Tensions in the Neighbourhood - Clybourne Park!

Sunday evening I took my husband and friend AM to see Clybourne Park at the Citadel.  I had seen it a week or so earlier at the Dress Rehearsal, but I was eager to see it again now that the cast had had a bit of time in front of an audience.  With the kinds of jokes in the piece, getting a feel for the audience is really important.  I imagine each night is dramatically different as it has jokes that are going to land a lot different on a Tuesday night as compared to a Saturday. 

I really liked it in the dress rehearsal. The first act made me cry and that completely caught me off-guard.  I was equally impressed with the second act, but in a very different way emotionally. But I LOVED it last night.  It's such a well tuned ensemble and the script is so, so sharp.  I love that everyone is so present, listening as well as striving to be heard. Some of my favorite moments are actually watching the characters when they aren't talking as they deliver a single look and you know exactly what they are thinking. When their characters are unlikeable, they don't hold back.  That takes courage and trust to do.  Also, everyone seems so perfectly cast, which is a challenge when you consider that they each play two very different characters in each of the acts.

It was also fun sharing it with Mark and AM.  As the house lights came up at intermission, AM says to me, "Ah, so nice to see such good acting." She, like myself, sees a lot of theatre and is perhaps even harder to please so that is high praise. We had fun dancing through the decades with the intermission music (both have requested that I try to get them a copy of the playlist).  Very clever choice of director James MacDonald to take us from 1959 to 2009.  We also talked of the act, and I was careful not to give away any spoilers of what is coming.

And then, after the explosive, hilarious second act, we spent a good 20 minutes talking about the play in the lobby afterwards. AM had a long drive home though, so it couldn't be longer than that. Mark and I however, talked about it all the way home.  Mark's claim, "I know every single one of those people!" (referring to the second act).  He was even talking about it again today.  Apparently he has convinced one of our employees to go check it out.  I have a feeling he will be talking it up with a lot of his patients.  I was glad that I could take him to it.  I wish the boys were a little older, as it was such a fine piece of work, but 12 is too young for it... in a few years...

Clybourne Park runs until February 16th in the Shoctor Theatre at the Citadel.  I would say this one is not to be missed... I might even have to try and see it a third time...

First Exposure to Hawksley... Late to the party, but drinking the punch!

Last night my husband and I took in closing night of The God That Comes, the one man show by Hawksley Workman at the Citadel Club.  I will be honest, I know there were a lot of people going because it was Hawksley Workman and they have been long-time fans, but I was going because I had heard about the show from the Calgary theatre season last year.  I had never really heard Hawksley before (other than maybe a couple of times on the radio - but I couldn't swear to it).  Since the show opened last week I had heard great things both at work and via twitter and FB so I was very anxious to see it.  I was also looking forward to the bottle of wine that came with the VIP table I had purchased way back in August!  Anyhow, last night was really cool.  A re-telling of the Bacchae in a way that was very sexy, humorous, and musically compelling.  It was laugh out loud and so clever and Hawksley Workman's story-telling with music was always invested and engaging.  What a great night. Very happy that the VIP Table came with 2 CDs and we already opened one to listen to on the drive home. I plan to look into some more of his music...

This was not my only theatrical adventure this weekend, on Friday I took in the dress rehearsal for Clybourne Park at the Citadel.    I laughed (a lot) and a cried (curse you guys for hitting me in the heart!).  So good and I can't wait to see it again with a packed house! I can't say how much I love this script and this cast and production feel just spot on. It's so honest and true to life and so very funny and it's safe to laugh at the things you wouldn't if you were actually in the room.  In this world of political correctness and "us and them" it's so incredibly relevant.

This week I want to catch The Bronte Burlesque and The Elevator Project, and we open Clybourne Park, so it's going to be a busy one!

What's On in Edmonton - aka - Stuff to See!

Theatre in Edmonton is really getting kick started this weekend, so if you are looking for something to see, there are a lot of options.

Hawksley Workman is wrapping up The God That Comes at the Citadel Theatre this weekend.  Tickets for Friday and Saturday are few, but you might be able to grab ones for tonight (better run the show starts at 8 p.m.) or tomorrow night.  Twitter has been abuzz with great comments about the show, so I am looking forward to it.

At Theatre Network, the highly successful A Bronte Burlesque opens tomorrow night.  Putting this show on a bigger stage with better sightlines is going to make it even better.  It sold out it's run at the Fringe two years ago so I expect a healthy turn-out for this. 

Also at the Citadel, Clybourne Park starts it's previews this weekend.  Its the Tony, Pulitzer and Olivier award-winning script by Bruce Norris and its biting wit seems so relevant in today's world of political correctness.  Whether you always feel like you put your foot in your mouth or you are always seeing others stepping over the line, you will find yourself on stage somewhere on the spectrum.

Workshop West's Canoe Fest also starts up this weekend.  A variety of options for you to choose from.  I'm hoping to check out the Elevator Project, but there are a lot of really cool choices on the festival schedule.

Over at Fringe Theatre Adventures, Kaybridge productions is presenting The Frequency of Water. Written by Carol Murray-Gilchrist, The Frequency of Water was the Sterling Award Recipient for Best New Play a few years ago, and is directed by Maralyn Ryan.

So there are a lot of options to get you started.  Now that it's been a little nicer out, there is no excuse to stay home - so don't, don't stay home - see a show!

Gearing up for Hawksley and Clybourne!

It's very busy at work right now.  I know, I know, there's a recent rejection of the word busy, but I work in a place where the pace goes up and down depending on what is on the go and right now we are busy.  A big part of my job is putting together the Playbills for each of the main stage shows and about 2-3 weeks out is when those tasks heat up.  We have two shows opening up in the next 4 weeks so I am both proofing and collecting right now, in addition to coordinating Opening Night Invitations for the first one, Clybourne Park, which opens on January 30th.  The second one, Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata opens on February 5th. So yeah, it's.... busy...

However, that's not even the next show in the building.  In our Beyond the Stage Series we have Hawksley Workman and The God That Comes opening tomorrow night.  I'm really excited for this show.  It won a couple of Betty Awards last season (Calgary's Sterlings) and made top ten theatre lists in Toronto and Vancouver.  I have never seen Hawksley Workman before but have friends (whose opinion I trust) who are die-hard fans so it all adds up.  Back in August, when I heard this show was coming I bought a VIP table right away and now I am so very glad I did.  With the way the tickets have been selling I would have been paying a lot more for not as great seats and no bottle of wine and CDs (there are a few nights with VIP Tables left... I highly recommend - they are the best seats in the house and you get the aforementioned wine and CDs).  Anyhow, I will have to do some waiting because I clearly wasn't thinking in August when I bought the tickets... for Closing Night... I might have to go earlier and see this one twice... hmmm...

After that it will Clybourne Park and Craigslist. This is clearly a great January for me.  All three of these shows really appeal to me.  They are current, edgy and very different.  Clybourne's read through was hysterical and the way it attacks the politics of speech and political correctness and assumptions about race and culture is brilliant.  I am excited to see it with all the bells and whistles.

In any case, I expect a few weeks of long days and then a very brief breath until I get to work on Mary Poppins!