A Weekend of Musicals!

This past weekend I was in theatre heaven - for me - that is. I saw, not one, not two, but three musicals! Not only that, but I saw a variety of productions, produced with a variety of budgets and coming from Professional and Community teams. It was a great weekend for theatre for me!

The first show I saw was Into the Woods, produced by ELOPE. Just a warning, I am on the Board of Directors so there is bias there. It was a very well done production. The music, Sondheim no-less, was outstanding. Kudos to Brad Heintzman for his Music Direction. A few off notes, but it's tough stuff and they were few and far between. The design was lovely and all in all it was a good night of theatre. There were some stand-outs, Elizabeth Marsh as the Witch is a force onstage, Morgan Smith as the Mysterious Man stole the show every time he snuck on, Stephanie Wigston was a fierce and engaging Little Red, and David Wilson was the perfect Prince and Wolf. I also loved Cinderella's Step-mother and Step-sisters (Adeline Dewar, Janine Hodder and Erika Noot). They were so delightfully wicked and selfish and animated. I wished they were on more. I wish this crew had a longer run. The five shows is hardly enough to settle in and from what I heard the show grew through the run. It wasn't perfect, it's a tough show technically and there were issues there and I had some issues with pacing and staging choices, but it is an Everest of a show and they reached for the summit. They didn't always reach it, but there is something to be said for making the attempt.

On Saturday night I caught Impulse Theatre's production of Boygroove. These four guys are recent Grant Mac Grads and they poured their heart and talent into this Chris Craddock musical that parodies and gives homage to boy bands. It was fanstastic. All four guys (Timothy Cooper, Mathew Bittroff, Eric Wigston, and Byron Martin) were excellent singers, dancers, and actors - switching from their boy band personas to the other personalities that populate the world of making it in the boy band music world. It's not for children, or even teeny-boppers despite the topic, but the script is sharp and funny and smart. It only works with a strong cast and direction and this had both. Trevor Schmidt directed and his pacing and staging was terrific. Occasionally the boys were a little close to the audience (I wanted them a step back) but I know they were moving from space to space (it's a 3 city tour - they head to Fort McMurray this week) and I suspect the staging was limited by where they could focus the lights for their effects. In fact this is such a minor point, I should stop talking about it. It was so nice to hear such strong harmonies and see 4 guys who are not only able to dance but they dance very well. It was also interesting how the script used humour to actually deal with some real issues. Anyhow, I loved it! I hope they do well in the Fort McMurray leg of their run.

And then on Sunday night, I was lucky to catch a Preview performance of Little Women at The Citadel Theatre. I was excited to see it because Susan Gilmour (Fantine in Les Mis on Broadway!) was playing Marmee and I was totally unfamiliar with the show and it is always cool to discover a show in that way. Now, there is a challenge with musicals that are adapted from well read and well loved books. They have to remain true to the book so that those that are familiar with it are satisfied and yet a book does not have the same arc as a play or musical so the script needs to adapt to provide push where the book might not have the same push. This means that some events are left out while others are highlighted for the sake of the stage story. All in all, I think this script does a good job and picking and choosing for the sake of serving both masters. Some of the songs are less memorable because they don't serve the same function as they would in a 'new' work or a work adapted from less familiar material, but the singing is always strong and the actors are selling them both emotionally and artistically. The show was in the MacLab and I think that was the ideal space for it. It is a show that requires a level of intimacy so that you feel you are a part of this family and the MacLab certainly helps create that. It's design with three levels of the house was warm and cozy and the cast was able to reach out to the audience while still seeming to be occupying their world. The show is well-cast particularly the five women who make up the March family. A few of the voices are small in their singing and they seem to rely on their mics to push the sound, but everyone was tuneful and committed emotionally. Gilmour is wonderful and truly the perfect Marmee. You sense you are seeing and hearing someone with a real gift when she sings. However, the true stars of the show are Shannon Taylor as the irrepressible, tom-boy, ambitious Jo and Josee Boudreau as the kind-hearted, soul of the show, Beth. The two of them sing the strongest, most moving song of the show and their voices carry the audience along on the emotional journey with them. I also enjoyed Jeremy Crittenden as Laurie and David Leyshon as Professor Bhaer - both have beautiful voices and do a good job holding their own in this play that is so much about the women. It's not an earthshaking show, it won't throw you for a loop or shake your foundation of being, but it's solid and does fair justice to the book and to being a musical and I really enjoyed the evening.

So Much To See!

We are winding up October and heading into November and there is just so much to see! I will not and have not been able to get to everything. Part of that is financial and part of that is due to a lack of time. I did get to Any Night at FTA last week. I quite liked it. It was compelling and the movement and push to the piece was really strong. There are few spots where the script could be trimmed, but it's always hard to really make that assessment without the opportunity to see the piece with and without the sections. What I felt was extra might actually be essential in it's absence. In any case, if you like your 'thrills' more psychological than gory - it is a good Halloween bet!

Next week I will be checking out Love and Human Remains at the U of A. I am looking forward to this as it is a Brad Fraser piece and he is Canadian and he has a connection to Walterdale so that is cool. Plus the BFA class that is in their final year were all in my Canadian Theatre class last year so it will be nice to see them onstage again (I managed to see their R&J last year).

I also have to get to Cabaret (have my tickets), Laramie Project, and Legion Blues next month. I am not quite sure how I will fit it all in. I will do my best to make it work. My rehearsal schedule is actually quite light and since I have heard absolutely nothing from ELOPE I am assuming that I did not make it into Into the Woods so I am not waiting around on that potential rehearsal schedule. Initially I was a bit disappointed, but I am getting used to the idea and I feel that things happen for a reason so I am sure there will be something else to fuel my creative juices in the absence of Into the Woods. It is too bad - I would have rocked it.

Sidelined by a Mysterious Illness...

Something crept up on my system this week. It's not achy head or sore throat, but more really tired and a yucky tummy. It hit me Friday afternoon in a whirlwind and I thought Saturday would by the turn-around day but it didn't. I did, however, go to bed at 7:30 p.m. and slept until 8:30 a.m. and I think that helped. I obviously needed it (even though I missed SYTYCDC and the Opera). Anyhow, I am still feeling fuzzy, but my stomach has settled down so I will be making my way to FTA tonight to see Any Night.

I have parked myself at the kitchen table - my official crafting site. I am working on the props for Much Ado at Walterdale. Right now my fingers are covered in sparkles. I have to find my glue gun to finish, however, and I am debating making back-ups but I really just hope the actors treat the masks with respect so I don't have to. I do like the sparkles!

Friday was my midterm - maybe I was stressed about that and the stress crept into my system. I think I did okay on it. I was prepared to write the whole thing (there were 3 questions) and then I was overjoyed to find out we just had to answer one of them. Yay! I just hope I picked the right scenes. I think I wrote enough. Who knows.

Still waiting to hear about the audition. I know I am not called back, but I got the scoop that the only female parts called back were Cinderella and Red Riding Hood. I don't know if I am happy or sad about that. Relieved that I am not totally out of the game, but feeling insecure that I was not allowed the opportunity to sing for one of the two parts I wanted. It will be alright if I get one of them, but if I didn't get one of them I will be disappointed. That's all I know on that front. I'll keep you posted.

Auditioning - The Other Side of the Table

I am auditioning tonight for Into the Woods for ELOPE. It is kind of weird to move to the other side of the table so quickly. I am strangely calm about this audition. I love the show and there are 2 parts I would really, really love to do so there is excitement, but I am pretty calm. I know my song. I know the show. I have to refresh my monologue a bit (I am sadly not memorized, but it says we don't have to be). I have my resume and head shot and they look nice. I know I am going in with a pretty crappy schedule to begin with so I know that might bear influence on whether I am cast or not. I also know that they are likely to have a lot of women out (as always) so I cannot control that and likely quite a few mezzo-sopranos at that - many of them younger and skinnier than me which might rule me out for one or more of the roles. I also know that they will have fewer men come out and the men they have might set the age of casting. You can't have a 45 year old Cinderella if the Prince is 18 (not that I can sing Cinderella - but that's the example I am throwing out there!). So I will go and do my best and present my bad schedule and see what happens. I like auditions, in general. I like the feeling of possibility and the spirit of play. Wish me luck!

Getting to Work on Some Stuff...

Lots of things are starting for me this month. It's September so school started for both myself and the kids. That's always shift in the rhythm of the house. I am enjoying my class but have been disappointed by the poor health of myself and the boys. I can go to class when I am sick, but not when the kids are home and I have missed 2 Mondays now, one for Gibson and one for Oliver. I hope I am not left behind. Luckily I have a pal who will share his notes with me.

Mom and I started a weekly weigh-in. I have had little progress. Well, the first week I was down 1.2 lbs, the next week I was up 2.2 lbs. I had illness and a lot of eating out to blame. I am trying to get a handle on this. I know that currently my life does not support me being thin, but I can try to get healthy, or at least healthier. I got on the treadmill today and stuck it out until I finished my full hour. I also did reps of push-ups and squats. It was not fun. It was not fun, because I have let things slide so bad and my knee is stiff (it is raining today) and I just have to do it. I will walk slower if I have to and build it up, but I am going to do my hour a day and built up the strength. I am worried about my right leg. I am encountering a lot of stiffness in the knee and pain in the hip joint. I know that I have to get this looked at. It can't be good. It could just be the weight though.

The Walterdale Season started. We had a good AGM with nice attendance and a very quick meeting and all went well. I was disappointed that a few people backed out on their contributions at the last minute, but I don't think it showed and these things happen. I know that things come up and you can't always change them, but I hope the same understanding is given if I have to let something slide periodically. Sometimes I don't feel that it's a two way street.

I am gearing up for Rabbit Hole Auditions. They are October 10th and 11th. We have a nice amount of people signed up and I feel that I will be able to create a phenomenal cast from those that have signed up. I also know I am going to have a tough time because there will be many strong people that I will have to say 'not this time' to. That is the challenge of casting.

I am also debating about auditioning for Into the Woods with ELOPE. This is one of my dream shows. There are a couple of parts I would love to do. I am worried because it will overlap Rabbit Hole with rehearsals and that is tough to do. I think I will audition and see what comes of it and make a decision after that. I will also be totally upfront about my schedule and let them know that I am totally prepared to work privately with a voice teacher on my own dime to learn music so that I am up to speed. We will see. I could change my mind if I think it will be too much.