation! Thank God for the bloody oil stains on me jeans mate (yeah, the bloody Harley leaks), not to mention that words that Grim bastard puts in our mouths!

Greg Ross

Minister for Good Times