A Nostalgic Theatre Adventure Continues with Beehive: The 60's Musical!

The Cast of Beehive: The Musical
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On Thursday night I had a wonderful time revisiting the music of the 1960s with St. Albert Dinner Theatre's Opening Night of Beehive: The 60's Musical. The show was handily directed by Caitlyn Tywoniuk with Music Direction by Dalton B. Terhorst. It featured a talented collection of 6 singer/actor/dancers who wove together a journey through the pop music of the 1960s. While I was not alive for most of the 60s (note: I say most of as I was born during the tail end of the decade) I was very familiar with most of the songs due to growing up with the radio on and absolutely loving the 60s girl group sounds! I also directed and performed in a similar show, Shout!, a number of years ago at the Fringe and there were some overlaps in song selection. Needless to say, I was quietly singing along to many of the songs in Beehive! 

The cast was very well suited to the music, both in voice and dance (choreographed by Sabrina Thieven). Their harmonies were bang-on and each of the 6 actors had moments where they could shine. Josephine Herbut as Wanda, skillfully guided us through the journey, and I loved all her songs. Her voice never falters and has such a beautiful tone which is perfect for the music of the era. Her renditions of Walking in the Rain and The Beehive Dance were simply terrific! Sika Clarke as Pattie is a powerhouse vocalist which leads to a dynamic version of You Don't Own Me. I absolutely loved everything that Renee DeSilva-Bissell (Jasmine) sang as she is remarkably vocally flexible. Her Diana Ross inspired, You Can't Hurry Love, is a showstopper. Melanie Dobos (Allison) has a bright youthfulness and elegance that is charming in her rendition of Where the Boys Are. Chrissie Palacios (Gina) stands out when she delivers the classic, (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman, and Kelsey Hoople (Laura) channels Janis Joplin with a warm and smoky medley including Cry Baby and Me and Bobby McGee. Through all the songs, the cast works as a true team backing each other up with energetic dance and tight harmonies. They also don't limit themselves to the stage, but literally work the crowd with shout-outs and weaving through the audience to make the whole thing more immersive. It was a fun ride! 

I should also mention, that this company is a dinner theatre, so the evening starts with a buffet meal which was delicious. This was also the company's first foray into producing a musical and they've done a terrific job with an excellent piece of theatre!

Beehive: The 60's Musical runs on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until November 22nd. Tickets are $70.00 and that include dinner and the show and can be purchased here. 

Did a Show... Caught a Show! Love Letters...

Today we had our 2nd SOLD OUT show for Double Double: The Musical.  It was so much fun.  It's weird because we still have 3 shows left but it also feels like Fringe is almost over! Three more for Double Double and only one more for Shout! (which is already almost Sold Out).  So, this has certainly been a terrific Fringe! And now for a little watching...

Love Letters - This was a wonderful piece about two people corresponding from elementary school to late adulthood.  The correspondence between Melissa (Holly Turner) and Andy (Brian Dooley) is charming, funny and in some places heart-breaking.  It was a delightful piece of theatre with terrific acting.  You know they are good when you are completely captivated and they are just sitting there reading letters.

That's all I could manage.  With the 2 show schedule I have to take it easy (and it's killing me a little bit!).

A Couple More Fringe Shows...

Yesterday I snuck in a show between my two shows and I forgot to mention one from the earlier day (all that hairspray I am inhaling is affecting my memory I think!). 

Life is a Musical! - It seems the only time I catch Improv is at Fringe and this is the 3rd time I have caught Grindstone Theatre's live improvised musical.  The story this time centered around a Barista from Starbucks named Sasha.  They cleverly tied it to West Side Story and it was a lot of fun. Highlights for me were the villans, Antonio (Neil Kuefler) and Banderas (Mark Vetsch) whose machismo was hysterical and the absolutely brilliant Mary Hulbert who played Sasha.  Hulbert sang a torchy long song (she's done this before) that I hope they recorded because it was so good. A sure-fire, super fun, hour of improv!

Loris and Beaver Play BINGO - I caught this earlier in the week. It's a play about writing a play.  As a playwright there were things I connected to in terms of the struggle to actually work and the things you do to avoid the writing (I however, do not drink nearly as much wine!). I really liked the scenes from the "play in progress" and would have liked to have seen more of that.  I think those where the places where the writing was strongest and most focused. All three actors are engaging and likable and quite natural onstage. 

Anyhow, I have my penultimate SHOUT! performance today.  Was excited to be approached in the Beer Tent last night by Laurie Blakeman who said she really enjoyed the show AND that she tweeted about it! Woo hoo! Catch us at 2:15 p.m. today or 9:00 p.m. on Saturday! 

And so we've started! Woo Hoo! Saw some shows too!

On Friday I had two Openings - Shout! and Double Double.  It's the tightest two show day in my Fringe schedule and all went terrifically well! With Shout! at 4 p.m. and Double Double at 8:45 p.m. I had a nice 2 hour turn around to change make-up and eat and refocus and it was enough.  It makes the other 2 double show days feel imminently manageable! Whew!

Shout! kicked off the day.  We had a fabulous, receptive audience and despite some mic issues (mostly mic tape coming off due to our womanly glows...) we rolled with it and had a great time. So great to be singing these songs and playing these characters in front of an audience again.  We've since been reviewed by the Edmonton Journal (3 stars - and an exceptional write-up!) and VUE Weekly (4 Stars - YAY! and another great write-up). Our Saturday night show was even better and it was great to have so many people there for an 11 pm show! Tomorrow's show is selling incredibly well - I can't wait!

Double Double was also terrific fun.  Since it's a new work, we weren't sure how it would be received, but the laughs started off the top and we left the theatre floating. I can't wait until Tuesday when we get to do it again! We haven't been reviewed yet - but I found this fabulous tweet series on twitter and it made me feel pretty good!

I also got out to see a few more shows - not as many as usual, but I gave it a good shot!

Assassins - I'm a Sondheim fan so I was drawn to see this.  You don't get to see Assassins done very often, as it's challenging and hard for audiences to connect to because all the characters are, well, assassins.  I was frustrated by the lighting and the the pace, but it was a good show overall. Highlights for me were Jeff Page as Sam Bick, Nancy McAlear's comic timing as Sarah Jane Moore, and Chris W. Cook as Charles Guiteau. 

Self(ish) - This is simply a beautiful modern dance piece. It was humorous, strong, touching, and very complete.  I want to see more things like this throughout the season. I've been to a few dance shows, but some of them felt like they were still experimenting. This one feels like it is well developed and I was amazed by both the story-telling and the physical abilities of the dancers. 

No Belles - I don't usually go to Storytelling shows, but the topic was and is compelling.  This is the show to take you children - girls AND boys - from ages 10 and up to.  They need to be able to listen, but that's the age we need to reinforce the message of the show.  The stories of the Nobel prize winners (and should-have-been winners) are so inspiring and heart-breaking and we need to realize that we still have further to go.  It's not a theatrical piece - but it is delivered thoughtfully and artfully. I did feel that the standing ovation at the end was more for the women the play was about, than for the performance itself, but that's okay - those women deserved it. 

Release the McCrackin - the third installment in the McCrackin trilogy was SO MUCH FUN! We took the boys and they howled with laughter. Even if you haven't seen the first two, you will be familiar with the movie tropes they are playing with and they build in enough back story to keep everyone in the loop. Their merging of film and theatre is so good that the audience broke into spontaneous applause several times after particularly cool sequences. Here are the boys mini-reviews:

Gibson - "I get this! I really get this! I want to see that again! Oh, and my sides hurt from laughing so much!"

Oliver - "That was HILARIOUS! Oh, the references! They have, like, ALL the references! So good."

They are not that articulate, but you get the idea... 

See a show! 

Getting Ready for Fringe! Double Double and Shout! Twice the Fun!

Fringe is almost upon us!  It's my favorite time of the year and I feel kind of bad that I have let my blogging slip (missing posting on the Mayfield's The Long Weekend - a fun show and a great date night with the husband!), but the fact is I have two shows on the go and I am onstage in both of them. Not only am I onstage, but they are both ensemble musicals so it's not like I'm popping in for a cameo. I am singing and dancing in both and while it is terrific fun, it has been taking up a lot of my time!

What am I doing? you ask... Let me tell you!

The first show is familiar, because it is a remount of Shout! The Mod Musical, which I directed and was in earlier this year.  We had a 4 show run in January at C103 with wonderful houses.  We were thrilled to get a Fringe spot because it meant we could re-visit and tighten the show and we've even added more choreography and changed up a few costumes!  It was a really solid show in January and I am pleased to say it's even stronger now.  It's funny how learning choreography over again is actually a lot easier.  I don't even dread putting on the white go-go boots!  It's also been fun getting back together with the girls onstage and backstage, and the music is so great to sing.  For me, being able to sing these iconic songs, with 4 other women who can really handle the 4 and 5 parts, is something that I have truly missed. 

Featuring: Leslie Caffaro, Nicole English, Kristen Finlay, Erin Foster-O'Riordan, & Monica Roberts
Directed by Kristen Finlay
Music Direction by Sally Hunt

Choreography by Kelly Webber

The second show I am involved in is Double Double: The Musical. I am wearing many hats on this production as I am co-writer, co-director, co-producer and I am onstage performing in it.  It's been amazing to see and hear my second musical come together.  We are blessed with a terrific cast and team and that has made it all the better.  It really is a ridiculous little show - in a good way!  The songs are varied in style and are tuneful ear-worms.  I am so thrilled with the work our arranger, Matt Graham, has done to help bring our musical vision to life. I don't even think you need to like Tim Horton's to have fun at this show - if you have a favourite, you understand the addiction and brand loyalty, and whether you recognize yourself or other people in the characters of the show, I think there will be some connection. 

Featuring: Owen Bishop, Justin Deveau, Kristen M. Finlay, and Nadine Veroba
Written and Directed by Kristen Finlay & Anne Marie Szucs
Music Arrangement by Matt Graham
Music Direction by Arielle Ballance
Choreography by Leah Paterson
Sound Design by Erin Foster-O'Riordan
Stage Managed by Kirsten Jensen

Ups and Downs... Last week in Edmonton Theatre

It's weird to look back to the last week.  It was such an up and down in Edmonton Theatre and for me personally.  The weekend saw the close of SHOUT! and I was riding a high that comes from performing for audiences that are laughing and enjoying the show you are doing.  So many strangers smiling and complimenting me after the show.  Your friends will always love it (or at least tell you they do), but when strangers stick around to say nice things you tend to believe them. A quick Strike (like, amazingly quick) and the show was packed up until the summer when we remount it for the Edmonton International Fringe.  We left ebullient with plans for a cast get together in a couple of weeks.

Then the week started.  I planned my theatre week.  It was to be Cheerleader on Wednesday, Circle Mirror Transformation on Thursday and dress rehearsal of Venus in Fur on Friday - what a fabulous line-up.  When I woke up Tuesday morning to my radio alarm I heard people reminiscing about the Roxy Theatre.  I thought, "What a cool way to promote the theatre for their 40th season!", then I woke up for real.  A fire.  The Roxy Theatre was on fire and completely destroyed.  I was in shock. Having just produced a show, I knew exactly what went in to that and where the artists involved in Cheerleader would be at emotionally.  I couldn't fully imagine what it would have been like to have woken up to the news.  And Theatre Network had a tremendous amount of programming to complete.  What would happen to that?  What would happen to Nextfest? What about the city as a whole?  We are in dire need of more mid-size and smaller theatre spaces and here was another one lost. I could offer my condolences to Theatre Network, but all I really wanted to know was, "How can I help?"

And that is what it seems everyone else was seeking.  The tremendous show of support of the greater Edmonton theatre community was and continues to be inspiring.  Freewill Players, still recovering from their challenges last season, offered a portion of the proceeds from their upcoming fundraiser to aid Theatre Network.  Rapid Fire Theatre offered up proceeds from one of their upcoming shows. The Artistic Directors and Executive Directors of Edmonton's theatre community got on the phones and started looking at the calenders to try and figure out how to help Theatre Network keep their programming for the rest of the season.  People shared and shared and shared the Canada Helps Donation page and people donated and are continuing to do so. I heard today that the U of A is hosting a reading of Cheerleader on the Timm's Centre Mainstage on Sunday evening.

So from high, to low to high again... it's been a very interesting week. Tonight I will be attending Circle Mirror Transformation at Shadow Theatre because the other thing I know we have to do is to keep going to local theatre. And I remain ready to help in any way I can should Theatre Network put out the call.

Opening Night! SHOUT! onstage at C103

It has felt like a whirlwind, but a good one.  The best is working with the fabulous people involved in this production... no wait, the best is singing this music... no wait, the best is being onstage again... no wait... how can you sum up 'the best'? It's just really a great time.  There are nerves but mostly excitment about Opening Night and sharing this with an audience.  I really feel like we need one.

We received some nice words from Colin MacLean in the Edmonton Sun.  He came to our Dress Rehearsal last night.

Shout! takes us back to the 60s

"The music is warmly familiar, the ladies create five distinct characters, have excellent voices and their long stage experience makes them completely at home in front of an audience." - Colin MacLean, Edmonton Sun

There are only 4 shows, January 7th - 10th, so I hope you can make it out for this Fab Mod Musical! The music is terrific and it's a fun, colourful way to warm up your January!

Tix available at www.tixonthesquare.ca or at the door (Cash only at the door).