Farewell Thom

A bittersweet night as we bade farewell to the greatly loved Thom Allison.

A leading light of musical theatre and cabaret in his native Canada, Thom is returning to the Shaw Festival to play a dream role, Coalhouse Walker in RAGTIME. He has the voice of an angel and will eat up that magnificent score.

Thom was my understudy but I never let the poor bugger get onstage. He did, however, don the corset and heels to much acclaim in a stage adaptation of the film OUTRAGEOUS! some years ago and I can tell you he makes a spectacularly beautiful dame. Which could be why I never let the poor bugger get onstage...

Thom was the quiet social centre of the "adult" male dressing room, softly playing jazz and showtunes as he transformed the space with lights and decorations into an enchanted Christmas Cave which everyone is still reluctant to dismantle.  He became reknowned for his cupcakes which started as simple treats and gradually evolved into the bravest gastronomic experiments. His grand finale offering involved wasabi, strawberry cream, seaweed and rice crackers, a masterpiece for which the top restaurants of the world would charge a small fortune.

 Thom was applying for his Green Card when I decided to do the same, and I could not have survived the process without his advice and encouragement. We're going to throw one heck of a party when we finally get 'em. The whole company turned out to say goodbye to Thom with pizza and champagne, even the glorious Wayne Wilcox who left our cast to join the revival of CARRIE, soon to open Off-Broadway. Two new cast members join our merry band next Friday night. And the beat goes on...