Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me, but Banjos Saved My Life – Summerhall

Tomatoes, the staple foodstuff of his Italian upbringing on the Canada/America border, were almost the undoing of Keith Alessi. They caused acid reflux his whole life, which led to his Oesophageal Cancer diagnosis in his early sixties and a 50/50 chance of living more than one year. Fortunately, he was one of the lucky ones who responded well to treatment, he lasted the year and here he is on the Summerhall stage over 9 years later.

Like Lazarus resurrected, his brush with death set him free. Keith only began to play the banjo seriously after his cancer diagnosis, turning his back on his previous jobs as a certified accountant, major public company CEO and College Professor. Since then, he has created this show and gigged his way around the world, donating 100% of the profits, over £1M Canadian Dollars to mainly Cancer charities.

It’s hard not to both love this show or to be emotionally affected by it, which is full of banjos but also full of heart and hope and redemption, and above all the healing power of music. Anyone who loves an underdog story, step this way and be ready to laugh and weep in equal measure.

Keith is, he freely admits, no great banjo player, intermediate at best. But he is here.

The Banjo, that iconic infuriating instrument, untunable, unplayable. On the way out, there is a perfect example of Alessi’s dry wit, a fly poster asking, ‘do you want to learn to play the banjo? with tear-off tags, on the reverse instead of a telephone number it simply says, No Thanks.

13:45 Daily (not on 11^th or 18^th)  – Till 25^th August

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/tomatoes-tried-to-kill-me-but-banjos-saved-my-life

Reviewer: Greg Holstead

Reviewed: 4^th August 2025

North West End UK Rating:

Running time – 1hr