I never met Denis Simpson, but I had a lot of admiration for his talent.
Simpson passed away Friday while in Toronto rehearsing for a show at the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People.[briefbreak]
Born in Jamaica, he moved to Canada as a boy and settled with his family in Scarborough.
One of the original members of the Nylons, Simpson also performed on Broadway and worked in musical theatre for the rest of his life. He was in the original Toronto production of Hair and went on perform in Five Guys Named Moe, The Full Monty, Godspell and Ain’t Misbehavin’, the last of which won him a Dora.
He didn’t restrict himself to musicals, though. Among his other stage performances were Driving Miss Daisy and Angels In America, both of which showed the range of his talent. He was also part of director Robin Phillips’s historic company at London’s Grand Theatre in the 80s, where he performed musicals, Shakespeare and productions for young audiences.
But most people knew him as the longtime host of CBC kids’ show Polka Dot Door, a role which followed him throughout his career.
Sandi Ross, who performed with him at the Tarragon in The Colored Museum, remembers a Q&A after one performance where an audience member asked him if he was the same Denis Simpson her children watched on TV. In The Colored Museum, Simpson had one scene in which he played an outrageous gay transvestite.
“Yes,” he said quietly, “I am. I know most of you know me as that singing-dancing guy who comes into your living room, but I want to break that image and show you that I can do other things, too.”
Everyone I spoke to remembers Simpson’s charm, humour and caring for others.
“He was absolutely generous,” recalls Ross. “I can’t think of anyone ever complaining about him. He was the consummate pro with no attitude – truly, truly gentle and nice.’
Actor Grant Cowan echoes those feelings. Cowan and Simpson worked together in a production of Cinderella they played the ugly stepsisters to Karen Kain’s Cinderella.
“We were supposed to be identical twins – one black and one white – and the producers kept telling us to make our work more and more large,” laughs Cowan with the memory.
“Denis was one of loveliest, kindest people I met in my 52-year career. There was something wonderfully naïve about him, a youthful innocence he never lost. His glow touched anyone.”
Simpson moved to Vancouver some 20 years ago, and most of his recent work was in western Canada.
A Year With Frog And Toad, the show Simpson was rehearsing at the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre, would have featured Simpson and the dynamic Louise Pitre. Their chemistry would have been remarkable.
