When Jim Trimble introduced himself to the Courier, one of the can-can girls leaned over to say that, actually, he was better known as Diamond Jim.
That was Trimble’s cue to fish a fake diamond ring big enough to impress any Vegas performer out of his white tuxedo pocket and slip it on his pinky finger. He doesn’t wear rings anymore, he lamented — it’s too difficult with the arthritis in his hands.
Creaks, aches and arthritis aside, the show must go on and the Vaudevillians, “B.C.’s #1 Senior Vaudeville Troupe” as pointed out on performers’ business cards, rotated through speedy costume changes and tapped, sang, and can-can danced its way through old numbers this past Friday afternoon at the South Granville Seniors Centre.
The audience at three long tables were seniors themselves, mostly around the same 61 to 93-year-old age group of the vaudeville troupe they came to see. In their pressed blouses and carefully coiffed hair — some with elaborate sparkling barrettes — they were a refreshing reminder that people did once dress up for any reason, even for a Friday afternoon strawberry tea held in a multi-purpose room.
“It’s the look in their eyes, the smile, it’s just a delight to perform,” said Marilyn Remus, artistic director for the Vaudevillians. “We’re not total professionals but we give it our best shot, even with the can-can dance, which is pretty hard to do. Somebody once asked me, ‘Don’t the can-can girls do the splits?’ And I said, ‘Well, they might go down but we might have some trouble getting them back up!’”
The tea has been a tradition for two decades at the centre. The strawberry shortcake is made in the kitchen by volunteers (with organic strawberries, according to centre executive director Clemencia Gomez), entertainment is hired, and the afternoon wraps up with a raffle of donated gifts from city businesses. “Oh, the raffle — we look forward to that,” said centre past president Dolores O’Leary Shafik. “There’s a gambler in every one of us.”
The tradition of tea marks the generational divide in Vancouver. Take a look at a calendar of any seniors centre and there will be a tea-related event along with the usual offerings of tai chi, Nordic walking and gentle yoga.
“When I first came here years ago, I was blown away by how many British accents I heard,” said O’Leary Shafik. “Vancouver, with its British heritage, means tea is a big thing with seniors, the older ones especially.”
Added Gomez: “Now everybody does coffee but tea is the thing everybody used to do in the afternoon.”
The centre’s Strawberry Tea was well-attended by women, sparsely attended by men. Both O’Leary Shafik and Gomez attribute this to two reasons — one biological and one behavioral.
“First of all, women live longer than men — a lot of the women out there at this age are widowed. And also, men like to have men things, like play pool,” said O’Leary Shafik. “But men are also harder to get out, some of them are shy and they used to have a woman in their lives who took them out.”
Meanwhile, the Vaudevillians packed up yet another show, pocketing their pay to donate to Douglas College’s fine arts department for student financial assistance.
“I always say we look like a bunch of gypsies, dragging around our gear and costumes,” said Remus. “But after we pack everything up, we go to the pub. It’s a motivational thing.”
