A Wild Bus Ride, An Evening of Sondheim, and A Very Sexy Audition... Just another #yegtheatre weekend!

If you look at the weekend I just have, you can get a pretty good idea of the variety of theatre opportunities that Edmonton gets to experience all the time.  It's why I like living here. 

Friday night, Gibson and I took in Promise Productions' Birdie on the Wrong Bus, about the perfectionist Birdie who, after a first with her sister, hops on the wrong bus and takes a wild ride around the city.  Over the course of the ride she meets a variety of people who tell her about the city and she sees parts of the city she never knew existed.  Gibson and I had a terrific conversation on the way home about all the places Birdie went and we made plans to go check out the ones that we hadn't seen before. Gibson's favorite character was Birdie's Philllip-Phillips-obsessed older sister played by Lana Michelle Hughes and his favorite part was the sing-a-long section. He was concerned that at some points no one was driving the bus, but relaxed when I said we just had to use our imagination. It was overall a great night out for the two of us and while it would have been a little young for Oliver, it was perfect for Gibson. 

Saturday night, we took in a phenomenal night of Sondheim as performed by Kate Ryan, Susan Gilmour and Liz Han in It Takes Two.  I had bought these tickets way back in September and was glad to finally see the show!  It was simply wonderful.  Sondheim is one of my favorites and he's tricky, but these ladies were up to the challenge.  A friend of mine called it a masterclass in interpreting a song. Not only did they have fine voice, but it was funny and sad and they crafted an evening that made you feel that you got your money's worth, but still left you wanting more! It was in The Club at the Citadel and it felt perfectly placed there.  I hope that they might be able to remount this cabaret as it was a real treat and I think that any musical theatre lover would be in heaven! 

And then last night, it was off to see Venus in Fur at the Citadel. I had been to the dress rehearsal, but I was looking forward to seeing it again and to bringing Mark along. AM also joined us for the night.  I remain totally in love with the script and this production.  What I love is how the humour allows you to see the audition situation and the shifts in power back and forth from director to actor without pushing you into a place of outrage. You can think about those things - afterward - but the play doesn't let the power politics get in the way of seeing the show. Alana Hawley as Vanda is brilliant and Jamie Cavanagh the perfect foil for her.  I love how it twists and turns on a dime and the changes to the ending from dress to performance were spot-on.  It's funny how something didn't seem wrong before, but the new choices seem so much more right!  You can still catch Venus in Fur until February 8th and I highly recommend! 

Anyhow, what a weekend.  Ahead for me is another theatre filled week with the opening of Playing With Fire: The Theo Fleury Story, teaching an Audition Workshop, and catching some of the Canoe Festival! What a great city we live in! 

Venus in Fur... I wouldn't miss it, if I were you...

I got to take in the Dress Rehearsal of Venus in Fur at the Citadel on Friday night.  I cannot wait to go see it again (actually, I will have to wait, but I have the tickets and it's marked on the calendar). It's so funny.  Alana Hawley blew me out of the water and Jamie Cavanagh is the perfect counter-part to her roller coaster ride.

I was captured from start to finish and laughed so much more than I expected.  I read the script. I knew it was funny - smart funny - but I had no idea how much I would laugh seeing it live on the stage.  It's very sexy, very clever, and it will catch you off-guard. It caught me off guard and I even knew what was coming.

It's a 90 minute wild ride - I suggest you book now and be prepared to buckle up...

The Play's the Thing - Taming of the Shrew presented by Freewill Players

It's July in Edmonton, that means it's time for the Freewill Shakespeare Festival.  Thanks to a ripped canopy at Hawreluk Park, the entertainment has moved to a new, temporary, location and the presentation of a single production but let that not dissuade you from attending, as they serve up an excellently delivered, fun-filled night. This year the performance of Taming of the Shrew is held at the Myer Horowitz Theatre in the University of Alberta Student's Union Building.  Your best bet for parking is in Stadium and they have thoughtfully provided signage to guide you to the theatre around the construction. The company has done their best to retain those familiar things that could be easily transported from the park to this new theatre space - the 50/50 Sellers and FOH staff all looked very familiar.

Although Taming of the Shrew is far from my favorite Shakespeare play, there are so many things that made this a delightful evening of theatre.  First of all, there was a real nod to the members of the company as members of Edmonton's Artistic Community.  These are not just actors on the the stage, but rather people that we enjoy seeing like old friends and true contributors to the overall artistic scene and they have been for a number of years.  Several 'original' company members are on the stage, and in the opening sequence they poke fun at themselves and bring us all into the joke.  A running gag with Julian Arnold is set up and this carries through the show.  We get a sense of both the characters these actors will play as well as hints about what they might be like in their 'real' lives off the stage.  Overall, the tone is light and there are subtle nods to the unusual situation of this season and how hard they are working to ensure that they will not disappoint their audience.  It's a generous feeling and a reminder of where the festival came from and where it's been and where it will return.

When the production gets going it is a real fun ride.  James MacDonald as Petruchio and Mary Hulbert as Kate are well-matched and excellently cast.  They are an attractive couple and both have a strength and charm that makes you root for them as a couple. I loved that each of them seemed to have a journey beyond just the 'taming'. Each starts with a number of questionable qualities but throughout the course of the play, those rough exteriors are chipped away revealing much more likable people. The rest of the cast is equally delightful. Bianca (Bobbi Goddard) and her suitors (Jamie Cavanagh, John Wright and Nathan Cuckow) and their accompanying servants (Sheldon Elter, and Patrick Lundeen) are full of fun in their hi-jinks. It's a testament to the depth of this company to see people who have anchored shows like Lear and Julius Caesar and Midsummer Night's Dream step up to bring their considerable talents to make for a show with no weak links. And although we are not in the park, the production's musical score and streamlined set give it a soft, light feeling that almost make you feel like you were outside on a summer's evening. 

This production moves quickly from laugh to laugh and was a wonderful way to spend an evening.  Don't miss it!

Listening to the the Internal Dialogue - The Genius Code

Last week I took in The Genius Code at C103. The Genius Code began in the Summer of 2012, originated by Jonathan Kawchuk and Jon Lachlan Stewart. It stars Jamie Cavanagh, Cole Humeny, and Laura Metcalfe, with design by Cory Sincennes and Matt Schuurman, and choreography by Ainsley Hillyard. It is a live play where each individual audience member listens through their own set of headphones, choosing which character to follow in a three person love tragedy set in the modern day. I was a bit worried about which headset to choose, as I worried no matter what I chose, I would miss something. But once there, I decided to pick Red and just see what would happen. My friend, @catharooni, chose White and we figured we could compare afterwards. 

The story is about a trio - DJ Genius Code, aka Gene Cody, has never been in love, in every sense of the word, but, inspired by a sparked romance between two of his best friends, Gyl and Sky, Gene brings the two lovers together, and begins creating an experimental album of music using their voices, conversations; their entire lives. The Genius Code is an innovative theatre experience bringing each audience member three different choices of a story. 

I worried beforehand about how wearing headphones might interfere with the engagement with the piece, but I was delighted with how the production dealt with that.  Everything was routed through the head phones and the the specific colour/character you chose merely augmented the perspective of the story telling.  I was following Gyl, @catharooni was following Gene. I really liked the whole headset thing.  If I had more time I would go back again and see the other two perspectives (in fact, you can at a reduced rate: From Catalyst Theatre: Want to see The Genius Code again and listen to a new character? Well if you come back with proof of purchase from a previous performance (program, receipt from Tix etc) - you can see the show again for just $15! Available at the door only. The show returns tomorrow night at 8p.m.).  I was actually disappointed when we were told to remove them.  There was a really cool effect, however, because certain members of the audience were getting pieces of information at different times and from different perspectives so our staggered laughter was picked up by the mics and it was very cool.  You got a sense of the layers of the story, even though you couldn't hear all of them. 

i will admit I was most impressed with the concept and the effect on my reception of the story.  It's all well acted with strong writing, wonderful choreography and a very cool set and projections that were 100% integrated and which felt necessary to the piece as a whole. The story itself was a challenge for me to connect to, but I was impressed with the dedication.  It just got a little too removed from my personal experience of relationships for me to truly connect. That being said, I did find it compelling and, like I said earlier, if I had the time I would go back for a second time to check out a different perspective.

Some really cool stuff happening in the show. 

Go East! Go to Punctuate Theatre's East of Berlin for an Incredible Theatre Experience...

Last night I took in East of Berlin by Hannah Moscovitch at C103 presented by Punctuate Theatre and East/West Collective. It was simply terrific.  It's hard to say anything but that.  It was one of the best shows I have seen this season, and I have seen a lot of shows and a lot of good shows. It's described as a dark comedy and it is that, though I would rather say I was a dark portrait of life which at times makes you laugh and at times makes you gasp and at times makes you sad (whether you cry or not will depend on you - but I heard plenty of sniffles).

The play focuses on the legacy of the Holocaust on the children of those involved. The main character is Rudi (Jamie Cavanagh) the son of a Nazi war criminal who grows up in Paraguay. After finding out disturbing details about his father's activities during the war from a friend, Herman (Mathew Hulshof), he eventually travels to Berlin and meets Sarah (Andréa Jorawsky) the daughter of an Auschwitz survivor. What happens is wonderful, joyful and inevitably doomed.

Cavanagh is electric.  He has a natural charisma that is near impossible to be immune to.  We go through his journey of discovery along with him.  He brings us in.  Rudi spends a great deal of time talking directly to the audience, and as one of my friends said afterward, it was as though he was speaking directly to each and everyone of us.  You truly feel that this was his story. Hulshof and Jorawsky are equal to the task of being a part of this story.  This is an ensemble with no weaknesses.  You believe them.  A friend of mine, who saw the show the night before, told me, "I didn't want it to end." But of course, it had to.

Directed by Simon Bloom, this piece is perfectly paced and staged. It has an emotional resonance in all the right places and taps into everyday humour and a kind of irreverence to soften the underlying horror that comes with anything that deals with the holocaust.  Under Bloom's guidance, the three actors achieve a sense of real that is mesmerizing.  The set (Nicholas Blais), with it's multitude of scorched and dirtied file cabinets is a monument to both the bureaucracy and record-keeping of the Nazis and the hidden dirty secrets of generations before us.

After the show, I spent a good deal of time talking about it with my friends.  This is the kind of show that stays with you.  I woke up this morning thinking about it.  There are four more performances - one tonight, 2 on Sunday, and one on Monday evening.  I strongly encourage you to go to it.