July Begins with Theatre in Italy! THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA at Walterdale Theatre!

Sometimes you get busy with your life and you have to cut back on things. That happened to me this year. The return to teaching was AWESOME but also very time consuming because I wanted to do it right. It was primarily a junior high drama position and it was splendid - great kids, great projects and a fabulous school!

Now, the thing is, I also had committed to a number of theatre projects over the year (prior to deciding to return to teaching) and not being one to quit anything if drastically cut into my theatre-going and theatre-blogging. I did see some terrific shows that I managed to squeeze in, but based on the Sterlings, I also managed to miss some good ones. Now that school is out, and Fringe looms in the near future, I will be getting back to theatre going and blogging all about it!

First up is actually a show I have been directing for the past few months - The Light in the Piazza at Walterdale Theatre. It runs July 3-13 (there is a Student Preview on Tuesday, July 2nd). Tickets run about $20, but there are some options for those looking for a deal. Thursday, July 4th is 2-for-1 Thursday (come see the show and bring a friend!), and Tuesday, July 9th is Pay-What-You-Can night! Tickets have been selling really well though, so you might want to get yours in advance from www.tixonthesquare.ca

The show is beautiful! I know, I'm the director, but it does look and sound gorgeous. I have been working with Music Director Ron Long and he is not only super fun to work with, but his background in vocal teaching has really been a bonus with the challenging score. The cast has also been a joy to work with. I leave rehearsal every night with a different ear-worm from the talented performers on the stage. Right now I am hearing The Beauty Is sung by our Clara, Heeyun Park. Her voice is pretty spectacular so I don't mind! Not only does the show sound good, but my Creative Team (Joan Hawkins - Set Design; Karin Lauderdale - Costume Design; Brad Melrose - Lighting Design) has created a beautiful world for us to play in.

Anyhow, if I keep writing I will just keep gushing, best that you come and see it for yourselves! Opening Night is almost Sold Out, but you can still get tickets if you act fast. I'll be there Opening and Closing and a couple of nights in between - so hopefully I will see you there!

Photo Credit: Scott Henderson; Henderson Images

A Couple of Shows... Feels like a while since I've seen anything!

This past weekend I took in two fun shows after what feels like forever... I think that's because I have been in rehearsal and busy getting other things done, but also the theatre season slows down a bit in Edmonton in June because seasons wind down and a lot of theatre artists start getting ready for Fringe. There are a few festivals on their way between now and Fringe though, so there are a few things to see!

Friday night, I took in the Opening Night of Teatro La Quindicina's Lucy and Mr. Plate.  It's a sequel to a 2001 production called Citizen Plate (which I did not see as I was living elsewhere at the time).  Ned Plate is played by Jeff Haslam and is delightful.  He's a bit tell it like it is, with a plainspokenness that is both charming and small-town Alberta (Mundare - the town of origin).  While on holiday in Hawaii, Ned meets Lucy (played by Jana O'Connor), a free spirit from his youth in Mundare.  As her relationships tumble and turn, Ned steps in as new best friend and confident and helps her through it all .  It's a light and funny show that is never hard to engage with.  Ned Plate's turn of phrase and view of the world is entertaining and Haslam plays him with an authenticity that charms us all. The show has some meta-theatre moments as Haslam plays Ned playing all of Lucy's ill-suited suitors.  It's the kind of play where we, the audience, are just as much a part of the show, where Haslam, as Ned,can make a comment to us about the over-loud Turkish music playing from Gazebo Park across the street and it works and is hilarious. O'Connor is luminous and the perfect counter point in her try-anything attitude to the more reticent Ned Plate. There are no earthquakes or deep reveals in this show, but it is delightfully fun and these are two characters I am glad I got to meet.

On Saturday night I caught Two One Way Tickets To Broadway's La Cage Aux Folles at La Cite.  La Cage Aux Folles is the musical that inspired the movie The Birdcage that starred Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. Based on the 1973 French play of the same name by Jean Poiret, it focuses on a gay couple: Georges, (Morgan Smith) the manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and Albin (Ron Long), his romantic partner and star attraction, and the farcical adventures that ensue when George's son, Jean-Michel (Andrew Boyd), brings home his fiancee's ultra-conservative parents to meet them. At the core of the play is really the relationship between Albin and Georges who, at a time when it was not legal nor publicly accepted, really have a true marriage.  Long and Smith do a really nice job with this relationship in both book and musical scenes. Long's rendition of I Am What I Am is particularly strong, as is their duet Song on the Sand. However, there are elements of the script that feel a bit dated, and I wish the time had been played up a bit more to really highlight the attitudes of the time period more as I think things that shocked in the 80's don't necessarily shock anymore, at least not to the same degree... or maybe I know too many drag performers...  I have seen The Birdcage more than once, so the big finale wasn't as surprising as I wanted it to be.  I think for someone not familiar with the plot twists it might be more compelling.  The people in the row in front of me were much more surprised so I think they didn't know what was going to happen.  This is a piece that works best with no spoilers. There is some wonderful singing and choreography and this company attacks it with gusto, but for me, this show is all about Albin and Georges.