Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Nicholas Nickleby - Part 1

In 1980, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Nicholas Nickleby became a theatrical legend. Now the Chichester Festival production, the first since the original, looks set to do the same. It is simply the grandest, most exciting theatrical experience you are likely to have all year.

Eye Weekly

David Edgar’s original version of Charles Dickens’s 1839 novel was in two parts and ran to a total of eight and a half hours. Edgar later revised the play for Chichester and Part 1 now runs three hours and Part 2 three and a half - this is the version which took London's West End by storm. Slowly this triumph made its way across the pond where the only North American showing of this same production is in Toronto until April 20th.

We had tickets to see part one of Nicholas Nickleby on Saturday. Because of the wonderful reviews we had read there was no way were about to miss the first part of the play due to a minor trifle AKA 'the worst snowstorm on record for the month of March'.

The production involves 27 actors and 5 musicians who play more than 150 unforgettable roles in a comic masterpiece, presented across the two separate plays. We see part two on March 29th. Some folk have the two plays scheduled for the same day - I for one don't think I could digest 7 hours of theatre in one day. 

During the first part we met such characters as only Charles Dickens could create: Nicholas, defiant of those who wrong the people he loves; wicked Uncle Ralph, who cares for nothing but money; Wackford Squeers, the cruel master of Dotheboys Hall; the poor, abused Smike - and many others you won't soon forget.

The story contains the typical Dickensian themes as goodness and virtue battle cruelty and avarice in a funny, moving, exhilarating saga of Victorian England. The cast does a superb job of balancing the story that sometimes veers from farcical comedy all the way to deep and dark drama.

The production has gotten raves in Toronto and back in England (even Toronto's alternative paper Now gave it 4/5! Which is saying something! They hate everything commercial.)

The story concerns Mrs. Nickleby (Abigail McKern) and her two children Nicholas (Daniel Weyman) and Kate (Hannah Yelland). Left destitute after the death of their father, the siblings fall under the control of their hardhearted uncle Ralph Nickleby (David Yelland), who separates the two.

In Part I, we follow Nicholas through various careers as schoolteacher, under the sadistic Mr. Squeers (Pip Donaghy), and actor, in the company of the ebullient Vincent Crummles (Jonathan Coy), climaxing in the most uproarious performance of Romeo and Juliet you’ll ever see.

The directors Jonathan Church and Philip Franks have created a great whirling epic with swift-moving sequences sped along by characters who often narrate their episodes before entering a scene. This staccato style can be challenging to follow at first but greatly moves an expansive story along to crescendo.

As Edgar emphasizes in the story, this is a dark world controlled by money and power, but one in which the virtuous and powerless can still hope to create a just society that takes as it duty the protection of its least fortunate members. The parallels to our 'modern' society are strong and just as real as they were in 1839.

Twelve Angry Men

Last night Mom, Paul, Ruth, Catherine, Diamond, and I (AKA the theatre group) went to see the next play in our subscription series . . . Twelve Angry Men. I had not seen the movie nor read the book so I was in for quite a treat.

For those of you not familiar with the story . . . what seems like an open-and-shut murder case becomes a twisted puzzle of prejudice and intrigue. Twelve jurors are corralled in a room for their deliberations in the trial of a young man awaiting a manslaughter sentence for the murder of his father.

As prejudices are tested and evidence weighed, the entire jury is forced to look past the show of the courtroom to unearth the shocking truth. Faced with playing the hangmen, these dozen men must first face themselves.

It's really been far too long since we've seen a good old-fashioned, well-made play that's packed with interesting characters, spirited dialog and high dramatic tension, but also has some serious moral points to make. The play races from drama to drama with no intermission; in fact, it was probably the quickest 90 minutes I have ever spent in a theatre.

Reginald Rose's 1954 teleplay about a dozen jurors trying to decide the guilt or innocence of a young man accused of murdering his father has been remade many times over the years, but when you see it given the Rolls Royce treatment, you appreciate what a skilled piece of work it is. When the jurors walk into the room, they are 11 to one in favour of conviction. Only a soft-spoken architect (Richard Thomas) pauses and starts asking questions. Before too long, the tide begins to turn and what was a foregone conclusion is now a nail-biting suspense drama.

But Rose is smart enough to give us more than that. A whole society is on trial here, accused of bigotry, small-mindedness and self-obsession. What's frightening about the script is that – with very few alterations – it could still take place in most North American cities today. It's obvious that the young man on trial and his murdered father are both members of a minority group, but Rose cannily never reveals which one. Back in 1954, the venom could have been directed at blacks or Puerto Ricans. Today, the objects of hatred could be as a wide as the world we live in.

There's no room, to single out all of the 12 jurors by name, but believe me when I tell you that they were all doing an excellent job. Thomas commands attention, not just because of his star status, but due to the fact that he's mastered the fine art of underplaying with strong conviction. As an unassuming architect who suddenly turns a jury's mind around, Thomas uses intelligence, charm and moral commitment as his very effective weapons.

Julian Gamble and Kevin Dobson carry the brunt of the play's anger and bigotry, with Dobson delivering one of the most spine-chillingly racist speeches you've ever heard on a stage. Gamble may seem to bluster a bit too much at first, but he has a final scene that is suddenly and unexpectedly moving, and it makes up for his earlier excess.

Alan Mandell and David Lively are both witty, yet touching, as a pair of elderly men who prove themselves far younger in heart and mind than many of their colleagues, and Jeffrey Hayenga is a pleasure to watch as a stockbroker who seems to have ice water in his veins until it really matters.

And through it all, director Ellis shapes the material with a flawless touch, blending reality and artifice with a deft hand.

Twelve Angry Men is the kind of play they don't write any more and that's a pity.

It's engaging, entertaining and enlightening all at once: a triple-crown you don't encounter very often.

And it was the first must-see of 2008.

Dirty Dancing

a gratuitous self-promotion . . .

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When "Dirty Dancing" movie hit the theatres in 1987, it became a surprise smash hit, thanks largely to the white-hot chemistry between Patrick Swayze as brooding dance instructor Johnny Castle and Jennifer Grey as Frances (Baby) Houseman, the idealistic summer vacationer who falls in love with him. It seems impossible to comprehend but it was 20 years ago that the movie caused couples to try their dirty dancing moves on the dance floor. Hopes were riding high for the North American premiere of the musical currently playing in Toronto.

The show, which had its humble beginnings in Australia in 2004 and later became a smash hit in London, launched its first North American production at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre on Nov. 16. Producers were evidently riding on expectations that the massive popularity of the film would fuel ticket sales regardless of the production’s quality. And now, as the Toronto show is now selling well through August 2008, they’ve already been proven right.

The reviews have been  mixed. We went to the theatre last night with open minds. But even with a slick set design, talented ensemble and what would seem to be a foolproof plot designed to tug tightly on North American heartstrings, “Dirty Dancing” cannot decide whether it is a film or a musical. In the end, it turns out to be neither.

But first, the good news. Leads Monica West as the painfully naive Baby and Jake Simons as the hot-blooded rebel Johnny Castle are fine dancers, and very easy on the eyes at that. A couple of amazing vocal soloists can be found in 2005 “Canadian Idol” winner Melissa O’Neill and Ryan Gifford. And despite everything its creators have done to drag things down, it remains impossible not to squeeze some enjoyment out of the musical’s 50- plus songs.

Most everything that made the film so much fun is preserved, including its hokey dialogue, its quintessentially ’80s low-rent music montages and its awfully contrived story line. Unfortunately, the steamy connection that made the movie such a success is conspicuously absent in the stage show. 

The movie's unforgettable songs are also here, including "She's Like the Wind" (the film version was sung by Swayze), the memorable end-of-summer "Kellerman's Anthem," and the Oscar-winning "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," performed deftly in the Toronto stage show by "Canadian Idol" winner Melissa O'Neil. 

Much of the film's appeal was in the highly suggestive dance moves, and there's plenty of shimmying in the Toronto show, including standout moves by Milwaukee-born Britta Lazenga as Penny, the summer instructor whose accidental pregnancy forces Baby to become Johnny's dance partner in the first place.   

At the end of the first half both mom and I looked at one another, we both were having a difficult time caring about any of the characters on the stage. The rest of the group pooh poohed us and suggested that perhaps we were just too curmudgeon-like to enjoy such a show. Hmmmmmm

Now to be fair, the second act was far better and in the end I did feel a tug when Johnny struted on the stage and had the famous 'last dance of the season' with Frances. Dirty Dancing fans are a pretty rabid bunch. Many of them will likely have the time of their lives revisiting the classic tale on-stage.

Sweeney Todd

a shameless self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 15 out of 463 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

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---

Last night was the first show in our theatre subscrition series. It was odd that the first play was at the end of November. In the past the shows were far more spread out. Oh well, I guess that they wanted to really build up to a big show - and they did!

SWEENEY TODD, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is considered one of the great musicals of all times (some people consider it the greatest). The 1979 Stephen Sondheim musical, which plays at the Princess of Wales Theatre until December 9th, is based on an urban legend from Victorian London about a vengeful barber who kills his clients and serves them up as meat pies in his next door neighbour Mrs. Lovett's pie shop.Written by Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, it is a musical that isn't easy to stage.

I confess to being quite curious about how they would handle the story. Musicals are normally light and frothy things, so how does a show about a mass murderer and cannibalism play out on the stage? I had also heard about how when the show premiered back in /79 the special effects were exuberant and folks were splattered with the fake blood gushing from the victims necks after Sweeney had dispatched them to another place with his straight razor. Yuck

But by re-imagining the masterwork in a revolutionary way, British director John Doyle has found the key to making the musical come to life. By having each of the actors in his production also perform a musical instrument, Doyle has given the legendary tale of 19th century London barber out to seek bloody revenge a new thrilling dimension. The chamber-like production allows audiences to become acutely conscious of every note and sound, whether bowed from a single cello or chimed from a triangle.

This production was the toast of the 2005-06 Broadway season, winning unanimous raves from the critics, many major awards (including a Tony for best director of a musical and a Drama Desk for best musical revival) and nightly standing ovations. I can see why - the staging and actor was outstanding; spare, focused, yet nuanced.

I did a quick YouTube search and found this clip from the original Broadway show:

While the words remained the same the rest of the show was completely different! In fact, you wouldn't really recognize it as the same show.

And . . . just in time for the festive season is a film adaptation of Sweeney Todd starring Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, and Helen Boham Carter in a movie by Tim Burton.

Next up in two weeks: Dirty dancing.

A Saturday in Wine Country

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Every year for the past 6 or 7 years my mom has given Paul and I tickets to the theatre for our birthdays. Generally we go and see a play at the Stratford Festival. This year she did something different; she bought us two tickets to see a play at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Shaw festival is the only theatre in the world which specializes in the works of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries (1856 - 1950).

Niagara-on-the-Lake is one of Canada's best-kept secrets. This charming and historic Ontario town is located about 20 minutes beyond those amazing waterfalls at Niagara Falls. For years tourists of all kinds have traveled here for the scenery, the shopping, the wineries, and to see world-class performances at the Shaw Festival. Perhaps the greatest attraction is the Niagara-on-the-Lake environment itself. Small in scale, Niagara-on-the-Lake inspires walkers, hikers, joggers, and bike riders to explore its beauty

Our tickets were for last evening and given all the wonderful things about the area we decided to make a day of it. It was a brilliant day! We left home about 10:45 am and got back at midnight.

During the day we visited 5 wineries in the region around the town (which some call the Napa of Ontario ). We had brought a cooler along with us so that the wine didn't 'cook' in the car. This turned out to be a smart move on our part because it was a sunny, warm day. Again we visited wineries that we had not been to before in an effort to spread our wine 'horizons' a bit.

In the little town of Virgil we stopped at a bakery/cafe I had read about on-line called The Pie Plate Bakery and Cafe. There we bought the makings of a picnic lunch. We picked up an Egg Salad sandwich on 8 grain bread, a chicken and apple salad sandwich on walnut bread, a small wheatberry salad, two oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and two small botles of Perrier water.  Into the cooler this went and we later enjoyed the lunch on the banks of the Niagara river.

After lunch we visited some historical sites in the area. The area has many sites of historic interest because it was the location of so many conflicts between the British and the Americans (who kept invading and losing!) Later it was the capital of Upper Canada for a short time until the capital was moved to a site further away from the US border.

The town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is also quite a mecca for shoppers. The streets are lined with all kinds of neat little stores to duck into and check out. Many of these stores are set in very old buildings with great character. There are many types of shops for kids and wonderful things for adults to appreciate. We parked on a side street and took a stroll down the main street and some of the side streets.

 

Later we had a wonderful dinner at a recently opened restaurant called the Old Winery. This trattoria has only been open for two months but is winning rave reviews from area residents who appreciate the fresh mediterranean cuisine inspired by the tuscan countryside. The food is traditionally prepared and served in the heart of Niagara-on-the-Lake. We were amazed at how inexpensive the food was; we had an amazing dinner with appetizers, mains, drinks, and wine for $ 88 which for this area is a STEAL. The mark-up on the wine was low as well - many bottles of wine could be had for under $ 35. We arrived early at 6 pm but by 7:30 when we left the place was full - if you hope to eat here do make reservations.

After dinner we headed off to the theatre where we saw an incredible performance of George Bernard Shaw's classic play St Joan. The actress playing John of Arc was outstanding - her performance actually moved this old guy to tears at one point. I see why the Toronto theatre critics loved this production.

Later, on the drive home, Paul asked me why we only visit Niagara-on-the-Lake once every 5 years or so. Good question, good question . . .

The Lengths We Go For Food . . .

I know good food. I appreciate good food. Because of this I have no qualms at all about hopping in the car and traveling great lengths in a quest for good food.

Today Paul and I were on the road at 7 am and we returned 320 km later at 4:30! It was all in the name of food.

We started off at the St Jacob's Farmer's Market (which is really two markets, one on either side of the road). St. Jacobs is located in southwest Ontario, just north of Waterloo in Woolwich Township, Waterloo Region. The area has a strong Mennonite heritage and rural focus. This makes the market so interesting.

The vibrant agricultural heritage of Waterloo Region has helped make St. Jacobs Country's authentic Farmers Markets popular attractions for local shoppers and visitors alike, all year around! The markets are located on the east and west side of Weber Street, and you will find more than 600 vendors both indoors and out, in a colourful rural setting. The picture above was taken during a visit in February, then there were very few outdoor vendors. Today there were many vendors set up outside so our visit took much longer than our whirlwind visit in the winter.

St. Jacobs Farmers' Markets are a unique and lively place to shop. You will find aisle upon aisle of fresh produce from across Ontario and from local farm gardens. Plus, you will find meats, cheese, baking, crafts, home decor, furniture, clothes, tools and more. Enjoy international favourites, and local delicacies, including summer sausage and pure maple syrup sold by Mennonite farmers who travel to market by horse and buggy. At any time of year you may chance upon a lively performances by visiting buskers or a special event.

I have been coming to the market since 1984 (Paul was so kind to point out that that has been 23 years! ARGH I am getting old. I went to University in Waterloo and a trip to the market on Saturday was a regular thing. A lot has changed since then but I am still pulled back to the area and the wonderful markets. Many others are pulled as well - during the spring, summer, and fall you will often find 20 - 30 buses in the parking lots having just dropped off hoards of tourists.

Having left the market we travelled southwest to the tiny town of St Agatha. This is a tiny little place with one of the largest Roman Catholic churches in the area. You wonder why they would ever need a church so large but then you remember that 70 years ago the surrounding farms all had huge families living and working on them.

This hamlet is home to two of my favourite things: Angie's Kitchen and the St Agatha Meat Market. Angies is one of my favourite places to go for a home cooked meal. It isn't fancy or gourmet but you can get an omelet with a side of smoked sausage and three (3!) slices of homemade toast for $ 10. YUM Today we passed on Angie's but we did pop into the meat market.

These butchers originally were at the market when I was first going there. They gave up their stall and I was sadly disappointed because their meats were amazing. After some detective work i found them in this tiny shop in this tiny town. They are famous for their pork products but recently they have been branching out into other areas (I think the daughter is taking a more active hand in the business). Today we picked up two packages of their freshly ground turkey burgers with no fillers or additives as well as some of our favourite schnitzel. Mom asked us to pick up a hunk of head cheese for her so we complied (after all - tomorrow is Mother's Day).

After our visit to St Agatha we continued on our way to Stratford.

Both the city and the river were named when it was first settled in 1832 after Stratford-upon-Avon, England, of Shakespearean fame. The swan has become a symbol of the city, with 24 white swans and two black swans released every year into the Avon River.

The city changed forever in 1953  when the Shakespearean Stratford Festival was formed. The annual festival now brings hundreds of thousands of theatre goers and tourists to the area. Celebrities such as Alec Guinness, Christopher Plummer, and William Shatner have performed at the festival. The festival is world renowned and takes place in four theatres throughout the city; the Festival Theatre, Avon Theatre, Tom Patterson Theatre and the Studio Theatre.

The festival has given this city in the middle of rural southwestern Ontario a cultural uplift. The downtown part of full of galleries, fine restaurants, food shops, shops, and B and Bs. How many places do you know of 30 000 that have three independent chocolate shops? needless to say we come here often to play.

Today we were to get bread from our favourite bread bakery (Breadworks), some pasta from our favourite pasta shop (Pass de Pasta), granola and baked treats from our favourite bakery (The Honey Tree), chocolate from our favourite chocolate shops (Chocolate Barrs and Reo Thomson), and coffee from our favourite coffee roastery (Balzacs). Wow. We were busy.

After wandering around the town, eating lunch at one of our favourite restaurants, and shopping we headed back home. It had been a full day but we were happy. The car was full of our purchases . . . we won't be starving any time soon!

At some point in time this will be written up in a trip note for publication.

An Evening in Toronto

Well, last night was an experience. We had our last play in our subscription series (there is a group of 5 who goes). The play had received really bad reviews so we weren't looking forward to it (sort of like a root canal procedure). We all decided that we had to do extra things in an effort to counteract the horrible play we were to see (it never entered our minds to NOT go).

Paul and I went into the city early to get a few things at the Distillery District. I realized that this was the first time I have been there when it was not sub zero outside. It was a very different place in the nice weather - patios with happy patrons sipping wine and martinis everywhere, outdoor musicians . . . I could have stayed there. There were many people there with the same idea - far more than the few brave souls we usually see when we show up in the winter.

Unfortunately it was to be a stealth visit for us; I just picked up my coffee I was running low on from Balzacs and went by my favourite chocolate maker (SOMA) to pick up on some chocolates as a treat for the play's intermission. There is nothing like a wonderful rich and decadent chocolate to ease the impact of a terrible storyline.

We met up with the rest of the group at Tutti Matti. Doru from the slowtravel message boards had recommended it to me and all I can say is WOW! Alida, the owner/chef, ran a restaurant in south Tuscany for 6 years before coming to Toronto and opening Tutti Matti. She clearly knows her stuff. It was an amazing dinner. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera as I feel a little strange snapping pics of my food when I'm out with friends (the picture at the left is form the restaurant's website).

Everything about this meal was wonderful. Alida came over and chatted with us (which I think had an impact on the serving staff who were very attentive). We ordered a bottle of Chianti wine and a bottle of aqua frizzante. Alida told us that they had a few bottles of Casa Emma wines in house (had I know that I would have ordered differently).

The pasta (all made in house) of the day was an asparagus ravioli stuffed with asparagus, goat cheese, and a hint of lemon. Believe it or not Paul and I were planning on making asparagus ravioli today for dinner so I had to order it to get the hang of it. I don't have a recipe so it was good to experience a 'real thing' as we get ready to play around. It was perfectly cooked in a simple butter and sage sauce. Paul ordered faggotini which was a Chickpea flour crepe stuffed with mixed mushrooms, asparagus and chef's mix of cheeses and truffle pate drizzled with truffle honey. They were both amazing!

For our main course we decided to split an order of porchetta. We had only ever tried porchetta on a bun when we were in Italy so this was a treat to try it more 'formally'. We received a huge, thick slice of roast suckling pig. It was covered by a wonderful gravy/sauce which was a mixture of sweet and savoury (like many Tuscan dishes). It had chestnuts, fresh herbs, and I thought I detected a hint of honey. WOW, WOW, WOW! Catherine and Ruth were thrilled with their meals as well.

We don't normally ordered dolce but we had time and everything else had been so good we thought we had to. Unlike a number of restaurants in the Toronto area all of these desserts were made in-house. I ordered a tarte which had a caramel filling topped with baked ricotta and marscapone. Oh my! Paul was equally impressed with his panna cotta. It came on a long plate, the panna cotta in the centre. On either side were two small jugs of caramel and chocolate sauce. He was purring!

The bill for four with wine, taxes, etc was $ 256 which we all agreed was a good bargain; I have eaten for more money and enjoyed the meals less!

The whole experience quickly had the effect of transporting Paul and I back to Tuscany . . . Paul said grazie and once I even let slip with a per favore! It was so amazing to be back in Tuscany, if only in a restaurant in Toronto. Later that night as we were driving home after our evening of food, wine, theatre, and brilliant company Paul looked over and said 'if we're in Toronto next year on my birthday (we will be in Maine this year) I want to go back there for my birthday dinner' (so noted) which is a mark of a fine meal in his book.

Then the evening took a turn for the worse. Good God the play was dreadful. We knew it would be though, the reviews were dismal. The theatre was half empty. lots of people got up and left. We stuck it out though . . . Luckily it was quite short and we had wonderful chocolates to nibble on during the intermission. It had originally been put on in 2004 to rave reviews by a small, 'fringe' theatre group. One can only say that it did not transfer to a larger stage and theatre well.

In the end it made for an enjoyable evening. In a perverse sort of way we enjoyed the play BECAUSE it was so bad, we were expecting it to be bad . . .

We Will Rock You

Last night we went to see a much anticipated musical - We Will Rock You. Three of our friends had seen it in London and raved about it. When it was announced for Toronto (with an all-Canadian cast no less) we jumped at the opportunity to grab 11 tickets and go with a group.

The show opened here April 10, but premiered in England in May 2002 and is still running there despite what its British director and book writer Ben Elton laughingly says "were possibly the worst reviews in the history of London theatre."

Some Toronto critics sniffed, too, but the notices were not as scathing as those in England and a few were practically favorable. The Globe and Mail, a national daily, gave the musical three stars out of four. And most of the reviewers cheered the show's music -- the work of all four of the band's members: singer Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991; guitarist Brian May; drummer Roger Taylor and bass player John Deacon.

Set 300 years in the future, in a time when live music is banned on earth, We Will Rock You is about the kids who are in rebellion, fighting against the all-powerful Globalsoft Corporation that controls their lives and feeds them a diet of synthesised pop. Could the young Galileo and Scaramouche be the heroes needed who will help them “break free” of their chains to rediscover themselves and live music?

We Will Rock You" may be a British musical, but the Toronto production has a unique Canadian flavor, an attempt to localize the show, something which was done for all the other productions including Germany, Switzerland, Japan and an American version in Las Vegas in 2004.

"You go and see most musicals in one city, you're basically -- with the proviso of how talented the cast is -- going to see exactly the same thing in another city," Elton says. "That is not the case with `We Will Rock You.' It's 10 percent different, and that 10 percent is really quite considerable."

In Canada, the difference means a production peppered with references Canadians will recognize -- such as Maple Leaf Gardens, Loblaws (a Canadian supermarket chain) and that national superstar Celine Dion, among others. Paul loved the references to Zellers (the retail store where he works). The musical is filled with Canadian performers as well -- not to mention Canadian musicians, all of whom were auditioned by May and Taylor.

"We cast it right across the country ... (finding) people from Vancouver Island all the way to Newfoundland," Mirvish says.

The all-Canadian cast features Yvan Pedneault as Galileo, Erica Peck as Scaramouche, Alana Bridgewater (Menopause Outloud) as the Killer Queen, Evan Buliung (The Lord Of The Rings) as Khashoggi, Jack Langedijk (Kiss of The Spider Woman, A Streetcar Named Desire), Sterling Jarvis (Disney’s The Lion King) is Badass Britney and Suzie McNeil (who was the last woman standing on Rockstar: INXS) is Oz.

With Brian May and Roger Taylor as music supervisors, the show is written and directed by Ben Elton (The Young Ones, Blackadder, The Beautiful Game and Popcorn) and features 32 of Queen’s greatest hits. Mark Fisher, Production Designer, and Willie Williams, Lighting Designer, have created set designs for Pink Floyd, Janet Jackson, The Rolling Stones and U2. Tim Goodchild is Costume Designer and Arlene Phillips (Starlight Express, Grease and Saturday Night Fever) is Choreographer. Bobby Aitken (The Boyfriend, The Fix, Return to the Forbidden Planet, Grease and Mamma Mia!) is Sound Designer.

"A new block of tickets has just gone on sale (running to July 8. 2007) and can be purchased by phone through TicketKing at 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333, online through www.mirvish.com and in-person at the Canon Theatre Box Office at 244 Victoria Street.

The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera played in Toronto for about 10 years and so, I’d already seen this show more times than necessary. Once - and I fell asleep. It was one of my first theatre going experiences. Luckily I went back and gave live theatre another go.

When the bus tours from Buffalo dried up after Toronto SARS epedemic and the music died, I thought we were in the clear. Nobody told me touring companies would show up now and then to taunt me.

Taunt me it did last night. It was one of the shows in our Mirvish subscription series so go I went. Two of our group had never seen it before so I promised that I wouldn't be cranky about it so that it wasn't spolied for them. I can see how some people love the show and can accept that they do. I'm not one of them though. Paul was though.

The best part about the whole evening was getting to watch his reaction. I’m not so jaded that I don’t remember how electric and emotional a live performance can be. I was really glad he seemed to like it and hummed the music all the way home. The touring company did a decent job of bringing the original production back to life although I don’t think I ever need to see it again.

Yes, this is basically the same Phantom of the Opera that held Toronto in thrall from 1989 to 1999.

You must all know the story by now: deformed man lives in the basement of the Paris Opera, teaches pretty girl to sing; he loves her; she chooses a pretty young man instead and trouble – as they say – ensues.

But although the work itself remains untouched, there are still several differences in what's now on the stage. Because this is a touring show, rather than one meant to stay put for a decade, the physical production is, overall, a touch less sumptuous. The actors aren't as refined, their voices carry less of a range, their actions tend to play to the crowd rather than the story.

If your a Phantom virgin, you will enjoy the joy. If you have seen the show as many times as I have you may want to skip this one.

It would appear that Toronto theatre goers are in-love again. This show has been extended three times and has now added 9 weeks to the run. We truly are an easily pleased lot.

In fairness, I did notice that many in the audience were not the sort of folk I generally see at the theatre. There were more tourists that normal (which is good for the economy), there were more prople for whom this was obviously a very special night - a big date night (nice to see romance is back), and there were people who obviously don't go to the theatre but came because it was, well, the Phantom. To the latter group I say - come back - next time though leave your jeans, T-shirts, and thongs at home - and experience some real quality at the theatre!

Performances run from February 21 - June 3, 2007 at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
Tuesday - Saturday at 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Orpheus Descending

On Saturday - prior to the icewine extravaganza we saw a production of Tennessee Williams' play Orpheus Descending. In 2005 the play was produced at the Stratford festival and received rave reviews. This production brought back all of the same actors, the director, the producer but a much larger stage in a huge theatre. I wondered how the play would adjust to the significant stage change - the answer was quite well.

I find that Williams is never an easy playwright to watch. So many of the characters are so flawed that I find myself wondering "can anyone really be like this?" I am not a person who likes a lovely, happy ending at the end of every play but in a play by Williams' I don't think anyone is even remotely happy. This play would fit in perfectly with one of the great tragedies by Shakespeare.

This is a tale of a lewd vagrant, a bought woman and a stud for hire all told in a wild and unpredictable melodrama of the American South. It is a gritty play with its themes of racism, addiction, murder, and mayhem. Even though it seems so exaggerated one is left thinking that there may still be places like this in the deep south.

The director, Miles Potter, works a new kind of magic into the heart of the play: the indefinable hold that each of the central three characters has on the other. Lady Torrance (Seana McKenna) runs her dying husband's dry-good store. She's the daughter of an Italian immigrant who was burnt alive for selling liquor to a black man. In walks Valentine Xavier (Jonathan Goad), a guitar-strumming stranger whose impact is best described by Williams himself as creating a "commotion of a fox in a chicken coop." Carol Cutrere (Dana Green) is the rich spoiled girl and self-confessed exhibitionist (like a Paris Hilton but with a moral centre), who seeks salvation from a world of corruption; in the free-spirited Valentine

McKenna depicts the nuances of the racial angst of her Italian character, thereby hinting at injustices that transcend the ones inflicted on her family. Her Lady burns with passion but has a wickedly wry sense of humour. Goad, on the other hand, allows the mercurial nature of Valentine to come to the surface with less apology and more swagger. He's a more rebellious and dangerous figure than ever before. Together, they've found more of what connects their characters in a world that succeeds in setting them apart -- and tragically so. A scene where the two share a bottle of Coke at the store beautifully underlines the moral complexity of their situation: illicit and natural.

When the play appeared in 1957, Williams wrote, "[o]n the surface it was and still is the tale of a wild-spirited boy who wanders into a conventional community of the South and creates the commotion of a fox in a chicken coop. But beneath that now familiar surface it is a play about unanswered questions that haunt the hearts of people and the difference between continuing to ask them...and the acceptance of prescribed answers that are not answers at all."

The play is a retelling of the ancient Greek Orpheus legend in modern clothes and deals, in the most elemental fashion, with the power of passion, art, and imagination to redeem and revitalize life, giving it new meaning. The story is set in a dry goods store in a small southern town marked, in the play, by conformity, sexual frustration, narrowness, and racism. Into this scene steps Val, a young man with a guitar, a snakeskin jacket, a questionable past, and undeniable animal-erotic energy and appeal. He gets a job in the dry goods store run by a middle-aged woman named Lady, whose elderly husband is dying. Lady has a past and passions of her own. She finds herself attracted to Val and to the possibility of new life he seems to offer. It is a tempting antidote to her loveless marriage and boring, small-town life. The play describes the awakening of passion, love, and life -- as well as its tragic consequences for Val and Lady.

The play deals with passion, its repression and its attempted recovery. On another level, it is also about trying to live bravely and honestly in a fallen world. The play is replete with lush, poetic dialog and imagery. On the stage, the opening sections seem somewhat lacking in dramatic movement, but the play picks up power as the characters are developed and it moves to its climax. Val, representing Orpheus, represents the forces of energy and eros, which, buried as they are in compromise and everyday mundanity, have the tragic power to create life anew.

The play is on-stage at the Royal Alexander Theatre until February 11th.