Be Prepared
CBC Saskatchewan
****
4.5 stars out of 5
Written and Performed by Matthew Bellwood
Review by Jason Dubray

After going from Rob Gee's show to Matthew Bellwood's Be Prepared, I couldn't help but think of the classic John Cleese line in Monty Python, "And now for something completely different." Oddly enough, though, there are many similarities between the two shows. Both performers are from the UK, both introduce their pieces in an entertaining manner for the audience, both specialize in a form of performance literature, and both discuss the themes of relationships and drug use in their work. However, their performances are completely different, but their shows are both brilliant.

Matthew Bellwood is a storyteller and he tells the audience ten stories within an hour. He has a calm, mild-mannered, but matter-of-fact approach to telling his stories.

The first story is the same as the play's title, "Be Prepared". In this piece, Bellwood relates the scout motto of being prepared to a situation in his adult life where a taxi driver asked him if he is gay and propositioned him for oral sex. This driver basically treated him like an object, and assumed certain stereotypes about him because of his sexual preference. Bellwood then tells the audience how the encounter could have gone in a perfect world.

Bellwood then tells nine more stories about other personal experiences he has had. Some stories are humorous, some are serious, and others are quite touching. He discusses fears, fantasies of romances that are not to be, the euphoria of a romance that does happen, relations with his parents, a fable about a mistaken CD and one of his high school teachers who was treated poorly by himself and his peers, as well as interesting (and surprisingly uplifting) reflections on death. Bellwood is a wonderful writer, storyteller, and performer. For almost every story, Bellwood shares with the audience a prop or a note that is important to the story he has told.

Bellwood brings a quiet truth, and intimacy with his audience that won me over. The stories are both affective and effective. There was only one story that dragged slightly. It was of a more depressing nature than his other positive pieces, but nine out of ten great stories in an hour is not bad. I hope more people seek this show out. It is a quiet treasure.