Four Shows in One Week! Am I a Madwoman?!?! From Northern Light Theatre to The Citadel to Walterdale Theatre to Jubilations Dinner Theatre - talk about a theatrical rollercoaster!

October is my birthday month, so it is fitting that I took in four shows this past week, starting on my actual birthday! Those who know me, know that theatre is the thing I love the most (outside my friends and family)! 

Photo Credit Brianne Jang

On my actual birthday I took in Opening Night of Northern Light Theatre's A Phoenix Too Frequent by Christopher Fry. The set-up features a young widow (Julia van Dam as Dynamene) and her servant (Ellen Chorley as Doto) dramatically mourning the mistress's recently deceased husband. It takes place in his tomb as they wait to die to join him. You begin to realize very quickly that it's not all serious business. Chorley is quite funny as the servant who's there for her mistress, but not quite as committed to the whole process and easily distracted. Enter a young and handsome Legionnaire (Brennan Campbell as Tegeus) who spotted the light from the tomb while on guard and came to check things out. He's handsome, Dynamene is also young and beautifully and suddenly the whole plan to join her husband in Hades gets reevaluated. It's a very unusual and sexy rom-com with laughs and twists and turns that lead to a satisfying ending! 

Tickets for A Phoenix Too Frequent are $38.85 and available here. There is also a PWYC on Sunday, October 15th and a 2for1 night on Tuesday, October 17th. The show runs to October 21st. 

Photo Credit: Nanc Price

The Next evening, I took in The Importance of Being Earnest at The Citadel Theatre. I'm very familiar with the show - perhaps one of the best comedies ever written - since i directed it years ago and have seen it elsewhere a couple of times. Everyone should take in the show, sometime in their life because it's so well written and so funny. The Citadel production has relocated the story to the 1950s, which works and provides beautiful stage pictures and costumes. Standouts in this production are Nadien Chu as Lady Bracknell, Amelia Sargisson as Gwendolyn Fairfax and Jeff Lillico as Jack Worthington (although, I kind of wished the two young men were switched - but that might have more to do with my vision of the roles). 

Tickets for The Importance of Being Earnest are $40-130 and are available here. It runs until Sunday, October 15th. 

Photo Credit: Scott Henderson, Henderson Images

After all that silliness, I switched it up next with Walterdale Theatre's production of All My Sons by Arthur Miller, directed by John Anderson. It was great to see this piece onstage. I have seen Miller's Death of a Salesmen several times, The Crucible twice and A View From the Bridge and I am admirer of his work. This play also has terrific characters and tackles important questions about social responsibility, honesty, and family loyalty. Inspired by a true story about faulty materials for aircrafts being provided to the military during WW II and taking place shortly after, it centers around the family of Joe Keller (Dave Wolkowski) who was implicated but then exonerated in the case. Joe's partner Steve Deever instead takes the fall for the crime. However, it is not in the factory or a courtroom that the story takes place, but the Keller backyard, where the Keller and Deever families spent many summers together. Steve’s daughter, Ann (Jasmine Hopfe), was all but engaged to Chris’s  brother, Larry, before Larry was killed in the war. Now she has returned from exile in New York, hoping to marry the besotted Chris (Franco Correa) instead. The Keller matriarch, Kate (Ursula Pattloch) refuses to accept that Larry is dead and believes he will one day return home and that Ann is still his girl. It's complicated. The first act of the Walterdale production sets up all the pieces for a second act where it will inevitably come crashing down. It ends with an emotional bang and the last 20 minutes had me sitting on the edge of my seat. Overall it's a fine production, with an outstanding performance by Correa, and I've had several people tell me they plan to go back for a second watch. 

All My Sons runs to October 21st and tickets are $25 and are available here. There is also a PWYC evening on Wednesday, October 18th. 

And finally, a message out of the blue from an old high school friend yesterday afternoon had me taking in Old Time Rock 'N Roll at Jubilations Dinner Theatre. The show was a fun little romp as told by an older man reminiscing about his high school days and his first real love through the late 50s into the 70s. The cast of 6 (plus a few extras) were great singers and dancers and they committed 150% to the hijinks required! I really enjoyed all the song choices, and while I'm not that old, I did know ALL THE SONGS from the way back! We also had a good meal and great servers (thanks Edna and crew) and a wonderful visit. I have been to Jubilations before and it's always a lot of fun. 

Old Time Rock 'N Roll runs to November 5th and tickets start at $75.95 (and include dinner) and are available here. 

#yegtheatre #yegarts #allmysons #phoenixtoofrequent