I'm not kidding when I say the last week was jam-packed with theatre. I saw five shows (two of which I already wrote about) in 7 days! I combined that with my usual Trivia adventures, a visit from my sister, and chauffeuring my husband to and from his cataract surgery. A busy, busy week with a wide variety of theatre!
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Brianne Jang BB Collective Photography
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I mentioned a visit from my sister. We had a terrific time this week, mostly talking (but she did come to trivia with us and help secure our second place finish). On Thursday, the two of us went for dinner on Whyte at the newly opened
Town 82 which was a lovely spot with great food and atmosphere. And we talked. Then we set off for Northern Light Theatre’s
How Patty and Joanne Won High Gold at the Grand Christmas Cup Winter Dance Competition. This show was simply delightful. About two women who are a little lonely who are participating in a Beginner Adult Tap Class for different reasons. After the instructor leaves her position, the rest of the class also departs leaving only Patty and Joanne. Patty (Jenny McKillop) is a tired mother of 5, seeking something for herself in her busy life. For Joanne (Kendra Connor) the tap class is her path to her love of musical theatre (she knows facts about classic musical theatre shows that she can list off at the drop of a hat), and memories of her now deceased parents. When they find themselves alone with no instructor they decide to create their own routine and enter the big Winter Dance Competition. Through the journey, they get to know each other and themselves better and create a magical tap number (Choreographer Jason Hardwick) that literally had me sobbing with joy! Perhaps I connected to this so strongly because, like Patty and Joanne, I too am at a point in my life where I am seeking something for me. I think many of us hit that point in our middle years and an artistic pursuit, no matter what your skill-level, can fill that. I have so many friends that have started taking up artistic hobbies that it made me really think about what is missing that art fills in our lives. I may not take up tap-dancing, but I know I have been seriously thinking about finally writing a novel! Look out world! If there's a Christmas Cup for novel writing I might be trying for it. Anyhow, this is a terrific little show. It's a tight 60 minutes that's funny and heart-warming, and certainly kicks off the Christmas season in a truly original way! Plus, it features the BEST Christmas song every written so there's that. No ghosts on this stage, but I'm good with that. The show runs until December 13th and there's plenty of different price points including Pay-What-You-Can and 2-For-1 Tickets.
I also saw
Grant MacEwan Theatre Program's
Carrie. It has closed now but it was an excellently done show. However, it was not my kind of show. I think that there are certain people who love this show and shows like it. Based on the Stephen King book and movie it has a bit of a cult status. It was executed with great skill. Standouts were the actresses who played Carrie and her mother (I failed to grab a program and I can no longer find the online program - so if anyone knows who they were, feel free to comment). But the whole thing was pretty cool for concept and it was tight. I'm glad I saw it, even though it wasn't my kind of show, because there are some fabulous performers in the Grant MacEwan Theatre program!
Finally, I saw
Foote in the Door's Guys and Dolls. It has also closed as I saw it on it's closing weekend, but I had a great time. I went with friends from
Amélie (ELOPE) and there were several members of the
Amélie cast/team onstage and in the orchestra and production team. It was nice to see all them, as well as the Walterdale peeps! A very 'theatre-family' experience. Having done
Guys and Dolls many, many years ago it was terrific to revisit it. My seat partner and I chair-danced and lip synced along to many of the songs and it was full of funny moments that we laughed at. It's easy to see why a company would produce this show. So many great songs and opportunities for humour and great dancing! This was a terrific ensemble and they put on a show that was a real audience pleaser! I'm glad I was able to fit it into my schedule!
