When was the last time you cried? I mean really cried. Not the single tear sliding elegantly down your cheek kind of crying. I’m talking about snot-running-into-your-mouth-UGLY-crying. For me, I haven’t cried like that since I was a kid. In fact, when my father died recently I didn’t even well up. 

Is something wrong with me? In my solo-work Empire of the Son, I take a sledgehammer to the ice surrounding my heart to see if I still have an emotional pulse. There are also huge laughs in this show. I’m a former standup comic who wrote for This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Yes, this is me trying to convince you the show is funny which is about as persuasive as someone arguing all the reasons why they are sexy, which I also am by the way. I take off my shirt in the show, and so far no one has laughed.

Colin Thomas, one of the toughest theatre critics in the country wrote, “I'm telling all of the people I love most to see this show…. Empire of the Son is one of the best shows to come out of Vancouver. Ever.” After a triumphant run at the National Arts Centre, this show is going around the world. Catch it while you can.

Empire of the Son runs at the Factory Studio Theatre, January 18 to 29, 125 Bathurst St.