34 August 1 • 2019
jn
LYNNE KONSTANTIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Schitt’
s Creek Live
is headed to Detroit. T
he funniest person in the family is my
wife, Deb. But she doesn’
t like to be in
front of the camera since her grade 3 play
when she forgot all her lines,” Eugene Levy told
the Today show.
To be called the funniest in this family is seri-
ous. Eugene, who’
s been in the comedy business
as an actor, producer, director and writer, cut his
comedic teeth at Second City, Toronto, an improv
theater troupe, with the likes of John Candy,
Dan Akroyd and Catherine O’
Hara, as well as
SCTV
. He’
s also legendary for his collaborations
with Christopher Guest, appearing and co-writ-
ing Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman and
co-writing the Grammy-winning title song for A
Mighty Wind. He’
s been seen in Splash, American
Pie and now Schitt’
s Creek — the cast of which is
headed to the Masonic Temple for a live appear-
ance on Aug. 10.
The Canadian Pop Network comedy was
co-created by Eugene’
s son, Dan Levy, who
also writes and co-stars, along with Catherine
O’
Hara — who’
s collaborated with Eugene for
more than 40 years — and Sarah Levy, Eugene’
s
daughter. The show tells the tale of the filthy-rich
Rose family — video-store magnate Johnny, his
soap-opera star wife, Moira, and their two grown
children, David and Alexis (Annie Murphy) —
suddenly losing it all except the broke-down
motel Johnny once bought for his son as a joke in
a town called Schitt’
s Creek.
Eugene Levy is the kind of guy who can make
you laugh by just looking at the camera. Or by
raising one of his comedically outsized eyebrows.
It’
s not so much what he says in Schitt’
s Creek as it
is his straight-man delivery.
Although what he says almost always packs
a punch, too. Eugene has passed his comedic
talents, timing and eyebrows on to his son, Dan.
In his hands, the show is not the cheap class-
theater
arts&life
Grab A Paddle
TOP: The Levy boys — Eugene and Dan. ABOVE: Eugene
Levy and Catherine O’
Hara in a scene from the third season
of Schitt’
s Creek.
The Rose family, played by (clockwise) Catherine O’
Hara,
Eugene Levy, Annie Murphy and Dan Levy.
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