All Rested Up From Fringe... So It's Time For the 2019-2020 Theatre Season to Start!

I'll be kicking off my 2019-2020 Theatre Season next week starting on Tuesday night, when I take in The Color Purple at the Citadel Theatre. It's the musical adaptation of Alice Walker's 1982 novel of the same name which was adapted into a film by Steven Spielberg in 1985 starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Margaret Avery and Oprah Winfrey. I'm excited to see this, as I am a great fan of the book, having read it shortly after it was published and similarly loved the movie. As I am a musical theatre fan, I think I will have hit the trifecta! There are a lot of new-to-Edmonton artists involved in the production, but it also stars Tara Jackson as Celie. Jackson was previously seen in Edmonton at the Citadel in Hadestown, Bittergirl: The Musical and Mamma Mia! and at the Mayfield in Jesus Christ Superstar. She's one of my husband and my favourite local musical theatre performers and I can't wait to see her onstage in this show. I'm seeing the show early in the run, because I seriously and thinking it will be one that I want to see again! Right now, my only issue is that I have a really hard time with the American spelling of color... but that's just habit!

The Color Purple runs from September 21 to October 13 in the Shoctor Theatre. You can purchase tickets here. 

I'll also be taking in the final offering of the season from Teatro la Quindicina next week. Vidalia by Stewart Lemoine opens on Friday, September 27th at the Varscona Theatre. I'm excited to see the fabulous Belinda Cornish onstage with the always funny Andrew MacDonald-Smith as they lead the cast in this show billed as a contemporary spin on the classic screwball form. There's also a promise of 3 identical briefcases, haberdashery, and industrial espionage, which suggests intrigue, oh and there's onions!

Vidalia runs from September 27 to October 12 at the Varscona Theatre. You can purchase tickets here.

Also this month - The Play the Fool Festival - running from Sept 26-29. Play the Fool is Edmonton’s festival of clown-theatre and physical comedy. Held in historic Old Strathcona at the ATB Financial Arts Barns, the home of The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival. Now entering their fourth year, this festival brings together seasoned and emerging local, national, and international clown and physical theatre artists for four days of performances that embrace risk, exploration, and play. Click here for the line-up and to find out how to get tickets to this laugh-filled festival. 

If you like Rock and Roll, especially the classics, you can also check out Million Dollar Quartet now playing at the Mayfield Dinner Theatre. It runs until October 27. It's a great show with so many songs you love from Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.  You'd also get to have the always delicious buffet while you watch the show! Click here for tickets. 


It's a great looking September. I'm also excited about October, but I will get to that later! One month at a time!

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. 

All Shook Up at the Mayfield is a Super Fun Night Out!

Last week Mark and I caught All Shook Up at the Mayfield. It's a juke box show based on Elvis music so we expected it to be a little silly and it sure was, but the cast and direction (Kate Ryan) attacks it with such a great sense of fun that we had a wonderful time. The music is great and, for the most part, the cast has exceptional singing and dancing skills. Vocal stand-outs were Adam Charles (Dean), Jameela McNeil (Lorraine), and Jason Hardwick (Dennis). We also saw the understudy Jill Agopsowicz as Natalie (Ed) and she was wonderful! It was hard to believe she hadn't been playing the role for weeks! The dancing is super fun (choreography by Cindy Kerr) and the ensemble carries it off joyfully. I also enjoyed the comedic attack on the script.  Robbie Towns as the Elvis-esque Chad, Paul Morgan Donald as Jim, and Melissa MacPherson as Miss Sandra made me laugh the most with their commitment to embracing big choices!

A fun night out!

All Shook Up runs until June 10th. Click here for more information.

Getting back into life after a month of conferences...

I know it may not seem like it, but I actually have seen quite a bit of theatre this past month. However, between the shows and the fact that I have spent the past three weekends at conferences (Women's Directing Intensive with Carey Perloff (Banff), imedia (Edmonton), and Community Theatre Summit (Banff)) that I haven't had much time to blog about it all... 

So, this month I saw:

Children of God at the Citadel - A musical about the impacts of the residential school system focusing on one family: a daughter lost, a son damaged and a mother who had no choices at the time but who is trying to help them heal. The music was gorgeous and the production honest and heart-breaking and it ended with one of the most magical moments of hope and invitation that I have ever experienced. It's gone now to WCT in Kamloops. 

Blood of Our Soil by Pyretic Productions - Built from testimonials and personal investigation, this show told about the history of the Ukraine from the perspective of a young Canadian women reflecting on her relationship with her now deceased grandmother. In a way it was two plays in one as the first act was very different from the second in how it told it's story. It was a compelling piece that certainly exposed me to world history I was unaware of. 

Romeo Initiative at Skirts AFire - Did you know that in post war Germany the East Germans cultivated men to romance West German office workers to gather intelligence? I didn't, but now I do. The play was fascinating with it's twists and turns and it demonstrated the complexity involved when romance is combined with espionage. 

Outside Mullingar at Shadow Theatre - A very Irish play about two misfits who live next door but who should definitely be together. Funny, charming and sweet. 

The Ladies Foursome at the Mayfield - Following the death of one of their friends, 4 women play their traditional weekly game of golf. There are many laughs and secrets revealed. Not Norm Foster's best script but a quartet of solid actors lifts it up. 

Do This in Memory of Me at Northern Light Theatre and L'Uni Theatre - Such a great show - great script, terrific trio of actors and excellent direction. Of course I might be biased because I hit a lot of the markers having been raised Catholic with hockey playing brothers. This was funny and sad, and tackled gender roles, and the power of prayer, with whimsy and magic. 

Poison by Wildside Productions at Theatre Network - An estranged couple reunites at the cemetery 9 years after the death of their son. This was a challenging piece - the first third a little uneventful but it picks up and then the last third was very compelling. The acting was strong, but the script itself challenging. Perhaps it's the nature of a translation. 

Anyhow, it looks like a lot to me! 

I am heading into the next month looking forward to seeing:

Betroffenheit (Citadel)

Cleave (Tiny Bear Claws)

Blue Stockings (Walterdale)

Undercover (Citadel)

Slut (NLT)

Going to St. Ives (Atlas - Varscona)

The Silver Arrow (Citadel)

All Shook Up (Mayfield)

There will be more... I just haven't gotten my list yet! 

Great Theatre Abounds!

It's been a ridiculously busy few weeks (and still is) for theatre in the city! The good news is that there is much to see, the bad news is you can't get to all of it. I've managed to take in a few shows that still have a few dates left in their run and a few that are closed and there's a few others I wish could get to but there aren't enough days...

Ones You Can Still Catch That I've Seen:

Anxiety - Theatre Yes

If you are into immersive theatre and theatre that is less traditional you shoudl definitely check this out. I can't give much detail because I had to sign a waiver, but it definitely was a complete theatre experience. Unsettling at times and it likely challenges every audience member in a different way. Be prepared for about a 2 hour experience. Wear comfortable shoes and don't dress too warmly. Runs to Dec 4.

Fen - Trunk Theatre (at the Varscona)
A challenging, untraditional piece of theatre by Caryl Churchill (Cloud Nine, Top Girls). This is a well-acted piece by a strong ensemble of six actors who play several characters apiece. Life is bleak in the fen and that bleakness creates some compelling characters. Moments of humour contrast sharply with the darkers ones. Runs to Dec 4.

A Christmas Carol - The Citadel Theatre
Although Opening Night is officially tomorrow, I have caught a performance already. I've also seen it a few times before. It was my first time seeing Tom Wood as Scrooge and his performance truly reinvented the show for me. Usually it's just Tiny Tim who makes me tear up. This time it was also Scrooge! Runs to Dec 23.

Ones You Can Still Catch That I Will be Seeing This Week:

Only In Vegas - Mayfield Dinner Theatre
Promising music from the early days of Vegas up until present day, I'm looking forward to seeing this show tonight. The Mayfield always does a terrific job with their shows and the environment is really lovely. It's also a terrific opportunity to celebrate my husband's birthday! Runs to Jan 29.

Brent Carver In Concert - The Citadel Theatre
I am soooooo looking forward to seeing this concert. Having seen Brent Carver at the Ted Dykstra and Friends concert and Evangeline last season, I was very quick to pick up tickets to see him in concert this year. It's not everyday that you get to see a Tony-Award-Winning artist in such a small intimate venue. Two shows only - Dec 2&3.

Witch Hunt at the Strand - Workshop West Playwright's Theatre (at the Backstage Theatre)
Based on true events from Edmonton's history, Witch Hunt at the Strand, tells of the persecution of members of the theatre community in the 1940's on the basis of their sexuality. I've heard great things about this show and I am really looking forward to seeing it. Runs to Dec 4.

Ones You Can Still Catch That I Probably Won't Make It To:

I'd really like to catch both Twelfth Night (Studio Theatre) and The Drowsy Chaperone (Grant MacEwan Theatre Arts) but I simply don't have enough nights. I've heard great things about both shows so if you are a Shakespeare buff or love your musical theatre here are two terrific options! They both run to Dec 3.

Ones I Saw Recently That are Now Closed:

If We Were Birds - U of A
A simply lovely piece of theatre. Well done and heart breaking, it weaves true stories of modern victims of war with the Procne and Philomele Myth. A phenomenal ensemble with Kendra O'Connor anchoring the whole thing. I have only ever seen Kendra in musicals and I was blown away by the strength of her performance.

Tornado Magnet - Theatre Network
I laughed so hard at this slice of real life from the trailer courts of central Alberta. Dotty tells it like it is and you can't help but recognize her and the world she lives in. It was great fun to go and just laugh and laugh.

Anyhow, I hope to get to writing more... when I am not at the shows! I hope you get out to see some of the great options onstage in our city!

A Weekend of Song and Dance! City of Angels, West Side Story (AGAIN), and Hair!

This past weekend, we took in not one, nor two, but THREE musicals all within the span of about 27 hours! We also squeezed in a meeting with a contractor and piano lessons so we really maximized our time!

We started on Friday with ELOPE's production of City of Angels.  This is one of my all-time favourite shows to sing and I was very pleased with the production I saw.  It's a show that suggests a huge proscenium with flys and trucks and revolves as it switches from real life to the story of film so I was curious how it would play on the Faculte St. Jean stage. They did marvelous job making it all work. Kudos to the cast for handling the challenging music, particularly the super tight Angel City Four and the stellar leads - Jason Hlus, Trevor J, Monica Roberts, Andrea Graham, Erin Vandermolen-Pater and James Toupin. It was great to see the show on stage again (I haven't seen it in over 20 years) and have it live up to my memory.

On Saturday afternoon, I finally made my way back for a second viewing of West Side Story at the Citadel.  I had seen it Opening Night and was blown away by it! The Singing! The Dancing! The Momentum! I cried twice and spent a good deal of the show in awe of the talent onstage.  Pamela Gordon as Anita is literally as-good-as-it-gets! Eva Tavares as Maria is both fierce and delicate with a voice that cannot be more perfect.  George Krissa as Tony has a charm that emits like a strobe light from the stage. The whole cast is incredible particularly when they dance.  The direction and choreography is flawless. Choreographer Laura Krewski has worked some true stage magic that makes you think this show should ALWAYS be done on a thrust stage, and director Bob Baker has amped the testosterone levels so that it's terrible end feels tragically inevitable. Going again on Saturday confirmed for me how fabulous the show is.  I cried, again, but in totally different places. And oh, to her Pamela Gordon and Eva Tavares sing together in their heart-breaking duet... just fabulous! Only one week left for this one as it closes on May 22nd.  You can get tickets by calling 780.425.1820 or going online to www.citadeltheatre.com.

Finally, we grabbed a bite to eat and settled in at The Mayfield for a groovy evening with Hair. The show was a lot of fun with great voices delivering the catchy, rambunctious songs of the hippie-love-in show. I am not as familiar with the show, but found the ensemble cast quite entertaining. I really liked the comic character bits, especially those portrayed by Sheldon Elter and Amber Bissonette. The show runs until June 12th at The Mayfield and you can get tickets here. 

Looking Ahead to April for #yegtheatre

April bring with it Auditions for Chess, the show I am directing for Walterdale Theatre. So I had to take a little time to look ahead and plan my theatre options.  There are quite a few good options but fortunately not as many as the past two months.  Rehearsals make it hard for me to see stuff!

Anyhow, here are a few things I am looking forward to:

Northern Light Theatre's The Passion of Narcisse Mondoux: Narcisse Mondoux (played by the always excellent Brian Dooley) retired Master Plumber, sets out to woo the recently widowed Laurencienne Robichaud — at her husband's funeral. This is a co-production with L'Uni Theatre and will alternate between performances in English and French - how cool is that?! I'll be taking in the English show for sure, and I hope to fit in the French version. 

The Citadel Theatre's Other Desert Cities: A sharp, smart comedy-drama about family secrets unearthed. When I read this script a few years ago I wished I could be in it - it's so well-written and unwraps in a way that stabs you in the gut (playwright: Jon Robin Baitz). It's also incredibly current as the family has liberal/conservative (democrat/republican) divides complicating the parent-child relationships. 

Mayfield Dinner Theatre's Hair: Let the sun shine! I imagine this is going to be a groovy show, filled with peace and love. I've been enjoying the shows at the Mayfield this season and am looking forward to their take on the Age of Aquarius! 

The Citadel Theatre's West Side Story: I've been walking around the office snapping my fingers and singing Tonight and America.  I think I am ready to see this show! I was also blown away by the Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program Cabaret a couple of weeks ago and can't wait to see this group of extremely talented triple-threat actors onstage in the Maclab. I'm particularly looking forward to Melanie Piatocha singing Somewhere. 

Walterdale Theatre's Glengarry Glen Ross: Mamet. There it is.  More f-bombs per page than any play has a right to. A strong cast of some of my favorite actors.  It opens next week and I am really looking forward to seeing it.  It may not have the Alec Baldwin speech from the movie, but I've watched that a few times in preparation so I think I'm good! 

Theatre Network's Gordon: Brian Dooley as a grumpy old man with criminal intent.  I think that works for me. I'll be interested in seeing the contrast with Narcisse Mondoux and I willbe book-ending the month of April with Dooley! Should be fun! 

Marathon - Three Days/Three Plays!

May is a great month for theatre in Edmonton!  The only challenge is getting to everything.  There's simply so much on the docket!

Thursday I started my theatre binge with Kill Your Television's production of The Crackwalker by Judith Thompson.  There are some shows I go to to just have fun and there are some shows I go to for a challenge. This was definitely one of those that challenged me.  The Crackwalker is a dark gritty piece about people on the fringes of society - the outcasts, the working poor, the uneducated, the addicted, the discarded.  It's a harsh look at a world that few of us even come close to seeing.  I'd read the play several years ago and even on the page it's a challenge. It's one of those pieces that is like watching a train wreck... you know that things are bad and going to get worse and all you can do is sit and watch and see it unfold before you.  The inevitability of it is frightening. This is a script, however, that answers no questions and provides no comfort.  That is hard to take and as I sought a message to take away I found I couldn't find one that made me particularly happy. 

On Friday night, I forgot I was old, and went to the Booty Call (11:30 p.m.) presentation of Contractions presented by Northern Light Theatre. It was a very interesting piece about corporate culture delivered with a fascinating contrast by Linda Grass and Nimet Kanji. Grass is delightfully robotic and Nimet as puzzled and disturbed as we are by the situation. The chemistry between the two women was excellent.  It felt very relevant as our culture is very focused on success in work and the idea of balance of personal life with work life.  At what length will you go to succeed professionally and what how much does your work value you as a person?  Very fascinating. I did wish that I had chosen to go to an earlier performance as I learned that staying up late is no longer something I do particularly well.  I wish I could, but truth be told, I had to stop seeing late shows at the Fringe a few years ago because I discovered I just couldn't do it.

Saturday I had a much more cheery outing with the Mayfield Dinner Theatre's presentation of Hairspray.  It was so much fun!  We saw Hairspray a few years ago when it toured through, and although I enjoyed it at the time, I preferred this one.  This production, directed by Tracey Flye, was engaging and fast-paced and had an intimacy that was really fresh.  The whole show is well sung with snappy dances and a sense of fun that bubbles up.  There were several outstanding performances that I want to mention: Stephanie Pitsiladis as Tracy Turnblad anchors the piece with powerhouse vocals and acting chops to match.  Though tiny, she is never small onstage.  Melanie Piatocha as Tracy's best friend Penny is also a delight.  She is terrifically funny and having seen her before in ingenue roles I was blown away by her comedic skills. Her romantic counterpart Seaweed, played by J. Cameron Barnett, is also a treat.  His voice is chocolaty smooth and his approach to Seaweed is sharp and fresh.  He owns it and the already high energy show jumps up whenever he's onstage. And I must give props to Aurianna Angelique as Motormouth Maybelle.  Her performance of I Know Where I've Been (along with the ensemble) literally brought tears to my eyes.  All in all the show was terrific.   It's a sure-fire fun night with a show that has some pretty important messaging about acceptance, but which never lectures!

The first two shows are now closed so you unfortunately can't catch them, however, Hairspray runs until June 15th so you can still make that one.

* I forgot to mention that I was lucky enough to attend all three with the lovely Catherine.  Truly a great theatre companion.  Mark also joined us for Hairspray and we had the pleasure of Trevor's company for The Crackwalker.  It is so wonderful to be able to share these theatre experiences with great people!

What Can't You Do?!?

Sometimes I wish I was back in my early to mid twenties - not so I would be younger and thinner, although that would be nice - but because of all the things there are to do in Edmonton that would be easier to do if I didn't have the responsibilities of my middle aged life (kids, house, rehearsals, work, need for sleep, etc...).  This weekend there was a plethora of events.  I hope that you managed to make it to something.  You certainly cannot say that there was 'nothing to do'!

This weekend alone featured Nextfest, Pride Parade, Sprouts Festival, Rubaroo, and the Open Sky Festival.  I know about all of these from my FB Feed because I had many friends going to one or more of these events. Sprouts Festival (Concrete Theatre) is on again today sou just like if you have little ones or if you like new work for children you can still check it out. Nextfest runs until the 17th so you have not missed it either.  You may have missed the Pride Parade, but Edmonton Pride also runs until the 17th so I am sure there are many events you can still catch! I believe the Rubaroo is a Festival, as well, and not over.  I am searching for a link but haven't found one yet.  When I do I will pop it up here!  You have to act fast for the Open Sky Music Festival as today is the last day, but you can still check it out.

In addition to these special events you can still catch the last performance of Shadow Theatre's Little Elephants at their matinee today, or Chicago at the Mayfield (which runs for another week).

This is just what I know about.  I am sure there are more things.  I will be ensconced in Walterdale theatre for most of the day so I will not be able to, but I encourage you all to go out and see stuff!  Don't be bored! There is no excuse. 

We are cleared for take-off! The Mayfield's Boeing Boeing!

Last night I was invited by my good friend Barb to catch the latest show at The Mayfield. I hadn't been to the Mayfield for quite some time, I think Footloose, and I have always enjoyed myself in the past and Barb is great to have a night out with so I was very happy to go. I didn't know much about the show before I went, but Barb informed me it was a farce and I love a good farce so even better! Of course we stuffed ourselves. I didn't eat hardly anything all day since I knew the buffet was coming and we talked of all thing theatre and in particular Titanic (Barb is directing it). After the terrific meal we settled in for the show. It was so much fun! A true door slamming, crazy mix-up farce set in the 60s with three international stewardesses sharing the same fiance. In the spirit of Lend Me a Tenor and Noises Off! this production embraced the wacky, the larger than life characters, the crazy couch jumping and the aforementioned door-slamming. I really enjoyed it. In particular, the cast consists of 6 well-defined comedic characters and 4 of those are women. The three stewardesses: The American (Kate Ryan), The Italian (Belinda Cornish) and the German (Stephanie Wolfe) are all hysterical in their own way. I will say my favorite was Stephanie Wolfe as Gretchen, primarily because she sold the physical comedy so well. I was laughing so hard I swear I was tearing up. This is not to say the others are not funny, but I couldn't get over her rolling on the floor. It killed me. The guys (Dave Horak and Kevin James) are strong and funny too and how can you beat Leona Brausen as the put-upon maid? I do not think you can. She is golden. It was so clean. The set gorgeous and the tri-colour airline uniforms picture perfect. The only thing that I kind of wondered about was why the guys didn't have french accents. They were clearly supposed to be french and the girls all had their requisite accents, so I wondered. It didn't stop me from laughing and finding it hilarious, so perhaps the choice was made for clarity. It was just something I wondered about. Anyhow, in a city dense with serious drama this is a good show for those who like a belly-laugh. It made for a great night out.

*#10 in my 2012 Theatre goal