Sandra Shamas: A Trilogy of Performances: My Boyfriend's Back and There's Gonna Be Laundry; The Cycle Continues; Wedding Bell Hell

by Sandra Shamas

Sandra Shamas is the brilliant comedic storyteller whose new one-woman show, Wit?s End , is being toured across Canada.

A Trilogy of Performances , nominated for the Governor General?s Award for Drama and for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Award for Humour, collects Sandra Shamas? three hit comedy My Boyfriend?s Back and There?s Gonna Be Laundry ; My Boyfriend?s Back and There?s Gonna Be Laundry II ; and Wedding Bell Hell .

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 1997

Reviews

[Ubalstecha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sandra Shamas is a lengend of Canadian theatre. Her one woman shows routinely sell out. Her audience is loyal and routinely spout their favourite lines from her plays. Raw, autobiographical and brutally honest, they also manage to be hilariously funny.

This book is a collection of her first three one woman plays, appropriately titled My Boyfriend's Back and There's Going to Be Laundry parts I, II and III. And they are raw, autobiographical and brutally honest, just like the live shows. They are also funny, although you miss some of inflection of Shamas's voice. I over came that by hearing her voice in my head when I read it.

A must read for her fans. A good to read for most women.

[Robert Hudder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember living in Ottawa and seeing these shows get mounted in different places. I remember wanting to go but being a student and not having the money or the understanding of how these events would work. This is even after having been in drama festivals.

I kept my eye out and when I finally had the chance, they had disappeared.

I saw this book by the side of the road. I knew what Shamas looked like and was surprised for a second. That was soon followed by delight. Like winning the jackpot at a bingo, I picked it up and raised my hand in the air. I may have even shouted bingo.

Anyway, I enjoyed this and could hear her voice in my head as I read each piece. I do wish I could have seen it live. A lovely book about love.

[behsforensics]

Cutting is for My Boyfriend’s Back and
There’s Gonna be Laundry
By Sandra Shamas

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite Canadian comic. She's back in Toronto with her new show so I decided to reread her earlier performances. I have seen two of the three performances in the book but I still really enjoyed it. Shamas works with very few props in her shows but her face are body are very expressive. The jokes do lose something without the accompanying body language but are very funny nevertheless. Her descriptions of men's underwear will have tears running down your face from laughing so hard. My only suggestion is to read the material slowly and allow for timing that of course is missing in a written piece versus a live piece. And go and see Shamas live if you get the chance. Your stomach will hurt the next day from laughing so hard.