February Theatre - And the Theme is Fight the Power!

I've taken in 3 theatrical events so far this month (2 productions, and one reading of a new work) and I am noticing a theme... it's all about fighting against oppression!

The first show I took in was 1984 at Walterdale Theatre (full disclosure: I am Board President of Walterdale). It opened last Wednesday and runs to Saturday, February 15th. The production is a striking adaptation of George Orwell's 1949 novel. I was very impressed with the striking and flawless design of the show and clear direction. It's executed cleanly by it's cast, who do an excellent job creating the dystopia of the world. As Winston Smith, Michael Anderson shifts from disillusioned party member, to brash rebel, and then to a descent into brokenness as he is defeated and tortured by the all-seeing all-knowing Big Brother-led Inner Party. I've never seen 1984 onstage before, and I recommend this production as a worthy adaptation for the stage. 1984 runs to Feb 15th and you can get tickets here.

Photo Credit: Scott Henderson, Henderson Images

I also saw The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare at Catalyst Theatre. It's about 7 women agents of subterfuge who work as a team to help defeat the Nazis in WW II. I've written a longer write-up here. I can summarize to say I loved it! Tickets are available until February 23 and you can click here to purchase them.

Photo Credit: dbphotographics



The reading I attended was at Script Salon - Anahita's Republic by AuTash. It's a piece I know well as I participated in some of the early readings and work shopping of it. It's a brilliant play written by a two Edmonton playwrights about modern day Iran and the challenges of living in a repressive society where not everyone is equal. There's much more to it than that as it also offers comment on western society, but does so in a very human way. I really hope that this piece gets picked up for production soon. I think it tells a story that everyone would benefit from hearing. It was such a delight to hear it read by such talented actors and to hear how far it has grown in the four years of it's development.

The Invisible at Catalyst Theatre - Revealing the Exceptional!

This past Friday, I was delighted to take in the latest theatrical creation from Catalyst Theatre - The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare. It tells the story of seven exceptional female operatives during World War II who risk their lives to help bring down the Nazis. It's engaging and unpredictable and full of compelling music, performed with brilliance by a cast of seven and a three piece band. It easily takes a place as one of my favourite Catalyst productions ever!

Set in 1940, in France, it's inspired by the stories of real-life Special Operations Executives (SOEs) who were tasked with sabotage and subversion behind enemy lines. The SOE was the only branch where women were allowed to participate in combat roles by the Allies. The musical imagines an all-female cell, who participate in missions to bring down the enemy. They are led by Evelyn Ash (Melissa MacPherson) who recounts their history and actions in the war. MacPherson is steely and determined, a force on the stage, leading us through the ups and downs of their recruitment, training and ultimate deployment. The 6 agents she recruits are a mixed bunch, with varied citizenship, skills, and motivations for their participation. As a group, they contain the perfect blend of skills and talents to pull off multiple missions with success. Of course, the story is told through action and song, and not only are they exceptional agents, but they are also tremendous triple threat performers. Make that quadruple threat - as they all, at various times, speak in languages other than English, from French, to Polish, to Romanian, to Czech and German.

It's hard to single anyone out, as they are a well-balanced machine. I was drawn into the story, leaning in to learn what happened next.  I do have to draw attention to Tara Jackson, whose vocals are particularly amazing, especially in her jazz club number, but all seven actors are gifted singers and each is given their moment to shine. There's a real diversity in the music, and director and writer Jonathan Christenson has used the strengths of all his actors to great effect in order to tell his story. This is supported by creative choreography by Laura Krewski which moves the piece from moment to moment and place to place with precision and attack. Bretta Gerecke's design evokes the world with a sepia paper backdrop and sharp columns of light which feel almost solid. It's striking and compelling and the mood of every moment is carefully crafted.

It was the best, of course, to see this female-centric story set in a world where we are not used to seeing women - at least not in popular culture. And to see it told by such gifted artists playing characters who are not stereotypes or victims, but instead are women of agency and intelligence, was wonderful. I highly recommend this show - catch it before it's gone!

The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare presented by Catalyst Theatre, runs to February 23rd in the MacLab Theatre (Citadel). Tickets are available here.

Photo Credit: DBPhotographics

Grabbing a Few Shows in the CCCCCOOOOLLLLDD of January... And looking forward to a warmer February!

It's tough on those theatre artists who present in January in Edmonton. Sometimes we get a mild winter and the weather doesn't affect the house size much, but when it's cold-cold-cold like it was in 2020, it can be tough to get people out of the house and into a theatre. I know it affected me a bit, but I still managed to catch a couple shows...

I took in Cost of Living earlier in January at the Citadel theatre. It closes today, so you won't be able to catch it (sorry...). It was a well-done show, if not what I expected. It told two stories - one about a PhD student with cerebral palsy and his new caregiver, and a woman who has suffered a devastating accident resulting in being confined to a wheelchair as a quadriplegic and her ex-husband who still loves her and comes to help care for her. The acting was excellent and all four artists gave compelling and complicated performances. It was also very cool to see Venom from The Guild (Teal Sherer) onstage in Edmonton (call me a fangirl!)! I was a little disappointed by the script, however, as it felt unfinished. It also seemed to imply that the story was more about the two able-bodied characters and how they were the more disenfranchised of the four characters, and my impression going in was that it was about all four equally. I know, it's probably just the sales messaging, but it left me going, "huh...?" Still, it was a very thought-provoking piece, and perhaps that 'huh' was what they wanted me to leave with. 

I was delighted to catch Everybody Loves Robbie at Northern Light Theatre this past month. It's closed as well, so I am terribly sorry you missed it. It was Sold Out for much of it's run and it was easy to see why. It was a delightful trip back to the high school drama class/club, told by two engaging actors (Richard Lee Hsi and Jayce MacKenzie) who both charmed the audience and broke our hearts. As a former drama kid AND high school drama teacher, I was so in love with this show. You might say I was in nostalgia overload. Ellen Chorley's script was brilliantly constructed and although it was full of highs and lows, it was truthful and engaging, supported by wonderful direction by Trevor Schmidt, who kept it flowing much in the way that high school tumbles by for a teenager. I actually hope they bring this show back. Every high school drama student (past and present) should see this show. 

Most recently (and you can still catch this one until February 9th) I saw Happy Birthday Baby J at Shadow Theatre. The story centers around a couple who are choosing to raise their child without a gender and they have invited a small group of friends and family to celebrate the child's 2nd birthday. At first it was a little challenging because I really didn't like the characters, but once I gave myself permission to laugh at them, I had a great time and I laughed A LOT. It's an interesting premise and playwright Nick Green has penned a clever script to explore the complicated world of wokeness. Gary and Louise (Chantel Perron and David Ley) feel rejected by their baby group because of their choice to raise the child without a gender, but it's really because they spend all their time Wokesplaining that no one can stand them. I've been thinking a lot about this one, and how much it says about what's wrong with 'people who think they know better than everyone else and also feel they have to tell them'. There's a cautionary tale in there, whatever you choose to do with regards to raising your own children. There's a lot more going on in the show beyond the question of gender, as it also throws in race, social media, relationships, and the complications of family and friendships. 

Anyhow, that was January... I'm looking forward to a warmer February with more shows. I already have 4 lined up for the next two weeks! I'll be back to tell you about those in a few...