Yukon Ho!
TICKETS: £16 Adult, £14 concs.,
A funny, bizarre, dark and (mostly) true, one-woman, cabaret-style guide to surviving an unbelievably mad life in Canada’s frozen north.
Yukon Territory, Northern Canada is where North America’s coldest temperature ever (-63 degrees Celsius) was recorded. It’s where there are more caribou than people, tossing chainsaws is entertainment, barbecued squirrel is food and watching bears forage at the garbage dump on a Saturday evening is a big night out.
But it’s not all sophisticated fun. It’s also a genuinely challenging place to live, where escape is difficult and where many people die tragically young as a result of accidents and the harsh Arctic winters. It’s where Jennifer Irons was born and raised, dreaming of leaving.
‘Fascinating, laugh-out-loud funny and surprisingly tender’ ★★★★ The List ‘Beautifully complex… human and raw…’ Total Theatre
Growing up in a tough, isolated mining town with little prospect of reaching ‘the Outside’, Jennifer found release through performance. Specifically, it came in the unlikely circumstances of dancing the Can-Can to an audience of drunken miners in a casino in Dawson City who threw poker chips at her. Her passion for dance subsequently led to an extraordinary journey out of the Yukon, and around the world.
In Yukon Ho! in character as ‘Intrepid Jen’, she tells the story of surviving, escape and an eventual reconciliation through reconnection with her homeland.
Yukon Ho! is dark, fearless, original, bizarre and very funny. Expect to laugh, holler, quaff questionable cocktails and learn how to be Bear Aware. And it’s all (mostly) true.
Reviews
“Fascinating, laugh-out-loud funny and at times surprisingly tender, from the moment she arrives on stage, barely visible beneath the backpack and snow gear, you know you're in for an intriguing encounter.” ★★★★
‘Beautifully complex... human and raw...’
“A gorgeous production”
“Irons’ energy is undeniable and her testimony heartbreaking, in a piece that reminds us that frontier women are everywhere, still pushing boundaries and challenging borders.”
“Irons’ performance is as rich in texture as her delivery is timed to perfection... A theatrical gem that holds light and dark in an unfathomable equilibrium”.
“Irons' charisma is balanced by this iron in the soul, and her playful wit covers a serious,
intense heart.” ★★★★