A Wild Bus Ride, An Evening of Sondheim, and A Very Sexy Audition... Just another #yegtheatre weekend!

If you look at the weekend I just have, you can get a pretty good idea of the variety of theatre opportunities that Edmonton gets to experience all the time.  It's why I like living here. 

Friday night, Gibson and I took in Promise Productions' Birdie on the Wrong Bus, about the perfectionist Birdie who, after a first with her sister, hops on the wrong bus and takes a wild ride around the city.  Over the course of the ride she meets a variety of people who tell her about the city and she sees parts of the city she never knew existed.  Gibson and I had a terrific conversation on the way home about all the places Birdie went and we made plans to go check out the ones that we hadn't seen before. Gibson's favorite character was Birdie's Philllip-Phillips-obsessed older sister played by Lana Michelle Hughes and his favorite part was the sing-a-long section. He was concerned that at some points no one was driving the bus, but relaxed when I said we just had to use our imagination. It was overall a great night out for the two of us and while it would have been a little young for Oliver, it was perfect for Gibson. 

Saturday night, we took in a phenomenal night of Sondheim as performed by Kate Ryan, Susan Gilmour and Liz Han in It Takes Two.  I had bought these tickets way back in September and was glad to finally see the show!  It was simply wonderful.  Sondheim is one of my favorites and he's tricky, but these ladies were up to the challenge.  A friend of mine called it a masterclass in interpreting a song. Not only did they have fine voice, but it was funny and sad and they crafted an evening that made you feel that you got your money's worth, but still left you wanting more! It was in The Club at the Citadel and it felt perfectly placed there.  I hope that they might be able to remount this cabaret as it was a real treat and I think that any musical theatre lover would be in heaven! 

And then last night, it was off to see Venus in Fur at the Citadel. I had been to the dress rehearsal, but I was looking forward to seeing it again and to bringing Mark along. AM also joined us for the night.  I remain totally in love with the script and this production.  What I love is how the humour allows you to see the audition situation and the shifts in power back and forth from director to actor without pushing you into a place of outrage. You can think about those things - afterward - but the play doesn't let the power politics get in the way of seeing the show. Alana Hawley as Vanda is brilliant and Jamie Cavanagh the perfect foil for her.  I love how it twists and turns on a dime and the changes to the ending from dress to performance were spot-on.  It's funny how something didn't seem wrong before, but the new choices seem so much more right!  You can still catch Venus in Fur until February 8th and I highly recommend! 

Anyhow, what a weekend.  Ahead for me is another theatre filled week with the opening of Playing With Fire: The Theo Fleury Story, teaching an Audition Workshop, and catching some of the Canoe Festival! What a great city we live in! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fringe 2024 - Friday, August 16th - A Terrific Afternoon of Shows!

Image
I caught three shows yesterday afternoon and had a wonderful time! Bright Lights - So funny and so well done! This script is hilarious but it only works because the acting and directing is so excellent! I mean, you have to figure those that attend a group for Alien Abduction "experiencers" are going to provide opportunity for huour but I was laughing so much! Great to see some of our finest local actors in this piece and some in roles you wouldn't expect to hilarious effect! See it! ROB AND CHRIS (BOBBY+TINA)-A NEW MUSICAL - Another excellent show. This one a new musical based on Collin Doyle's Let the Light of Day Through ( perhaps the best new script I have seen ever and I think of it often... ). The musical is the same but different, as it is a musical. But it is excellent. Doyle worked with Matt Graham to adapt the piece and it still has it's humour and heart break, but now with wonderful songs. I would avoid spoilers if you haven't seen the play as I th...
Read more

Sometimes it's hard to be nice... Lessons Learned with Donna Orbits the Moon and Spinsters in #yegtheatre this week...

Image
I caught two thought-provoking (and funny) shows this weekend.  Patricia Darbasie in Donna Orbits the Moon , Brianne Jang BB Collective Photography The first, Donna Orbits the Moon presented by Northern Light Theatre, was a one-woman show with the impressive Patricia Darbasie as Donna, a woman finding herself reacting with intense rage to inconveniences in her life. We are not exactly sure at the beginning why these moments are provoking such anger and violence, but there's something in the way that Donna tells the story that we are totally on her side. Indeed when I read a description online before seeing the show, I immediately connected. Too often we are expected to smile and be accommodating and the desire to say " No! " is often very strong with me. I see you, Donna! But there's something more to Donna's rage. There's a concrete reason she's suppressing and the reveal is deftly revealed in a touching and emotionally moving way (Directed by Trevor Sch...
Read more

Fringe 2024 - Saturday, August 24th - Young Wives and The Bells!

Image
I saw two shows on Saturday. I'm pacing myself this Fringe so I might not hit my usual 30+ total! But despite the slightly overcast weather, it was a nice day - not too hot and my feet could handle the walk to Sugar Swing and back to the main grounds! What a Young Wife Ought to Know - This was a very well done production of Hannah Moscovitch's script. I had not seen the show when it was done in the city in 2018 but was glad to catch it here at the Fringe. It deals with the challenges and trials of a young (a very young) wife in 1920s Ottawa dealing with managing her fertility despite a lack of support both socially and medically. This is pre-birth control pill times; this is back alley abortion and throw yourself down the stairs to end a pregnancy time; this is the time when women frequently dies in childbirth. This is the time when you are looked at with disgust and judged when you ask for help for how to prevent a pregnancy. Anyhow, the show was very well done. The cast of ...
Read more