Moving is never an easy process. There are so many things that are involved with a move, such as getting a moving company, change of address notices and packing…lots and lots of packing.
Speaking of packing, it’s an even more difficult, time consuming process, especially when it comes to what objects and items will make the trip with you to your new place and which ones will be relegated to the garbage pile on the curb (or your recycling bin).
There are items that one has no problem sentencing to the perennial scrap heap. Then there are those pieces of furniture, clothes, books and various knick knacks that have meaning and sentimental value that you just can’t part with. This can be a very difficult phase and can drive wedges between couples and family members.
This dilemma is explored with a lot of humour and heart in “Big Stuff”, the production which has officially kicked off the Segal Centre’s 2025-2026 season — plus the first stop on the show’s national tour—and is playing there until September 21.
The show centres around the real life team of Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus, both actor/comedians, who move back to Toronto after living in Los Angeles for several years. As their U-Haul style rented cube truck filled from top to bottom with their stuff reaches the U.S.-Canada border, an unexpected reply from a border guard’s question — which had nothing to do with cannabis but somehow was brought up by Naomi —- becomes the sticking point that starts their box-filled true story narrative.
Self-confessed packrats, Matt and Naomi tackle the dilemma of the arduous process of trying to ruthlessly thin out the items they want to keep and which ones will end up in the “Dump Box”. To say it’s a difficult process is indeed an understatement. It seems that whatever item is regarded as junk by one, is regarded as a treasure by the other. It ranges from an iPhone box, to a crochet hook, to a collection of framed needlepoint pictures (especially the one of the little orphan boy), a “family portrait” collage, a mackinaw jacket, and a multitude of toasters for every occasion.
As the play progresses, we learn that practically every highlighted item — trash or treasure — has a story behind it, which truly defines the meaning of “sentimental value”. They tell about the good times, the bad times, how special Matt and Naomi’s parents were to their lives and how much they miss them after their respective passings.
And this sharing is also extended to the audience. Prior to the show, cards and pencils were distributed to encourage audience members to write about a certain item that reminds them of a loved one, and the completed cards were then gathered before show time. Throughout the course of the play, Matt and Naomi take a break in the narrative to randomly draw a card, read it out and then find the audience member(s) in particular to share what the item(s) meant to them. These segments really enhance the show, as these memory-laden items mix a lot of unpredictability, humour and poignancy to a single family item; it’s like a living embodiment of the phrase “little things mean a lot”.
The play’s main strength is the chemistry between Matt and Naomi as they valiantly try to decide what items make it to the “Dump Box” or not. It’s funny, fast-paced, and highly energetic, which reminds one of the skillful repartee that was practiced by some of the greatest movie comedy teams. And thanks to their experience with the legendary Second City troupe, Matt and Naomi exhibit quite effectively how to do improv comedy by incorporating the information they absorbed from the audience members who shared their memories with them.
Big Stuff is a fun journey into the ongoing debate amongst family members of what items are either trash or treasure, and why they are cherished no matter how mundane, old or garish they may be.
So “mister big stuff, who do you think you are?!?” … A 90-minute salute to sentimental value that is not to be missed.
by Stuart Nulman
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