One-man banjo show brings 500th performance tour to Kindersley, Luseland and Leader

Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved My Life, a one-man show fresh from its fourth consecutive sold-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, stops at the Norman Ritchie Community Centre on Sept. 28 as part of a 16-community Saskatchewan tour.

The production also plays the Luseland Homecoming Hall on Sept. 18 and the Leader Community Centre on Sept. 26. All three shows start at 7:30 p.m.

Created and performed by Keith Alessi and directed by Erika Conway, the show tells the true story of how a life-threatening cancer diagnosis led Alessi to leave the corporate world, pick up a banjo and pursue a long-deferred dream.

The tour is a return to familiar ground for Alessi. His corporate career brought him to Saskatchewan before his stage career began, including time working in Estevan.

Since premiering in 2018, the show has toured internationally and sold out Off-Broadway in New York City. It will mark its 500th performance during the Saskatchewan run, which opens Sept. 17 in Shaunavon and closes Oct. 8 in Sturgis. Other stops include Biggar, Estevan, and Swift Current.

Alessi is waiving his artist fee and covering touring costs so that ticket revenue stays with the local presenting organizations. Producers say performances have generated more than $1.4 million for charitable and community causes since 2018.

Playbill called the production "storytelling at its best."

Tickets and details are available at tomatoestriedtokillme.com.