Student’s ‘One-Salmon-Man-Show’ is a hit

The graphic pulled from the show’s poster. A mock up of Dale’s character, “Salmon-Man”.

A new, independent program out of the Theater Department has emerged on campus, titled “One-Salmon-Man-Show.”

Audiences flocked to the free show Tuesday night, in the first week of the Spring Term. There had been a bit of buzz among the theater community on campus following the Winter Term finals week as the “Salmon-Man” performer had started to promote his new show.

He chose to stay in character as Salmon-Man throughout his performance and following the show, despite a few onlookers referring to him as ‘Dale’ on personal terms. His full identity remains undisclosed at the present time.

Now, you don’t need to know his name to enjoy his show. I sure didn’t. His performance was a hilarious mix of dry humor and caricature-style sketch impressions. He poked fun heavily at his own character persona of Salmon-Man, making it an instant favorite among the crowds.

One of his greatest skills while performing is his ability to seamlessly transition between multiple characters in a single scene. As a one-(man) show, this had to be something he could pull off, if he wanted dimension in his performance. Salmon-Man expertly came through – there was one scene where he played eight different characters, and the audience was able to follow along quite easily!

My only issue with the performance was his use of water as a prop. I understand his show is based on his Salmon-Man character; however, sitting in the front row, I kept getting splashes of water in my direction. There seemed to be a constant small puddle on stage while he performed.

Overall, I’m not sure if there will be a sequel in the works. If so, I’ll definitely be there, sitting closer to the back. For now, I’ll sit in waiting, remembering his jokes and expert performance skills, wondering how exactly he managed to get his costume as realistic as it looked. Seriously, guys, this guy is a master costumer – I felt like I was watching a salmon talk to me throughout the whole performance.

Advocate Staff