One of the most colourful wrestlers in the history of professional entertainment-wrestling has become one of the most colourful retired wrestlers as well. He will be in Prince George in person, this week, to show off his true colours.
Inside the ring, Mick Foley was successful as three different characters: Dude Love, Cactus Jack, and Mankind. He worked under the WWF, WWE and WCW banners, among others, attaining high profiles in each, including multiple world championship belts as an individual and as a tag-team partner.
Once he retired from the squared circle he took to the the pen, the recording studio and the stage. He has written several best-selling books including children's titles and autobiographies. His celebrity name helped sell the books, but his skills as a storyteller is how he also won the praise of critics.
Wrestlertainment is certainly training for acting and accordingly Foley has been tapped as a voice-over artist for animation projects, dramatic characters, and as himself in many shows. He has been a favourite among the television talk-shows including Jon Stewart, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno.
Now he turns his attention to the stage. His one-man theatre show Hardcore Legend: An Evening With Mick Foley is on tour across North America and he is particularly pleased with the Prince George date on that agenda.
"Oh, I know it's a long drive, but its such a beautiful part of the world," he said. "Now I hope people take a chance on me. Put yourself in my shoes and ask yourself if I'd be doing a 20-day trip so far from home if I didn't think you'd have a good time."
He considers himself a story teller, not a comedian, but laughter is the bottle the Hardcore Legend show comes in. He promises some touching stories as well, moments you'll think, moments you'll wince and perhaps even shed a quiet tear, if the moment is right - all right from the pages of his life.
"Book tours were demanding because you were expected to do all that in-studio press, and you are dealing with something that is permanent. That's a good thing in a lot of ways, but my live shows are not. You can constantly tweak things from night to night to work with your audience. A live show is gratifying because the response is instant. You're not wondering if people are sitting on their couch in some suburban neighbourhood enjoying the book you wrote. You are plugged right into the feedback."
It's almost like being back on the wrestling roster, only this time the script is his own. He said it wasn't solid in his own mind whether he would have ended up on a theatre stage or on bookstore shelves anyway, but he felt destined to be an entertainer.
"I think I always wanted to be someone who created reactions," Foley said. "So wrestling was my dream job for that, initially, but as I got older, making people gasp and wince was becoming increasingly difficult with age, and I was appreciating laughter more as a flattering response."
On Saturday at the Prince George Playhouse you can see the show that is redefining this longtime celebrity personality. He will also take questions from the audience while on the stage, and meet everyone after the show for personal hardcore handshakes and legendary selfies.
To see the general show, the ticket price is $30. The show and the meet-and-greet afterwards is $35.
Buy them online at brownpapertickets.com.
