Festive Theatre Offerings! What's Onstage in #yeg in December!

Seeing as it's opening night for the return of the Citadel's in-person A Christmas Carol, I thought I would highlight some of the shows that are available to Edmonton audiences this month. There are a few different things to entertain you and get you in the holiday mood! 

First is the aforementioned A Christmas Carol onstage in the Citadel's Maclab Theatre. It's a relatively new adaptation from Alberta playwright David van Belle set mid-century with Ted Dykstra playing the curmudgeon Scrooge. It features many local theatre favourites, with Julian Arnold as Marley and Patricia Zentilli as Emily (not Bob) Cratchit. It's filled with live performances of music from the era and shakes up the traditional story. Carol is a family favourite and is recommended for children 6+ to adults of all ages.  Remember to bring your donation for the Food Bank as this is an opportunity to give while you get a great night at the theatre! A Christmas Carol is onstage now until December 23rd and tickets range from $68.00 to $128.00 and can be purchased here. 

Also in December, Shumka is back onstage for three shows at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, December 17 & 18, for Shumka's Nutcracker.  A luxurious Christmas performance loved by everyone, but Shumka's Nutcracker is also a true Edmonton production, created and performed by local artists. Featuring ballet, folk dance, and character dance, the show is a celebration of Tchaikovsky's beloved Christmas classic which blends the grace and lyrical nature of classical movement with the strength and power of Ukrainian character dance. Tickets are on sale now starting at $25 and can be purchased here.

Opening next week at Walterdale Theatre is 5@50 by Brad Fraser. This one is not for the kids. Billed as a raw and darkly comedic portrayal of turning fifty in contemporary society, and of the friendships we can’t live without. Acclaimed playwright and Edmonton native Brad Fraser (Kill Me Now, Love and Human Remains) wrote 5@50 for all the “excellent middle-aged actresses who were having trouble finding parts.” This production was slated to go onstage shortly after the shut down in March 2020 and was put on hold until now. It also marks the Edmonton and Albertan Premiere of the play! 5@50 runs from December 8-18, with tickets at $25.00 which can be purchased here. Please note: There is reduced capacity due to Covid and tickets must be purchased in advance. 

Another Edmonton favourite is also returning, Whizgiggling Productions' The Best Little Newfoundland Christmas Pageant... Ever! I've seen this show in previous incarnations and it is both hilarious and touching. Silliness abounds and it is terrific for kids! Trouble is on the horizon when the Herdmans show up for auditions for the annual Christmas Pageant, after all they are the "worst kids in the world". You can catch the show live onstage at the Backstage Theatre December 17-19 with tickets ranging from $24-$30 each. Tickets are also available for an online performance on December 22-23. You can purchase your tickets here. 

I hope that you will be able to catch one or more of these shows over the next month and that it helps you celebrate the season! 

Nothing Like a Whorehouse on Fire to Warm You Up!

Twilla MacLeod and Sue Huff in The Great Whorehouse Fire of 1921, Northern Light Theatre. 
Photo by Ian Jackson, Epic Photography.

This past weekend I ventured back out for another theatre experience - this time I visited the Varscona Theatre to see Northern Light Theatre's production of The Great Whorehouse Fire of 1921. Inspired by true events in Big Valley, Alberta the play (by Linda Wood Edwards) speculates on a friendship of sorts between Mrs. Hastings, the Madam of the Whorehouse (played with sparkling acidity by Sue Huff) and Mrs. Smith, a local woman who runs a home for unwed mothers (portrayed with delicate curiosity by Twilla MacLeod). I haven't seen either of the two actresses onstage before but they are terrific foils for each other (well, I think I saw Huff in a directing project at U of A over 30 years ago when we both were students there - I can't remember what - but I do remember being a little in awe of this tiny person with the larger than life personality onstage). The story tells of the development of their unlikely friendship and the ultimate betrayal and disappointment that the friendship wasn't enough. It also spoke to the inequity of their social situations and the advantages that each have. There's no doubt in my mind which of the two women is a true survivor, but I know that both of them employ very different strategies to do so, and although their world views appeared to get closer together, we see that self-preservation gets in the way. Director Trevor Schmidt has shaped a give and take between the two contrasting actors that is believable and hopeful, but then ultimately foiled, and has done so in a way that I shared in the inevitable disappointment.

I'd admired the set (Production Designer - Alison Yanota) before I was even in the theatre as I had seen a photo online. It's even more lovely in person - atmospheric and distressed - much like the relationship between the characters onstage. The costumes further accentuate the contrast between the two women and as a whole - one fiery and one cool - and so the play is a visual treat. Oh, and I loved the huge moon that hangs above the house! 

It's a solid, crackling show, just over an hour, that showcases the best of Edmonton's theatre community - from playwright to actors to designers and director!

The Great Whorehouse Fire of 1921 runs to November 28th. Tickets must be purchased in advance and you can buy them here. 

COVID Rating A+: NLT is selling a reduced capacity house which allowed audiences members to socially distance. Masks are required inside the theatre and sanitizer is provided at entrances. 

What's On and Coming up in Edmonton Theatre

The Fiancé - The Citadel - Nov 6-28

Metronome - WWPT (Backstage Theatre) - Nov 11-21

The Great Whorehouse Fire of 1921 - NLT (Varscona) - Nov 18 - 28

Jason Kenney's Hot Boy Summer - Grindstone Theatre - Nov 10 - 21

A Christmas Carol - The Citadel - Nov 27-Dec 23

5@50 - Walterdale Theatre - Dec 8-18

After so long, 3 shows in a month seems AMAZING! The Fiancé, The December Man and Garneau Block!

 Yep, theatre is back. Some theatres are a little more back than others, and some are more distanced than others. Some are picking up where they left off, and some are showing new things. I took in three shows in the last month and it feels so strange to once again be out and about doing what I love! I'm still cautious, but it was nice to have moments in a darkened theatre where I both laughed and cried. 

Photo Credit: Nanc Price

Most recently (yesterday afternoon) I took in the new work, The Fiancé, in the Citadel's Shoctor Theatre.  With The Fiancé , penned by Holly Lewis (wife of Artistic Director Daryl Cloran), we were treated to a brand new farce taking place at the end of WWII. It featured local Edmonton theatre artists both on and off stage and it was a fun romp as the sweet and cake-loving Lucy (Helen Belay) and her tough no-nonsense sister Rose (Patricia Cerra) managed the comings and goings of Lucy's three wartime fiancés (Farren Timoteo, Tenaj Williams and Sheldon Elter), who have all arrived home on the same day. The stakes are raised by the arrival of a new landlord, Ms. Crotch (played by a ferocious Lora Brovold), with strict rules about unmarried ladies living in the building. As with most farces, the First Act served to set up the situation as precariously as possible and the Second Act was where it all payed off. It was an enjoyable afternoon spent out at the theatre where I could laugh and anticipate who would end up with who and what ridiculous circumstance would wrap it all up. I was not disappointed! The script is new and could use a little tightening and the removal of a few anachronistic bits that bumped me out of the story, but the cast do a great job selling every moment. And although the physical comedy in the fights and business are funny, they could also use a bit of judicious editing as they don't always carry the momentum required. As I mentioned, the Second Act is where it all pays off, as more people are added and more doors start getting opened and closed. All in all, this is a nice little show that will make you feel good and get you laughing. 

The Fiancé runs to November 28 and tickets are available here. Tickets range from $30-$108.00.

COVID RATING: B+ (Guests are checked for double vaccination and masked throughout the performance, hand sanitizer is provided in the lobby and entrances, but seats are not distanced and some guests removed their masks to drink and eat in the theatre)

Photo Credit: Scott Henderson, Henderson Images

Last week I took in The December Man at Walterdale Theatre. It has closed but I did want to comment on the excellent production. The December Man, by Colleen Murphy, tells of the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique tragedy involving the murder of 14 women and injuring others by a lone gunman railing against feminism. The story is told in the aftermath with the effects on one male student Jean (played with sensitivity by Filip Fufezan) who survived the shootings and the guilt that he deals with for not doing more. His parents, played by Christine Gold and J. Nelson Niwa, struggle to help him and their own limitations prevent them from being able to do so successfully. The trio of actors were beautifully committed to their characters strengths and weaknesses, and together there were a believable family coping as best they could with this horrible new reality. And the story, told in reverse order, culminated in a heart-breaking emotional release. The piece was directed with a skilled hand by Alex Hawkins who allowed the cast to weave through the emotional ups and downs realistically. 

The December Man closed this past Saturday, so you can no longer see it. However, Walterdale Theatre's next production is 5@50 by Brad Fraser which runs from December 8-18. Tickets can be purchased here. $25.00

COVID RATING: A+ (Guests are checked for double vaccination and masked throughout the performance, hand sanitizer is provided at entrances, bathrooms are restricted to one person at a time, seats are socially distanced, limited tickets are sold to prevent over-crowding)

Photo Credit: Arthur Mah

Earlier this season I also caught The Garneau Block at the Citadel in the Maclab Theatre. At the time of the Shut-down I think I was about a week and a half from seeing the show, so it was nice to finally catch it on the stage! I'm so happy for these shows-interrupted who are now able to be seen. Some productions over the course of the pandemic were able to transition to online productions, but with this being a play based on a novel by Edmonton's own Todd Babiak, so close to Opening, with a set left intact, I was really happy that they were able to keep (almost) the entire original cast and get the opportunity to share it with the city. I loved the book, so it was cool to see that world recreated onstage in this adaptation by Belinda Cornish. There are differences but the spirit of the story is intact, as are the characters. It was a great afternoon of laughter for me. Stand-out performance, however, must go to Nadien Chu whose onstage melt-down was one for the ages! As a whole, however, the cast was a delightful, well-balanced ensemble. Kudos!

The Garneau Block is no longer running so tickets are not available. 

Since we haven't been able to travel much... Why not go to Destination Wedding? At the Fringe!

 

Hey Everyone! After not being able to go last summer (but still buying the t-shirt for the Fringe that Never Was), I was at the Fringe once again yesterday! I arrived a little early to meet up with my Fringe-going partner Anne Marie, and grab a Green Onion Cake (no Fringe is complete without at least one). I was very happy that the gated entry was changed to Pay-What-You-Will as I do not think I could have justified the cost otherwise as I was really just in it for the green onion cakes. I am and have always been an Innie (Indoor shows) when it comes to the Fringe, but I do understand the challenges of trying to run the Festival and wanting to compensate those outdoor artists without the increased physical contact of passing the hat. 

Anyhow, about the SHOW! I chose Destination Wedding presented by Whizgiggling Productions, directed by Trevor Schmidt and featuring Michelle Todd, Cheryl Jameson and Kristin Johnson. It was a fun show, with each of the actors playing two roles (a primary and secondary one). I chose this show because it looked fun and because of the track record of the company and the performers involved and I was not disappointed. The script is slick and witty, and the three main characters are definitely well-defined and relatable, and although they are very different from each other, it was not hard to imagine them as long-time friends. It's more than just a gathering of women over cocktails in an exotic resort, however, as there is a murder/suspicious death. Our job as audience members is to sort through the layered clues to perhaps make a decision about who did what. We don't however, get all the answers. There's an Online Poll you can do after the show to register your guess for the murderer. 

Overall, the show was fun and bitchy - with the patterns of friends who know each other well and who have entertained and irritated each other for years - and although I wanted more answers, I'm totally cool with not knowing everything. It was a great choice for my return to the Fringe!

Tickets are going fast for this one - the performance we went to was Sold Out and many of the performances left have limited availability. You can get your tickets here. 

Also - for those wondering about Covid Safety. The spacing was great in the venue and the line-up. Masks are required inside (except for that one table of ladies who obviously felt it wasn't required for them). There's sanitizer and masks if you forget yours. Even the line-up outside was well spaced. It was nice to see the show, laugh along with others in that special unity of an audience, and not worry about being safe. 

Summer 2021 - A Return to Live #yegtheatre... tentatively... with Macbeth...

 

So... I saw a show this week... in person... it was outside... a return to a live theatre space. It felt good. 

On Wednesday evening, in Louise McKinney Park, I took in the Preview performance of Freewill Shakespeare's Macbeth. Responding to Covid, the company presented an adaptation written for 3 actors, which was shorter, with streamlined sets and costumes, to better fit into the Fringe and other locations. There's also a similar production of Much Ado About Nothing adapted for 5 actors, but I haven't had a chance to catch that one yet. 

It was so nice to be in an audience sharing the experience of live theatre, and this was a terrific choice as it was brisk and lively and quite funny. The three actors (Nadien Chu, Rochelle Laplante, and Laura Raboud) were skilled with the Shakespeare as well as the quick script. Three natural comedians, they played well with and off each other. Those that know Macbeth can be reassured that the essentials are covered, but this adaptation tends to lighten the more gory parts with clever songs and provide exposition in humorous ways. There's also low-risk audience participation. On the Preview night, the audience was a little rusty but once their memories were sparked they leapt in. 

Most lovely for me was seeing the three actors joyous response to the applause. I feel for all the #yegtheatre performers who have tried to serve us over the last year and a half with online performances. Finally they can hear our gratitude for the splendid art that they are creating instead of sending it out into the silent void of zoom. 

Next for me is a Fringe show. I'm finding it hard to get back to being around people so I am taking it slow. I'll see a show on Monday and if that goes well, I hope to catch a few more later in the week.

You can catch Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing at the Fringe. Click the titles for the links to tickets and showtimes. Some performances already show limited availability, so you might want to get those ticket sooner rather than later!