Forever Plaid at the Mayfield - Fabulous Harmony!

Last night, the boys and I took Mark to the Mayfield Dinner Theatre to take in Forever Plaid, one of his favourite musicals. Lucky us that the timing was right to make for a terrific Father's Day present!

We had a great time! It's always interesting to revisit shows that you've seen before and hard not to reflect on the differences and just enjoy what the new production brings to it. This production had amazingly tight harmonies that showcased the superior vocal blend of it's four performers (Kaymar Pazandeh, Andrew MacDonald-Smith, Farren Timoteo, and Steven Greenfield). I've never seen Pazandeh onstage before and I have to say, his voice was a real treat, a beautiful bass-baritone that was incredibly smooth! I'm a big fan of  both Timoteo (Peter and the Starcatcher - Citadel) and MacDonald-Smith (Crazy For You - Citadel) so it was great to see them onstage together. The four of them worked together well to set up the jokes, and the show had a nice smooth flow. My favourite numbers were Chain Gang/Sixteen Tons and the Carribean (Kingston Town, Matilda, Jamaica Farewell) section. I also really liked Perfidia, because I love that song and these guys rocked it!

Here's what Mark and Gibson had to say... 

"The harmonies reminded me what I love about that style of singing and got me thinking about singing again." - Mark

"I liked the singing. I really liked the songs." - Gibson

The show is a wonderfully fun and nostalgic trip (I indicated to Gibson that you could tell who the older people in the audience were because they were laughing the most at the Ed Sullivan Show jokes), but also has the ability to create new fans as evidenced by Gibson downloading the soundtrack from Apple Music immediately following the show. 

Forever Plaid runs until July 29, 2018 at the Mayfield Dinner Theatre. It's a nice 90 minute show (no intermission) with a fabulous meal - perfect for a summer evening out!

You can purchase tickets here. 

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