Diving into my 2013 Theatre Goal!

Now that I have got the show cast, and we are starting rehearsals, I can dive into my theatre/arts goal for the year.  January is always a slow month to start as there just isn't much on.  I did catch Songs for a New World on the 2nd, but now I really get going.

This weekend I am going to catch Tania Alvarado and Mile Zero Dance at the Timm's Centre and Free-man on the Land at Theatre Network.  Those are nested between Basketball and rehearsal but it should prove to be a great arts filled weekend.  I am also currently trying to figure out what I will get to at the Canoe Festival.  I plan on catching the new version of The Tudor Queens and am looking forward to seeing the show in a venue with better sight lines.  I loved it at the 2011 Fringe and have heard a lot about their rehearsing for this new production so I am keen to see it again. I really want to see White Rabbit Red Rabbit, but it will mean finding someone to take either my Del Barber or Jeremy Fisher tickets off my hands.  I don't want them to go to waste! Either way, I am seeing something great!

In any case, this feels like a Here We Go! Weekend. I got my seat belt on!

Introducing the Cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Cast List

 (in no particular order)

Chip Tolentino - Mark Sinongco

Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere - Kristin Johnston

Leaf Coneybear - John Evans

William Barfee - Curtis Knecht

Marcy Park - Meredith Honda

Olive Ostrovsky - Nadine Veroba

Rona Lisa Perretti - Amanda Neufeld

Vice Principal Douglas Panch - Joe Garreck

Mitch (Maggie? Michelle? Maxi?) Mahoney - Kate Wylie

Ollive’s Mom Erin Foster-O’Riordan

Olive’s Dad - Stuart McDougall

Carl Grubenniere (Carl Dad) - Dean McQuay

Dan Schwartz (Dan Dad) - Matt Graham

Leaf’s Mom - Kat Evans

Leaf’s Dad - Shawn Wells

Marigold Coneybear - Monica LeBlond-Davison

Brook Coneybear - Alyssa Lightfoot

Pinecone Coneybear - Kelly Webber

Raisin Coneybear - Cleo Halls

Landscape Coneybear - Angela Tran

Paul Coneybear - Rolando Bautisto,

Jesus Christ - Dean McQuay

I am excited to get started on this show with this amazing group of people and the fabulous production team including Sally Hunt as Music Director, Kimberlee Stadelmann as Stage Manager, Jim Draginda as Production Manager and Patti Zeglen as Costume Designer. Tonight is our Read Through and we will start to work on music tomorrow night. I can't wait to hear these voices sing this show!

My Neck is All Kinked Up!

I am not sure what is causing it, but there are several possible contributing factors.

First, I am in the middle of auditions for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and whenever I look at my callback list I get stressed.  I really shouldn't look at it.  The stress is in fact a good thing, but it is because I have more fabulous people than I can use that I am stressed,  It was hard enough to make the list because of I have already cut some wonderful performers but we had to.  It's what you have to do.  I'll be fine next week when it's all decided.  I am not going to think more about it until I actually see the callbacks because that will be the deciding place.

Second, I have been watching the twitter and the news and reading everything I can find about the whole Idle No More movement and the history leading up to it.  Encouraged by the rants of my good friend Amelia, I have read everything I can find, from far left (ugh) to far right (ugh again) and find I sit, as always, somewhere in the middle.  But the evolution of this whole movement has really disappointed me.  It's an opportunity to make change and fix problems that some people with obviously massive egos are letting slip by.  You cannot choose what is for dinner if you are not in the kitchen helping to make it! Argh!  I know, it's complicated, but from what I watched emerge on Twitter, the protests happening today were planned a while ago.  There are people who were simply not going to meet - EVER.  Anyhow, I keep watching and reading as this evolves.  I think it's a massive ^$@#-up and support for the movement from both inside and outside Aboriginal communities is dropping. I am worried, because I think some people actually want a war.  There are some people involved that I think want this to become violent, and that scares me. And just as bad, if nothing is accomplished now, with all this focus on the issue - When will things ever get fixed?!?! This is the time people! We have a chance to deal with the poverty, the housing issues, the environmental issues, and imagined or perceived slights are not good enough reasons to not deal with this stuff.  Hey, I am not an expert on this, but what I see really, really saddens and angers me.

Third, I think I need a new pillow, but I think once the first two points are resolved (extra hopefully with the second) and I take some ibuprofen I should be ok.

So I Saw Les Miserables Today...

First of all, let me say, I cried four times so I definitely got my money's worth. I can also admit that Les Miserables is my ALL TIME FAVORITE Musical so I knew going in I would have high expectations. I was worried after the first 45 minutes, but then it started rolling and began to gel.  I do not think it was the perfect adaptation of the musical by any means and I think the Direction is the biggest culprit in that respect. However, there are moments, individual performances and sections that do nice service to it and rescue it from being a bad movie.

I cannot fault the acting.  It's there for all of them.  The singing, well, there are disappointments, but again I think the direction is what undercut what could have been so much more.  Anne Hathaway's I Dreamed a Dream escapes damage because it is done as a one-shot, close up so that it reads like it should - as a monologue told through song.  Could she play Fantine on a big stage? Maybe not, but for this film she is terrific.  Because the camera is on her face the whole time and she isn't afraid to sing ugly and she really invests in the song the internal story is consistently present. The whole song becomes a journey.  Unfortunately for Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman, Tom Hooper (Director) did not afford them the same opportunity in their big monologue songs.  Instead, he has them moving and shifting as though these are songs of action.  They aren't. They are songs of self-discovery and decision and should have been done with that same respect.  There are plenty of songs that move the action wherein movement and shifting locales add to the energy.  Hooper, however, doesn't always capture that opportunity either. There's only three of the leads that could probably hold their own on a stage singing this score - Jackman, Aaron Tviet (Enjolras) and Samantha Banks (Eponine) - but all the leads are perfectly adaptable to play these roles in a film.  To play to their strengths he should have let them be still more often and use those skills.

So, what made me cry?  Red and Black - When those wonderful men are singing, led by Tveit (confession - Enjolras is so much more attractive to me than Marius - both vocally and character wise - so those of you who wished Tveit was Marius, I say "No! Enjolras all the way, baby!").  This is the number where it really felt like an ensemble. On My Own - Samantha Banks was a wonderful choice and she really built up to this song.  I will say, I Dreamed a Dream was wonderfully done, but I wasn't there yet in terms of investment as an audience member.  A Little Fall of Rain - such a wonderfully done moment with commitment from both Banks and Eddie Redmayne (Marius).  The stillness worked so beautifully.  And then finally, Valjean's Death.  I cried from that moment through the end as it shifted into Do You Hear the People Sing - the pay-off came at the end.

I love Helena Bonham Carter but thought the choice of her and Sacha Baron Cohen for the Thenardiers was kind of predictable and didn't see anything from them that made me say wow.  I think there could have been better choices to make those roles more than just humorous cameos.  Daniel Huttlestone is perfect as Gavroche (I might have cried then, too), and Isabelle Allen is quite lovely as young Cosette. I loved that there were chairs (I was wondering about that - such an iconic image from the stage show).

So, not perfect, by far.  Not something I will buy the soundtrack for, but I think there are enough moments to sustain it. I think there are many missed opportunties and disservices to the actors in the film. I feel kind of bad for Russell Crowe, because he comes off so weak due to the direction.  He actually does some fine acting.  Amanda Seyfried's voice is no stronger, but she is shot in a much more sympathetic way. But who really goes to Les Mis to watch Cosette? Ha ha ha... No but really, the whole live-singing thing worked better for some moments and was not a good choice for others.

A Day of Prep.... FOR AUDITIONS!

It's not like I left it to the last minute. I don't do that. But I did spent a bit of time today making sure that I am ready for auditions tomorrow.  It's always a little hard for me to pick my sides.  Is this the one that will show me what I need to see?  What about this one?  And I only have 1/2 an hour per group of 4 and we have to hear them sing, so I want to make sure I get to see what I need to AND I want to make sure they get to show me want they need to.  I will tell you a not-so-secret secret... I agonize about auditions.  I think because I acted for a long time before I directed I really empathize with the people coming out.  I know that everyone out there wants me to see them, really see them, and find whatever I need in them. I know that everyone coming out really wants to get in the show. I want them all to be terrific, but then I stress about that because I know I can't cast them all.  I usually end up not casting a good dozen people I really, really, really wish I could.  And I don't want to make a mistake.  I don't want to miss out on that fabulous person who just had an off-day on audition day.  It happens.  I've done that.

Anyhow, I have sorted out my sides.  I have thought hard about my improvisation activity (which I will only do if we have time). I have re-read the script who knows how many times.  I think I am ready.  I remain excited and know, deep down, that anything I miss tomorrow I can catch in callbacks!

A Musical Beginning to 2013!

Last night I caught Three Form Theatre's Songs for a New World at La Cite. Tonight is their last show - it start at 7:30 p.m.  It was an admirable undertaking for the young theatre company.  They handled the challenging music of Jason Robert Brown's song cycle well and I had an entertaining evening.  I think we shall see more of these four performers in years to come.  MacKenzie Reurink, in particular, has a good sense of comic timing combined with a strong singing voice that I think will serve her well in her career.  All four (the other three being Chris Scott, Steven Angove and Robin Kumish) have nice voices and a good sense of story-telling.  The balance is a little off, so I would recommend sitting on House Right at least four or five rows up.  Sometimes the band is just a little too hot for the vocals and it's best a bit further back and to the side.

So after that delightful night of song, I took in my boy's piano recital this afternoon. Gibson started his solo well but got flustered and felt a little bad afterwards. He's playing a tough piece for his age and gets very nervous playing in front of people.  Oliver's solo went well and the duet they played was near perfect.  I am really hoping for not too many duets because it's a bit torturous to supervise them, but this time we survived. I have been told I am NOT allowed to post the video (by Gibson) else I'd pop it up.

Anyhow, thank you all for the music to start this year!

A New Year - Filling in the Calendar!

In the spirit of getting out of holiday mode I spent time yesterday and today filling in my calendar.  I am pretty booked up already for January with Spelling Bee and a workshop for one of the From Cradle to Stage new plays.  I booked tickets to Free-man on the Land at Theatre Network and Evie's Waltz at Shadow Theatre.  I have tickets to a couple of music events at the Arden Theatre and to Tania Alvarado/Mile Zero Dance.  Throw in rehearsals and basketball and I am a busy girl. I am trying to hit Sunday matinees for shows because they are a little easier to manage in my schedule. The cool thing about the ticket prize that I won is that I am going to shows I might not have gone to, and although not all of them are my cup of tea, I feel more engaged and challenged as a theatre goer. Case in Point: I am pretty sure that I have no idea what is coming my way with Free-man on the Land.  I am prepared for an adventure! Evie's Waltz sounds like it will explore some of the same themes of three of the scripts I am currently working on and has the phenomenal Coralie Cairns in it so it's a little more up my alley.

Tonight I will kick off my theatre year by seeing Three Form Theatre's Songs for a New World at La Cite. It's one of my favorite musicals - a song cycle - with fabulous music and I am interested in seeing what this young group has done with it.  

What's going to be your first play of the new year?  What are you looking most forward to seeing?  I'm curious to know...