And We Go Sailing...

Titanic came and went quickly. Three shows over two days in the gorgeous Winspear Centre. Gibson did well for a 7 1/2 year old dealing with late nights and early mornings. He was a bit of a handful backstage but onstage he did what was asked of him and (in my humble opinion) was one of the most skilled wavers on the stage! Although I saw the show primarily from the little window in the Stage Right ASM room, I can certainly say it was a wonderful in-concert performance. So many strong voices and with the addition of the Orchestra and Choir it was glorious in the space. Staging was wisely kept simple so as to not detract from the music and the story. Gibson learned a lot (we did a list on the way home of what he learned, but much of it was very silly due to his sleep-deprived state of being) and as a theatre-mother I was very pleased with his experience. The cast and crew were great with him, especially Cole Chapelsky and Joy Quilala who played his on-stage parents. I liked that his experience was not dumbed down and that he learned what it meant to do his role in the play. As the only kid onstage, I think he held his own.

* #14 in my 2012 Theatre Goal

The Deep Blue Sea...

This week will be all about Titanic. I have been to about 2/3 of the rehearsals (whenever Gibson is called) and have enjoyed seeing this show come together. It's a hybrid In-Concert production with costumes and some blocking. There will not be an actual ship on stage (Gibson was wondering about that). It's been a great experience as a mother to see him integrate with the cast and the show experience and since he is the only kid it has been so good to see the cast welcome him and engage with him. I thought I would share some of my favourite moments of the show (outside the moments when my child is in scenes as those obviously are my absolute favourites!). These favourites shift from run to run, but overall, these are the ones that stand out.

#1 - Kyle Thulien singing No Moon - His voice is lovely and so suited to this mood-filled song. Every time he starts singing it I have to stop what I am doing and watch. I love the whole song as it leads into the scenes of other passengers just prior to the crash. It reminds us how human they all were.

#2 - Gerald Mason and Pat MacKeage singing Still - I think it is because they don't want the cute 7 1/2 year old to get all the awwwww moments that these two have really committed to creating the 'most heart-wrenching moment of the show', but this piece will break hearts. The two of them are beautifully committed to the song and each other and it's a gorgeous moment on the stage.

#3 - Gary Carter, Morgan Smith and Neil Johnson singing The Blame - I love this song and these three guys are so good in the singing and the acting of the piece. It also has this Sondheim-like quality to it that I like. But the three of them balance it really well, each holding their own. It's a tough song that they totally make work.

#4 - The Third Class passengers singing Lady's Maid - There's a wonderful ensemble feel to this song as they dream about their new lives in America. Joyful and fun and sad because we know they will not all make it.

There are many other wonderful moments, these are just what stand out for me today - it changes every time I see and hear it. Gibson has totally different favourites (he loves Doing the Latest Rag). Yesterday I got to hear the whole sound as they added the orchestra and the choir and I can't wait to hear it in the Winspear on Wednesday!

We caught The Blue Man Group as part of the Broadway Across Canada this weekend. A fun show, and about what expected. I don't need to see them again, but I could go if I was in Vegas and looking for a show. I did wish I had had 2 martinis at dinner because I think that would have made it even better, but like I said, I had fun. All this theatre training made me recognize it for what it was: A Clown Show. Really, that's what they are - a modern day clown show that builds their turns around technology and percussion. It's very clean, funny, silly and very, very loud. The best bits were audience participation ones (whether individual or whole audience) and it really had a slick feel to it. Fun, light, loud and commercial.

* Blue Man Group is #13 in my 2012 theatre goal

In Which I Pull a Mama Rose on Titanic...

My youngest, Gibson, is a very talented little dude but quite shy, however, that shyness obviously did not stop me from getting him to participate in Two One Way Tickets to Broadway's upcoming production of Titanic at the Winspear (April 4th and 5th). I received an email from Barb Mah, the Director, asking if he might be interested as they needed a child to play Jack Thayer. I wasn't sure what Gibson would say. He's shy. Anyhow, first he said no, then he thought about the fact that he would miss school and then he changed it to a yes (what motivates children...). We get a bit of a break on rehearsals which is nice. Barb is excellent in working with him early on school nights so that he can leave before it gets too, too late. He is also happy to get a 'treat' on the way home. I sit in and help wrangle him, but I am happy to say he seems to be doing quite well. Luckily every boy from 5-50 seems to understand the language of video games so he was bonding quite nicely with some of the other cast members last night. This allowed me to visit with friends from past shows.

I have enjoyed sitting in on the rehearsals playing the role of stage mom (I think I have been a fairly innocuous one at that). I am amazed at the sound of this cast. It is big - I think there are 44 of them - and I keep marvelling at how many strong men they have. I have been casting musicals in Edmonton for a few years now and I have been blessed with getting who I needed for my shows, but men are always difficult to come by. You usually have 2-3 times as many women - this show is almost the opposite. It makes for a lovely sound. I know too, that the sound will be even bigger when they add in the choir that will be singing behind them. Hopefully, Gibson will continue to fit in well and I will be able to sit in the house in a proper seat and watch the show. He does not want his brother to come, but we might take him anyhow and not tell Gibson until afterwards. I think Oliver would want to see it. I know Grandma is coming.

On another note - I started the APN Edmonton Playwright's Circle this week. It has it's own blog where you can follow our journeys in writing. I was excited to hear all the other Play Pitches and to get recharged with the 'questions' you need to ask yourself. Hopefully I will be able to get a little work done tomorrow (it's Teacher's Convention so the kids are home). I have a few weeks, but time seems to fly! I will be working on Little Monsters and am excited to plug away at it and then share it with the group.