Betroffenheit - So. Good. So. Incredibly. Good.

There's something so wonderful about seeing a show that not only lives up to the hype but actually exceeds it. I see A LOT of theatre. I can't tell you the number of times a show has been described to me as "awesome" or "amazing" or "incredible"... I've likely overused those words myself...

When I went to Betroffenheit I was hopeful for a good solid show, what I saw was awesome, amazing, incredible and so much more than I expected. It's hard to describe as it's really a show about a state of being - the state of being after an incredible loss or trauma - and the cycle of trying to get through that and be normal and perhaps the realization that normal will never be normal again. Capturing that seems like an impossible task but somehow they have. The execution is so incredibly precise you feel like like what you are watching can't possibly be live - but. it. is. And while so precise, the performers are also at all times 100% present - nothing feels false - it's surreal in many ways, but always right there in a very honest and real way.

I could talk about the incredible physical ability of all of the 6 performers - it's mind-blowing. I could talk about the incredible choreography that communicates so much bot emotionally and physically. I could talk about the super-human way they move around the stage - are they coated in teflon? I could talk about how they flawlessly use a voice recording as a score and how the merest movement of a finger communicates so much. I could talk about the incredible lighting and use of set in a way that made both feel alive themselves.

Really, you just have to go see it. And then when you next see me, just say "Betroffenheit" and we will nod at each other and say, "yeah... "

Betroffenheit has only 2 more performances - Saturday, March 31st at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 1st at 2:00 p.m. Click here for tickets.

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! 

You can always count on CITY OF ANGELS for a great night of musical theatre!

I had the chance to take in City of Angels at Grant MacEwan University (in the new Triffo Theatre) on Tuesday night. It was World Theatre Day so it seemed appropriate to see a show! City of Angels is one of my favourite shows which has several roles that I would personally love to play (I've aged out of a couple of them... but I could still play Donna/Oolie!!). Anyhow, I love the Cy Coleman score and the concept of the show which plays on film noir and Hollywood tropes. 

Set in Hollywood in the 1940’s the show follows Stine (Joshua Travnik), a young novelist attempting a screenplay of his bestselling novel for movie producer Buddy (Austin From). This is intercut with a film noir enactment of the film in progress which tells the story of detective Stone (Anthony Hurst) and his search for a missing girl. Travnik and Hurst are terrific vocalists and actors and they do an excellent job of capturing the style required for each of their worlds. They both hold their own onstage and the Act One closing duet, "Your're Nothing Without Me" is really outstanding  From plays Buddy with an appropriate bluster and roughness and doesn't shy away from the unlikable qualities of his character which makes for a lot of fun. 

The Director Leigh Rivenbark chose to not do the traditional doubling casting where actors play parallel characters in the 'real' world and the 'film'. I wasn't sure how this would work, but it did for the most part. It certainly allowed the production to showcase the talents of more of the class. It would have been nice to see a little more matching of the roles, however, if only for the audience to understand that Bobbi (Daniela Fernandez) & Gabby (Isabella King) and that Carla (Amalia Gonzalez Chovanec) & Alaura (Chariz Faulmino) are parallel characters. It's clearer with Donna (Kendra Humphrey) and Oolie (Jaclyn Kucey) because their song connects them. In this group of powerhouse women, there are no weak links. Faulmino plays her role with attack and sass and despite her small stature she has a huge voice. Fernandez has a appropriate level of brokenness and the duet of "With Every Breath I Take" between her and Hurst is the best I have ever heard. King brings intelligence to her role that makes you understand why Stone loves her and needs her. Humprey and Kucey play their 'Girl Friday' roles with a nice contrast and they each add their own tone to "You Can Always Count on Me" (however, I was hoping that with the role split there was a way to bring Oolie back for the end of the song... I know, I know... it's not written that way...).

I must also give kudos to the set design (Robyn Ayles) and how it's used. As the show flips back and forth from scene to scene much like a movie does, this production uses shadows, projection and a revolve in addition to hidden doors and a truck to make those switches as fast as they need to be. They do an excellent job at the film reel atmosphere really lends itself to creating the world. Costume designer Megan Koshka has also helped with the black and white aesthetic (right down to the black lipstick) in the movie vs. the Technicolor feel of 40's Hollywood. The ensemble also commits completely to whichever world they're in and you can tell they enjoy embracing the accents and attitudes. 

Anyhow, the show runs two more nights until March 31st. It's a fun show with wonderful music and if you like that Hollywood glamour and a hard-boiled detective story, I encourage you to check it out!

Click here for tickets. 

The EAC Calls for Community Engagement...

I received the following enews from the EAC (Edmonton Arts Council):

2029: Building Edmonton's Community Plan for Arts & Heritage 

In 2006, members of the arts and heritage community in the City of Edmonton came together in recognition that the economic boom in Alberta had increased the pace of development, creating a need for a proactive plan for the arts, heritage, and culture. The resulting plan, The Art of Living 2008-2018: A Plan for Securing the Future of Arts and Heritage in the City of Edmonton, spurred 17 arts recommendations and 11 heritage recommendations. The arts recommendations focused on space, education and mentorship, investments including grants, recognition, and integration of the arts into the civic fabric. The recommendations reflected the adventurousness, creativity, and optimism for the future of arts and heritage in Edmonton.

With The Art of Living reaching its end, the EAC, on behalf of the City of Edmonton, is preparing Edmonton’s next comprehensive 10-year Arts and Heritage Plan. Since implementation of The Art of Living, Edmonton’s creative communities have grown and advanced to become a model of cooperation and resilience. This new plan will leverage the work of the Art of Living, and will guide and strengthen the City’s planning, investment, and ongoing development of the arts and heritage sectors.

The new 10-year Arts & Heritage Plan will be unique to Edmonton, and will provide strong recommendations that will infuse the arts into every aspect of the civic landscape. To guide the new plan, the EAC has identified four key principles:

• Inclusivity that reflects the diverse values of the communities of Edmonton
• Leadership, excellence, and innovation in the arts and heritage communities
• A collective responsibility for the arts and heritage
• Strengthened economic security for the arts and heritage

 How can you participate in the creation of the new plan? 
 Public Community Engagement Sessions & Sector Specific Sessions
 
To ensure the success of the plan, we need input from Edmontonians. Community engagement sessions are being planned for all 12 wards of the city, and certain surrounding communities. Share your thoughts about the current state of the arts and heritage, and your vision for the next ten years.  To create a plan that is truly unique to our city, we want to know your fondest culture memories, the impact of the arts in your community, on your networks or for your cause, and your aspirations for the future of the arts in Edmonton. This is your chance to make your voice heard and help shape the recommendations that will guide the arts and heritage for the next 10 years.
 
Community engagement pop-up session schedule:
February 28, 2018  / 5:00-9:00pm /  Whitemud Crossing Library, 4211 106 Street
March 3, 2018  / 11:00am-3:00pm /  Terwillegar Recreation Centre, 2051 Leger Road
March 4, 2018  / 1:00-5:00pm /  West Henday Promenade Library, 818 Webber Greens Drive
March 7, 2018  / 5:00-9:00pm /  Lois Hole Callingwood Library, 17650 69 Avenue
March 10, 2018  / 11:00am-3:00pm /  Calder Library, 12710 131 Avenue
March 11, 2018  / 1:00-5:00pm /  Highlands Library, 6710 118 Avenue
March 14, 2018  / 5:00-9:00pm /  Clareview Recreation Centre, 3804 139 Avenue
March 17, 2018  / 11:00am-3:00pm /  Mill Woods Library, 2610 Hewes Way
March 18, 2018  / 1:00-5:00pm /  Meadows Recreation Centre, 2704 17 Street

We are also hosting a suite of in-depth facilitated conversations for arts and heritage organizations, artists, collectives, etc.  
Facilitated session schedule:
March 12, 2018 / 11:00am-1:00pm /  CKUA Performance Space, 9804 Jasper Avenue –Theatre/Performing Arts Session
March 12, 2018 / 6:00-8:00pm / ATB Financial Arts Barns, 10330 84 Ave – Ward 8 Public Session

March 13, 2018 / 6:00-8:00pm / Manning Hall, Art Gallery of Alberta, 2 Sir Winston Churchill Square – Ward 6 Public Session

March 14, 2018 / 11:00am-1:00pm / CKUA Performance Space, 9804 Jasper Avenue – Festivals Session
March 15, 2018 / 6:00-8:00pm / CKUA Performance Space, 9804 Jasper Avenue – Music Session
March 16, 2018 / 11:00am-1:00pm/ Art Gallery of Alberta Theatre Lobby, 2 Sir Winston Churchill Square –Public Art Session
 

Not all engagement session dates and venues have been announced at this time, so keep an eye on the EAC Weekly for information on additional pop-up community engagement sessions and facilitated conversations with the arts and heritage sectors. 
If you require ASL interpretation or other assistance, please contact the EAC at 2029@edmontonarts.ca with the date and venue of the engagement session you will be attending.   
 2029: Building Edmonton’s Community Plan for Arts & Heritage Website 
Keep an eye out for the YEG Culture Map website!
 
Launching at the end of February, you can also visit the Arts & Heritage Plan website –www.yegculturemap.ca -- as another way to share your memories and vision for the future of the arts and heritage. 
Have you experienced a performance or piece of art that really struck you, and you wish you could see more of that type of work? Is there a specific heritage activity or site that has been influential in shaping your story of Edmonton? You’re invited to share your experiences and explore the memories of others on our digital map of Edmonton, providing a visual representation of notable arts and heritage moments. 
On the website, you can also find the latest news about the Arts & Heritage Plan, sign up for the project newsletter, and sign up for the Online Engagement Community where you will be able to answer questions in greater detail about the topics important to you.
 

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Have any questions about the Arts & Heritage Plan or any of the engagement sessions? Feel free to get in touch at 2029@edmontonarts.ca. 

Anyhow, if this is something you want a voice in, there are a few platforms for discussion. I recommend you check one of them out. I will likely be waiting for the online survey - but that is really because my time is a little too absorbed with seeing shows and volunteering right now. Eventually that will die down... 

Terrific Night of All Your Favourites in Motown The Musical!

Last night we took in Motown The Musical presented by Broadway Across Canada at the Jubilee Auditorium and it was simply terrific! Okay, I'm a major Motown fan, so I was thrilled by the song list, but I also only enjoy it when it's well done and in this show everything was simply perfect! When you are presenting so many iconic songs and artists it can be a challenge because everyone has expectations, but this production certainly rose to that challenge and met it handily!

Motown The Musical is a jukebox show, using the story of Berry Gordy Jr.'s life and decision to "be the best Berry Gordy Jr. he could be" by creating the iconic music sound that came to be known as Motown. The shows uses a framing device of a 25th Anniversary Television special where all the artists he worked with have come back to perform but there is some question as to whether Gordy (played by Kenneth Mosley, who has a phenomenal voice and impressive stage presence) will show up. To explain why he might not, the show whisks us back in time to his beginnings and through the course of his life up to the moment of the TV show. The scenes are quick and loose, but this provides opportunity for us to meet and hear many of the now legendary artists he worked with and whose careers he arguably managed to success.

Along the way we meet Gordy's right hand man Smokey Robinson, played with charm and high energy by Justin Reynolds. Matt Manuel makes for a charismatic and combative Marvin Gaye who challenges Gordy and who wants to bring more politics into his music. We also meet a young Michael Jackson, played alternately by Kai Calhoun and Chase Phillips, who has the moves and the voice that foreshadow his future as pop-royalty. Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Mary Wells, The Commodores, Martha and the Vandellas... they are all there, and they all do a fabulous job recreating the moves and sound of the era. I was so very impressed by the sound. The balance of all those harmonies was spot-on!

We also get a glimpse into the romance between Gordy and Diana Ross (Trenyce). This relationship gets the most stage time and we get a first hand look at the molding of Ross by Gordy from Supreme, to front woman, to solo artist and to movie star. Trenyce does a beautiful job of channeling the diva both in her scenes and her songs, without stooping to caricature. The best book scenes are the ones between Mosley and Trenyce, and she truly captures Diana Ross in both sound and gesture.

Like most jukebox shows, most of the scenes are quick sketches, giving us the feeling of what happened, but the quickness interspersed with the performances of the songs and their shifting tone manages to paint a picture of how Motown helped to contribute to the advancement of civil rights. There's a big shift both musically and culturally from My Guy to Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology), and yes, this is a musical, but it tells you something when you are confronted with the fact that just a few decades ago artists of colour wouldn't even get played on certain radio stations. I'm pretty sure if I turned on the radio right now there's a good chance I would be hearing Rihanna or Bruno Mars. I'm glad for that.

Anyhow, if you want a terrific night of music - fast paced, with excellent dancing, and charismatic performers, this is definitely a show to see, particularly if you love that Motown sound! There is something special about seeing a show where you know all the songs. I expect to feel the same way when I see Mamma Mia! next week at the Citadel, but that collective connection to the pop-culture really allows you to step right in and just enjoy the experience.

Motown The Musical runs to February 18th at the Jubilee Auditorium.
Click here for more information and tickets.

Living in Extraordinary Times... Tempus Extraordinarius at L'Uni Theatre

A mad dash across the city and we made it just in time to catch Tempus Extraordinarius at L'Uni Theatre on Saturday night. Featuring Tubby and Notubby as two clownlike figures in a post-apocalyptic world, the show was in both French (70%) and English (30%) with surtitles to capture the opposite language for the audience. It was an interesting show and the simple, yet effective projections and staging were well-used. It left a lot to chat about in terms of the cycle of the world's history through oppression and struggle into a more peaceful world and back again. Sprinkled throughout were references to Shakespeare and songs. I'm always interested in seeing the L'Unit Theatre shows as the added layer of language makes me work harder as an audience member. I think that makes me less passive and more engaged. 

Tempus Extraordinarius ran From February 7-10 so you can't catch it, but the next L'Uni Theatre show will be En Mémoire de Moi/Do this in Memory of Me which will play in both languages in rep from March 14 to 24. Click here for more information. 

A Nice Night Out at Walterdale Theatre with THE WOMEN!

Once I got through fumbling with the words of my pre-show speech I was treated to a nice evening of estrogen fueled laughter at Walterdale Theatre with The Women. Directed by Catherine Wenschlag, it's the stage play of one of my all-time favourite movies from 1939 starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, and Rosalind Russell and a whole bunch of other women. It was ground-breaking in that in the film none of the men were ever seen, only talked about. The play is the same. A cast of 17 women playing many more roles tell the story of the loving and loyal Mary Haines (Roseanna Sargent) as her marriage falls about when she discovers her husband is fooling around with the predatory Crystal Allen (Julie Whelan).

I clearly enjoyed it, as so many people commented to me after the show on how much I was laughing. It was filled with quite a few scenes of witty conversation and larger than life characters. There's a lot going on in the show as the play serves to show the disintegration of the marriage of Mary and Steven Haines from multiple points of view. I loved the debrief about the state of the household between the maid Jane (Sadie Bowling) and the Plain Cook (Peg Young). I also really enjoyed all the scenes between the eternally pregnant Edith (Jenn Robinson) and the envious and somewhat innocent Peggy (Mandy Stewart). Another standout was Lilianna Coyes-Loiselle who demonstrated the sharp intelligence of Little Mary as she deals with her parent's divorce. Nicolle Lemay also gives a wonderfully devious performance as the meddling Sylvia.

There was a lot going on - I pulled out a few scenes, but really what makes this show work is the strong ensemble and the commitment by all the cast to big choices and being able to embrace the cattiness along with the kindness of the women in their various relationships. It's a fun ride full of laughter and although I would like to think we don't quite live in this world anymore, episodes of the Bachelor might suggest that there is still a lot of truth to it.

The Women runs until February 17th at Walterdale Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at Tix on the Square at 780.420.1757 or online www.tixonthesquare.ca or at the Box Office 1 hour prior to show start.