To London and Paris by way of Sherwood Park...

If you'll recall, I directed a fabulous show for ELOPE last season and this past weekend I took a drive out to Festival Place in Sherwood Park to see what they had up on offer this season.  Due to the size and scope of the production, ELOPE and Sherard undertook co-producing the Western Canadian Premiere of the Broadway musical A Tale of Two Cities by Jill Santoriello. As I expected, knowing the standards of Music Director Sally Hunt, the music was excellent.  It's a sweeping epic score to match the story and the cast, in particular the leads, were well equipped to handle it.  I heard quite a few people I had never heard before and was very impressed.  I hope I get to work with them in future. Todd Hauck, as Sydney Carton, was a particular standout vocally, and although sometimes I felt that Santoriello's score included unnecessary songs that added little to the narrative or emotional journey of the character, they were gorgeous to hear as sung by Hauck. Also enjoyable were Molly Danko as Lucie Manette and Justin Kautz as Charles Danay.  They made for a lovely couple.  I also quite enjoyed Brad Bishop as the resurrectionist Jerry Cruncher and Randy Brososky as John Brasad.  I hadn't know that Randy could sing, having only seen him in non-musicals previously, and it was a nice surprise as he not only could sing, but could sing well.  Both Brad and Randy gave polished performances that always picked up the energy which occasionally flagged in the 3 hour long show.  The villains were villains and the heroes were heroes and the sweeping saga was supported by an earnest and committed ensemble.

I did have some challenges with the production, primarily with regards to set and some odd directorial choices. The costumes, by designer Patti Zeglen, were wonderfully detailed and seemed to do most of the work to create the world.  For a show this epic in scope, however, the set seemed too simple and bare.  Although the hanging rope cones and accompanying round discs were interesting, they failed to really fill the stage.  Perhaps if there were some more architectural pieces to ground the world and allow the cast to use more levels on the deck it would have worked for me, but it felt odd to have actors sitting low to or actually on the floor. I also didn't get the crawling that the cast engaged in to transaction from scene to scene and move the set.  It was clear to me that the ensemble was crawling around the stage purposefully and as a result of direction, but it did little to make me think they were in 1770s France and England. It just didn't work for me. I do appreciate a production taking a risk, however, in this case, I do not think it served the piece.

I was able to over-look it, and enjoy the show.  The singing and commitment of the performers onstage was enough to keep me engaged. There are some wonderful voices in this show and if you have the chance you should check it out. A Tale of Two Cities runs until March 8th at Festival Place.

Bridge

In a couple of days Mark will be done Annie and I commence the next project that I have. I spent this week finally getting all the T4 stuff done for the store. I kept putting it off, and then when I planned to do it, life and sickness and the kids interfered. I made it a priority yesterday and the day before and I got it done. It is all parcelled up and ready to be mailed tomorrow. It has been strange for me to actually be home so much. The boys are a bit of a challenge in the evening because I know they push the boundaries a bit more with me, but I also know that they like that I can usually be conned into reading a few more stories and that I am less likely to get mad at their shenanigans. There is a nice feeling when I realize that although Mark is off rehearsing or showing that I don't have to rush off somewhere in the cold with my car with a burnt out headlight (got to get that fixed!).

This weekend my sis is coming home for a quick and dirty visit. I also have the first read-through for the Staged reading I am Directing/Dramaturging for From Cradle to Stage. I have a nice cast - all newbies to Walterdale's stage though not without skills. I like working with new people. I also will get to work with Magnolia as she is the playwright and I am looking forward to that. It seems we have not seen each other for quite some time and that must be remedied!

So, the shift starts. Mark is done with his frolics and will be the one home on Sundays with the boys and I will be the one out and about again. I have posted the Audition Notice for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and have 22 people signed up already (only 2 men, though - that must change!) in just 10 days! I have some work to do for that and the songs have been running through my head non-stop in preparation! Yee Haw!

Something Onstage for Mark

Mark will be playing Daddy Warbucks in Sherard Theatre's production of Annie. It goes up in February and I will be sending out all sorts of information to promote it when we get closer t the date. Yahoo for Mark! I am glad he will have an opportunity to show what he can do. He was sure he totally blew the audition, but I should know not to trust him. He only ever thought one of his auditions was good (the one he did for The Other Side of the Pole) so he discounted the audition that got him Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar. I should know better than to trust his personal evaluation! I am so looking forward to seeing him onstage and hearing him sing and it is a show the boys will be able to go to, as well. It is one of their favorites! Yippee! He will also be working with my good friend Linette who is directing and she is so wonderful to work with. Its a good show for him, because he is great with kids (doesn't mind being around them, at all) and it uses his height to it's advantage. He is also looking forward to shaving his head, I'm sure!

I Guess I'm Not Dying....

Around Tuesday, I started to feel human again. Only my right hand continued to ache. By Friday, even the hand felt better. Yay! I am so glad I am not dying...

This week has been crazy with my workshop (see more details on On Writing) for Zachary and the Storytelling Stones. Suffice it to say I have written around 7 drafts of the script in one week. Whew!

I did manage to squeeze in (and I mean squeeze) Hamlet (at Walterdale) and Anne of Green Gables (Sherard at Festival Place).

Anne of Green Gables has never been one of my favorite shows. It is a musical based on a very well-known and well-loved book, so it really has to hit the highlights of the book. As a result the story arc is not as finessed as other shows. You can't mess too much with L.M. Montgomery. That being said, I was tentative about seeing it. I have heard that Sherard shows are often uneven with compromised production values that detract from the show. However, I knew several of the cast and felt I should go. I was pleasantly surprised by the show. It was quite nice. Anne was lovely. Not the strongest singer, but she certainly was channelling Meagan Follows and she was a lovely actress and obviously a dancer who could organically incorporate her movement into her performance. The other girls were lovely too. Josie Pye was played by the younger sister of a boy I taught in Fort McMurray. She was very strong. I was also pleased with Judy's performance as Marilla. Judy is a good friend of mine and this was the strongest performance I have ever seen from her. She and Gary (as Matthew) were very strong. The ensemble was earnest, if not even, and everyone contributed to a nice show. Some trouble with the buttons of numbers and the actual ending was thrown away, but it was Opening Night and that may be strengthened over the course of the run.