Ridiculous Fun and a Surreal Personal Adventure - The 39 Steps at Teatro Live!

There's something very weird about going to a new production of a show that you have been in as an actor, or have directed in the past. This first happened to me 25 odd years ago when I saw Hello Dolly! at the Citadel a few years after having being in it. I remember being very disassociated from the show because of how close I had been to the material. I couldn't get into it. A decade or so later I went to a production of Steel Magnolias only a couple of years after having played M'Lynn, and the opposite thing happened as I found myself so immersed in the story that I was body-shaking sobbing at the end of it. So I wondered how seeing The 39 Steps at Teatro Live! would affect me. I hadn't been in the show, but I had directed it 4 years previously at Walterdale Theatre across the street. It was my first show coming out of the COVID shutdown and doing it actually woke me up from the low-key malaise I was experiencing after being in lockdown for so long. 

I'm pleased to say that, while surreal, the experience of seeing Teatro's production (directed by new Artistic Director, Farren Timoteo) was quite a lot of fun! It was really interesting to see what was done differently and what was pretty much the same, and of course, what surprised me (and there were a few of those moments). Of course, I have a deep emotional attachment to my own production but this is such a hilarious piece of theatre and the room the script gives to explore and try new things means that I would likely see it again done by another company because it offers that world of  "let's see how ridiculous we can make this!" to any cast and team!

The 39 Steps, Teatro Live!. Photo by Marc J Chalifoux

So, what's it all about? The show recreates Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, where Richard Hannay (Geoffrey Simon Brown - a youngish, and extremely flexible, Hannay with a somewhat pinched upper class accent) is swung into a spy plot by a chance encounter with femme fatale Annabella Schmidt (Priya Narine). After an unfortunate death, Hannay is forced to flee to the Scottish Highlands to evade a murder charge and hopefully foil spies (we know about as much as he does which at this point is not very much!). Along the way there are dozens of other characters played by 2 clowns, Katie Yoner and Michael Watt, and two other women of note also played by Narine. The multitude of different characters played by the 2 clowns leads to much hilarity as they swap hats and coats and accents and wigs with great fervour and often with nary a breath between one and another. This cast as a whole are obviously skilled improvisers as they had to deal with costume and hat and set malfunctions and did so with humour and quick thinking - a confession  about a moustache has likely never been so funny. This was much in the spirit of The Play that Goes Wrong - except I am not sure all or any of the mishaps were planned. There are a lot of moving parts and I did sometimes wish for a a tighter execution, perhaps thinking back to how many times I had rehearsed a particular hat, coat and wig swap when preparing my own production. It could be that this show will be a little looser and allow for those magic moments of live onstage problem-solving. Judging from the audience laughter it was certainly appreciated. 

I encourage you to check this show out - whether you've seen it or not - it's a wild ride and literally a laugh-a-minute! As we move into the colder winter days, you'll be grateful for the silliness! 

The 39 Steps runs until November 30, 2025 at the Varscona Theatre. Tickets run from $25-42 but there are also Pay-What-You-Can Tuesdays and a Free Wine and cheese Night. You can purchase your tickets Here. 

A Week of Edmonton Theatre - Three Terrific New Works! Anahita's Republic (Autash), Subscribe and Like (WWPT) and Listen, Listen (Teatro Live!)

I've just come home from seeing the third of three new works on Edmonton stages this week! There's nothing my theatre heart loves more than new Canadian works and all three were also written by Albertan playwrights, so that's even better! There was also a great deal of variety in the pieces so it was a but of a rollercoaster of theatrical offerings!

Anahita's Republic by Hengameh E. Rice (Autash Productions)

Now running at the Backstage Theatre (Fringe Theatre Adventures), Anahita's Republic is a play I have been long invested in. It's set in Iran, in a compound where the strong willed and sharply intelligent Anahita (Roya Yazdanmehr) is able to live her life the way she wants to. She's safe to reject the hijab and run the family business, using her brother Cyrus (Yassine El Fassi El Fihri) as her public face. All the while she works to challenge the regime and gain freedoms for women. The play shines a light on a part of the world we may speculate about but not really know. Yazdanmehr gives a passionate and invested performance, and when it looks like she may lose control of her carefully curated world, you can hear the desperation in her anguished pleas. Anahita's Republic is a play that makes you think when you both watch it and in the days that follow seeing it. It makes you think about what you have and what you might do if it were taken away from you. It also makes you reflect on what it might be like to live in a world where all you want is to have the same things that your brother has - the things he takes for granted and even casually rejects - but you can't have them because you are a woman. The cast is rounded out by Omid (Jennie George), a young women whose arrival upsets the balance of Anahita's life, and Omid's father Masood (played wonderfully by Michael Peng) who further complicates the situation with wants of his own. The show is nicely paced and the stakes stack up imperceptibly until things reach a breaking point. It's a tight 90 minute show directed with subtlety by Brian Dooley. 

Anahita's Republic runs to June 4th at the Backstage Theatre.
Tickets are $44 but there are Pay-What-You-Can tickets available for every show. You can buy your tickets here. 

Subscribe or Like by Liam Salmon (Workshop West Playwrights' Theatre)

So... this was an unexpected show for me. I knew it likely had something to do with social media, because of the title, and I speculated there was a romantic/relationship angle because of the casting and the images I had seen online prior to seeing the show, but that's about all I knew going in. It was both funny and sad. It was also terrifying and inevitable. It's a memory play about Rachel and Miles who start a YouTube channel and travel down the path of needing the likes and views and subscribers to validate what they are doing. Their need to generate those reactions becomes obsessive for one of them, and ultimately destructive for the relationship. This show had me unable to look away even though part of my brain was saying I can't watch. Gabby Bernard and Geoffrey Simon Brown have real onstage chemistry that makes you believe why they are together as well as why they pull apart from each other. He is puppy-dog-like, which is adorable, but hey, he also eats your shoes. She is thoughtful and deep and caring, but over-invested and drained, and it's hard to be the not-fun one. It's a complicated interplay, but believable. 

As someone who spends a lot of time on social media, I totally got this show. I have over the last few years reevaluated my online role and needs. I know what it is like to track your likes and views so I understand the obsession. After seeing the show, my friends and I spent a half hour discussing it and how we related and I have come back to it several times today. I imagine it will haunt me for a little while longer. It's completely relevant in our world today and as a cautionary tale, it suggests that even if you aren't thinking about the impacts of social media on our psyches, you probably should be. 

Subscribe or Like runs to June 11th at the Geateway Theatre. 
Tickets are $27 - $43. Tuesdays are 2-for-1 at the Door. 
You can Purchase your tickets here. 

Listen, Listen by Elyne Quan (Teatro Live!)

It was so much fun to laugh at this show tonight! The premise was simple, but what started out a something simple (a customer's request) snowballs quickly into the world of the absurd. Led onstage by the physically elastic Farren Timoteo, the cast of four (Nadien Chu, Alexander Ariate and Nikki Hulowski) are delightful to watch. I think they were having as much fun as we were in the audience!

It's quick paced (kudos to director Belinda Cornish) and moves so smoothly that I was surprised that the first act was an hour. It literally flew by! The soundtrack is terrific (I would like a mixed tape of it, please!) and the music, costumes (Leona Brausen) and set (Chantel Fortin)  transported me and everyone else to the 80s (the best decade) for a super silly story pitting customer against service worker! It's a show that you can't help but enjoy and laugh at. Everyone onstage is excellent. As to Timoteo, my companion for the evening speculated the role was written for him as his physical comedy was perfection. The rest of the cast all have their moments too - Chu's slow-motion fight scene is hilarious; Ariate's three wildly different characters have their moments; and Hulowski not only plays the smartest cute girl at the mall food court, but she also channels the entire secretarial pool from the movie Working Girl (sorry, Executive Assistants). So much fun and absolutely perfect for a summer evening! 

Listen, Listen runs until June 11th at the Varscona Theatre. 
Tickets are $30 - $42. Tuesdays are Pay-What-You-Can at the door. 
You can purchase your tickets here. 

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. 

Forever Plaid at the Mayfield - Fabulous Harmony!

Last night, the boys and I took Mark to the Mayfield Dinner Theatre to take in Forever Plaid, one of his favourite musicals. Lucky us that the timing was right to make for a terrific Father's Day present!

We had a great time! It's always interesting to revisit shows that you've seen before and hard not to reflect on the differences and just enjoy what the new production brings to it. This production had amazingly tight harmonies that showcased the superior vocal blend of it's four performers (Kaymar Pazandeh, Andrew MacDonald-Smith, Farren Timoteo, and Steven Greenfield). I've never seen Pazandeh onstage before and I have to say, his voice was a real treat, a beautiful bass-baritone that was incredibly smooth! I'm a big fan of  both Timoteo (Peter and the Starcatcher - Citadel) and MacDonald-Smith (Crazy For You - Citadel) so it was great to see them onstage together. The four of them worked together well to set up the jokes, and the show had a nice smooth flow. My favourite numbers were Chain Gang/Sixteen Tons and the Carribean (Kingston Town, Matilda, Jamaica Farewell) section. I also really liked Perfidia, because I love that song and these guys rocked it!

Here's what Mark and Gibson had to say... 

"The harmonies reminded me what I love about that style of singing and got me thinking about singing again." - Mark

"I liked the singing. I really liked the songs." - Gibson

The show is a wonderfully fun and nostalgic trip (I indicated to Gibson that you could tell who the older people in the audience were because they were laughing the most at the Ed Sullivan Show jokes), but also has the ability to create new fans as evidenced by Gibson downloading the soundtrack from Apple Music immediately following the show. 

Forever Plaid runs until July 29, 2018 at the Mayfield Dinner Theatre. It's a nice 90 minute show (no intermission) with a fabulous meal - perfect for a summer evening out!

You can purchase tickets here. 

Spam and Legs! I Saw Two Very Different Shows This Weekend and Laughed A Lot at Both!

As is my way, I had a very busy calendar this weekend.  I had my sister in town from Toronto, a Theatre Alberta Board Meeting, Rehearsals and TWO SHOWS to see!  It all worked out well for me as I had it all carefully scheduled, but I must say, the shows offset the busy because they were a delightful release of laughter!

On Saturday Night, my sister and I had a fabulous dinner at Normand's Bistro in the Citadel before catching the first Preview of Spamalot.  The dinner was wonderful and a nice prelude to the show.  I had seen the show a few years back when it came through with Broadway Across Canada and the cool thing is that the Citadel Production was clearly it's own interpretation as I could not really remember much about the other production. So, it is worth it to see this production if you were hesitating.  The choices are their own, but they still give proper homage to the Monty Python aesthetic.  This is the show for the Monty Python fan or fanatic.  I think you'd also enjoy it if you weren't really up on the genre, but it is doubly entertaining for those who are in on the jokes. There are a few jokes that don't quite sell because the show was written specifically for Broadway, but this is not the fault of the production.  The transplanting means some Broadway in-jokes are lost on all but musical theatre fanatics.  There aren't that many of those references and overall it's still terrifically funny.

My sister and I had a great time laughing at the show and we were both very impressed by Laura Krewski's outstanding choreography. It's sharp and clever and in top form and thoroughly entertaining. In terms of the cast, they work best as a an ensemble.  There were solid performances from John Ullyat as Lancelot and Julian Arnold as Sir Robin and we both loved the long locked and oh-so-handsome Kevin Aichele as Sir Galahad.  I particularly liked Cliff Saunders as the dutiful and over-looked Patsy.  The show stealer for both of us, however, was Farren Timoteo as the Not Dead Yet and Prince Herbert.  I had never seen Timoteo in a musical before and he lights up the stage every time he's on.  His dancing and singing is outstanding and he hits every comic moment perfectly.

It was the first preview so I think that they do have a few tweaks to be made before opening.  Some of the actors need to relax a bit as they come off stiff in comparison to the others and some fine tuning of the mics needs to happen.  It was the first preview so I am sure that they will get that all sorted out and they will all fell more comfortable as they run it more and more. Even with these few small challenges the show is great fun and I cannot see anyone not enjoying it.  It is the kind of show that you leave happy and singing...

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT... (see what I did there?)

On Sunday afternoon, I checked out Rabid Marmot's  All The Devils, a new drag/horror show by Zachary Parsons-Lozinski and Jenna Greig playing at Azimuth Theatre. I wasn't sure what to expect, because it's that kind of show. It was irreverent, campy, totally out there and hysterical (particularly if you have a very twisted sense of humour - which I do).  Parsons-Lozinski is someone who will do anything onstage.  He has a good sense of showmanship, but in terms of taboo subjects, I do not believe those exist for him.  It makes for an adventure.  Now, this show is not for everyone, and it is the kind of show that you either love or hate, but I had a blast. It's fascinating to watch Lozinski-Parsons as Lilith Fair, bad actress on the downward slide holed up in an apparently haunted and remote cabin.  This is not your typical drag queen - she is a veritable mess at the beginning and it's all downhill from there.  It's rude and raunchy and made me wish I knew a little bit more about H.P. Lovecraft for the horror aspects. I knew enough to keep up so that's alright. Now, this is new work and the script probably needs a bit of tightening.  There are some very well-executed lip-syncs that could afford to be shorter and which probably would work better in a bigger theatre and the script overall could be tighter, but all in all, I was entertained. If you appreciate irreverence and shows that cross the line (multiple times), this is the show for you.