From April 23-May 26 we get a chance to see sentimental favourite Anne of Green Gables (Donald Harron and Normal Campbell with additional lyrics by Elaine Campbell and Mavor Moore), the hallmark of the annual Charlottetown Festival. It’s hard to go wrong with this one and I really do like it (and of course I give it extra points for being Canadian), but I’d have thought it gets performed enough -it’s playing at Rosebud Theatre this summer and is often done by community and school groups. Mind you, people don’t seem to tire of going to A Christmas Carol (which of course is on the programme for this year too), so what do I know? Theatre Calgary’s Artistic Director, Dennis Garnhum spent childhood summers with relatives in PEI, so maybe that has something to do with this choice. If you haven’t seen this feel-good musical, I’d certainly recommend it (and of course, it’s great for kids too), and if you have then you know what it’s all about and can decide for yourself. Obviously a better show to end the season (and try to entice new subscribers) with than the other way around.

 For more information go to: Theatre Calgary

Michael Culp transforms into a cat for the Theatre Calgary production of Cats in the dressing room Tuesday April 10, 2012. (Ted Rhodes/Calgary Herald)

Over the years, I’ve seen a few different performances of Cats and after taking in Theatre Calgary’s version this weekend, one thing is certain – Cats is still a show worth seeing. The costuming and characters are intriguing. And, the names of some of the Cats, such as Rum Tum Tugger, stay with you long after the show ends, as does the music.

Cats was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, at a time when he began revolutionizing the world of musical theatre. Thirty-one years after debuting in London’s West End, the music still delights audiences, via both powerful solos and captivating chorus pieces. (To read a review of Cats by the Herald’s Stephen Hunt, click here and to visit the Cats’ make-up room, click here.)  Whether you’re seeing cats for the first, second or perhaps even fifth time, it’s purrrfectly entertaining.

In honour of its new production, Theatre Calgary has also provided a few interesting facts about Cats:

1.)    It’s been performed in more than 10 languages.

2.)    Cats has taken centre stage in more than 250 cities.

3.)    Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the musical based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

4.)    Late in life, when T.S. Eliot was feeling unwell or couldn’t sleep, he’d recite the verses from this book under his breath.

5.)    In the original London production, actress Judi Dench was supposed to play the role of Grizabella. She hurt her Achilles tendon during rehearsal and Elaine Paige took over the role; the signature song “Memory” was then taken from another Cats character and given to Paige to sing.

6.)    On Broadway, Cats holds the honour of being the second longest-running show. (Webber’s Phantom of the Opera is the first.)  Check out the program at Theatre Calgary’s production of Cats to read more fun facts.

• A profile of Calgary’s Allison Lynch (seen in Forte Musical Theatre’s 2011 production of Twisted  and ATP’s recent production of Ash Rizin, and performing in Vertigo Mystery Theatre’s upcoming Sweeney Todd),
• Calgary-based Onalea Gilbertson’s story of her experience at the New York Musical Theatre Festival with her musical Blanche: The Bittersweet Life of a Wild Prairie Dame
• A panel discussion with four prominent Alberta Musical Theatre Composers including Forte Musical Theatre’s Joe Slabe (Austentatious! and Jeremy de Bergerac) and Calgary-based playwright and composer David Rhymer (Ilsa Queen of the Nazi Love Camp, An Eye for an Eye, Why Freud Fainted),
• A discussion with Patrick Clark about the technical design challenges of Theatre Calgary’s upcoming production of CATS (which editor David van Belle describes as having been “released by Andrew Lloyd Webber from its franchise-design gulag” (so maybe we’ll see something a little different this time?).
• An opinion piece by Calgary singer/songwriter Kris Demeanor (Twisted, Buzz Job! The True Story of Cal Cavendish) on the central role of music in innovative musical theatre creation

To get a copy, join Theatre Alberta (or pay up your delinquent membership dues like I did recently – only $15 if you’re already an Alberta Playwrights Network member) or check out the inaugural on-line edition at http://www.theatrealberta.com/all-stages/ including samples of music from the composers mentioned.

Kids, have you ever watched sports on TV like hockey or soccer or gymnastics? You probably saw a lot of sports two years ago when the city of Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics. The Olympics are special because they bring together the best athletes in the world to compete. Other big competitions do the same; they are often called “world championships”. Have you ever gotten to learn something from a world champion? If you’ve watched this week’s Simple Fun Video, you have!

This week’s Star used to compete in a sport called Baton Twirling and was so good that she became the World Champion. And that makes all of us really lucky because in this Simple Fun Video she is sharing how to do the moves that started her on her way to the top. Please meet, World Champion Baton Twirler, Carolyn (Day) Luhning.

It takes a lot of practice to become good at something. And it takes much much much much much more practice to become the best in the world at that thing. Sometimes doctors and scientists say that it takes 10 000 hours to become an expert at something. That is a lot of hours. There are only 24 hours in a day. So, if you never slept, ate or rested, it would take 417 days to become an expert–that’s 14 months. But because you’re not a robot you do need to sleep, eat, rest, and play with your friends those 10 000 hours will probably take five to ten years to complete! That is a lot of time! Who would do that? …Lots of people do. In fact, if you’ve found a sport or interest that you love–that makes you want to jump out of bed each morning–then you’re probably already on your way to becoming a 10 000-hour expert.

This week’s Simple Fun Video Star, Carolyn, has spent a lot of her life practicing baton twirling–way more than 10 000 hours. At first, she really didn’t like it. She tried for a bit but wanted to quit. Her mom said she should keep trying. “EWW! NO!” was Carolyn’s response. And who can blame her? Her mom had been a baton twirler and who wants to do what their mom has done? But it turned out moms can be right sometimes. (Actually, moms are right most of the time.) So, Carolyn stuck it out for one year…grumping and stomping her way through class. But a funny thing happened at the end of that year: Carolyn started to like twirling. REALLY LIKE twirling. By the end of that year she liked baton so much that she was rushing to her school gym everyday after class just to practice. She would practice her fancy tosses, figure-8′s, spins and lunges endlessly. She loved baton twirling so much that she started to do it everywhere–and we actually mean, everywhere.

Competition is an interesting thing. When you try it for the first time you often compete with people who live close to you. But as you practice and compete more there are fewer people right around you who are at your same skill level. So you have to start travelling in order to find competitive peers. Carolyn practiced so much that she travelled all over the world for competitions, and even–when she was fourteen years old–moved away from Calgary to train full-time in California. (But she was still going to school in Calgary. How awesome is that?! Her school, Bishop Caroll, specializes in creating programs that let their students study while training or competing all over the world.)

…Now, in other blog posts we have played map games before. But this time we are going to play with a whole lot of countries. We’ve chosen just a few of the cities, states and countries in which Carolyn trained and competed. Can you find them all?

• Calgary
• California
• Italy
• France
• Switzerland
• Germany
• United States
• Canada
• Japan

That’s a lot of countries and a lot of practicing baton. But she loved what she was doing. And it was showing. Carolyn became so good at baton twirling that in 1990 she was named the World Champion! That means that after competing for so many years against the best twirlers in the world, the judges decided that her performance was the best of them all. How good did she become to be named the World Champion? Here’s a video that shows off how skillful she was the year BEFORE she won:

HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!

Then two years later–the year after she was crowned World Champion–Carolyn decided it was time to try something completely new. That’s a scary thing to do: change what you have been doing most of your life. But, the wonderful thing about working hard at one passion is that lessons from it will help when you strive to do something that seems totally different.

The biggest lesson that Carolyn says she learned from practicing baton for seventeen years was how to set goals and achieve them. The only way to go from being four-years-old, never having held a baton, to being the World Champion is to set small goals that you can achieve along the way. First off she set a goal to learn how to do the fancy tosses and catches she teaches in her video. Once she was really good at those, she set a goal to learn the “Ice Cream Scoop” technique she shows in the Bonus section of the video. Then she set goals to get better at each new move she could learn and put them all together. You might ask, “What kept her wanting to set new goals?” The answer is, achieving them! Do you know how good it feels to set a goal and achieve it? It means you’ve overcome a challenge! And now you know how to do something completely new and fun. That is one of the best feelings in the world.

What are some of the goals that you want to set for yourself? Do you want to become a world champion? How about a scientist? An actor? Well, what small goals can you set that you could achieve within the next week? If you want to become a baton twirler like Carolyn, a good first goal might be to make a baton. Oh, and set a timeline. Timelines are important because it’s not a very useful goal if it never has to be completed. So, can you make a baton before tomorrow? What do you need in order to do it? Do you have markers, a wrapping paper roll? Go for it!

The new goal that Carolyn set was to get a university degree. And the first step was to enroll. So, she applied at the University of Calgary.

Now, Kids, a little know fact about adults is that we don’t actually always know what we want to do (but don’t tell anyone). And, in this case, Carolyn didn’t know what she wanted to do. She knew from the performances that she would choreograph for baton competitions that she liked to be theatrical and expressive, but how could she use that passion in university? She didn’t know, but she thought she might find an outlet if she took Fine Arts. She was right. It took a while for her to figure out, but eventually she realized that she loved theatre–not so much acting, and not designing or being on the technical side of things (lights, sound, set construction), but she loved being part of the creative experience; and, more than anything, making sure that people knew about the performances that she loved so much. So, Carolyn helped to start the University of Calgary’s Drama Department communications unit. That means that when a play was on at the University, she would help to promote it. That’s a really big deal. There’s a very old saying, “if a tree falls in the woods and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound?” —That question has been asked in various ways for hundreds of years, and no one expects an answer, but it is meant to get you thinking. Think about theatre, you could write and direct the greatest play in the world, but who’s going to know about it unless people watch it? That’s how Carolyn thought; she saw great plays going on all over Calgary and wanted people to know about them. So, she set a goal to help promote Calgary theatre. Now, every day she is setting and achieving goals that help make the lives of Calgarians better. She is a very inspirational and astounding person–a great role model for so many things! We’ll even let you in on a little secret…Carolyn is the reason for the Simple Fun Videos!

Grown-Ups, Carolyn (Day–maiden name / competitive name) Luhning is truly astounding in an ever-growing number of respects. Leave aside the dogged commitment to baton twirling that commanded seventeen years of her life and culminated in the World Championships, and a Bronze the following year–she managed through all of that to complete her studies with glowing marks. Her university career was no less honourable. She entertained a respectable acting career–often alongside her then soon-to-be husband, Ryan Luhning–while creating the basis for promotions of the University of Calgary’s theatre community. After university her Midas’ touch stretched through Lunchbox Theatre, Theatre Calgary, and, for six years, us at the Calgary International Children’s Festival. Her collaborative marketing strategies have been instrumental in the growing success of our Festival and in exciting Calgarians about the myriad experiences available throughout Calgary’s exploding theatre community. Just before passing the torch at the Children’s Fest to our brand new Marketing & Publicity Manager, Sho Sengupta (you’ll get to meet her in an upcoming blog post), Carolyn created the campaign that is grabbing so many Calgarian’s attention: Simple Fun. Each of these weekly videos and blog posts is the follow-through of her creativity. We were sad to see Carolyn go, but as the new Communications Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary, she is continuing to make meaningful and significant positive changes in the lives of Calgary’s children. We couldn’t wish her anything but the very best.

Carolyn’s reach within Calgary theatre extends even further through her family. After having met and fallen in love at university, Carolyn used to act alongside her husband, Ryan Luhning. While she has spearheaded communications throughout the YYC theatre world, Ryan has been constantly adding to an outstanding career as an actor, director and producer. Since its birth in 1997, Ryan has held the position of Artistic Director at Calgary’s Ground Zero Theatre. They are the company that–alongside their brothers-in-arms, Hit & Myth–have brought Calgary the shattering hits, “Evil Dead: The Musical”, “reasons to be pretty”, “Kung-Fu Panties”, and many others. In 2007 he won the Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role–an honour a protege of his, and Simple Fun Guest Star, Pat MacEachern, garnered last year. Ryan’s Betty was received for his portrayal of Katurian, the accused murderer of Martin McDonagh’s riveting “The Pillowman”. Currently, Ryan is staring in one of the most viscerally affective pieces to have ever hit the stages of Calgary: GZT and Hit & Myth’s production of David Mamet’s “Race”. Grown-ups, this is a must see. It runs until March 17 at Vertigo‘s Studio Theatre in the Calgary Tower. Call in special favours, these tickets are worth the find.

Amongst this furtive theatrical environment, Carolyn and Ryan are raising their two lovely daughters, Grace and Peyton; both of whom really like making batons.

Words to Learn:

For Kids:

baton: a short, straight piece of wood or metal used either to direct a choir / band, or, in this case, to twirl and spin for performance. Baton twirling is a type of competitive performance and sport–one at which Carolyn (Day) Luhning is very good. If you would like to learn more about baton twirling and get involved in the community, one of the best places to find information is the Alberta Baton Twirling Association’s website.

choreograph: when performers dance on stage they usually plan out all of the steps that they are going to take a long time before the actual performance; and then they practice them. When you plan dance steps and movements you are “choreographing” the performance.

compete: when you to win at a game or sport you are “competing”. Lots of different things can be done “competitively”: golf, chess, dance. You can tell it’s a “competition” if multiple people are trying to win something that only one of them, or a team of them, can win.

determination: deciding to follow through with something no matter how hard or challenging it might be. To accomplish some of your goals you are going to have to be very “determined”, but determination pays off when you succeed.

enroll: to become a student at a particular school, university or even in a baton twirling class you have to sign-up for it. Signing-up can be called “enrolling”.

expert: a person who has a lot of knowledge or skills in a certain area. Carolyn is an “expert” baton twirler because she knows so much about it and has practiced all of her twirling skills for so long. Are you an expert at something? Are your parents?

expressive: when you are really good at helping other people to understand what you are thinking or feeling you are being “expressive”.

goal: in hockey or soccer when you put the puck / ball in the other team’s net you’ve scored a goal. In the sports of hockey and soccer you know you want to score goals because the more you score the better your chances of winning the game. Goals in life are the same. They are things that are hard to do or get, but you work towards them because once you get them it means that you have learned to do something that used to be impossible for you. Now you can work on learning more things that you never thought you could do.

inspire: the word “inspire” comes from the French word “inspirer” which means to breathe. When you breathe you fill up your lungs with air. When you “inspire” it’s kind of the same thing, but it means that you are filling another person with the desire to do something; usually something creative. Have you ever had a teacher or a coach who told you about something and immediately you wanted to learn everything about that thing that you could? Well, that person “inspired” you because they filled you with the desire to learn about that thing. Really good performers are often “inspirational”.

judge: there are lots of different types of judges. All of them are experts in the areas about which they make “judgements”. Some judges who are experts on the law figure out whether certain people have broken the law. Other judges are experts at things like baton twirling. In running competitions you can tell who the fastest runner is because that person can run from one place to another before any other runners can, but baton twirling isn’t like running, competitors don’t try to go from one place to another the fastest, they compete by seeing who can twirl the best. This means that “judges” need to watch the competition and decide who has the best spins and twirls and choreography. The competitor who the judges say is the best (or, “judge” to be the best) will with the competition.

peer: the people you go to school with who are the same age as you or who do many of the same things are your “peers”.

practice: to do something over and over again so that you become really good at it. You usually have to practice certain skills in order to get good enough at them to achieve your goals.

promote: to push something forward. When you are talking about “promoting” theatre or a sport, however, it means more to tell people about it so that they will come participate or watch. Hockey games and plays wouldn’t have anybody coming to watch them if nobody knew they were on. So, certain people, like Carolyn, help to promote these things and tell people that something cool is happening that they can go be a part of.

quit: to leave something. If Carolyn had decided when she was four that she never wanted to do baton twirling again, it would mean that she “quit” baton twirling. Luckily she decided to keep on with it, otherwise she never would have become the World Champion.

role model: a person that you look up to and want to be like. Who are your role models? Are your parents your role models? Are there performers in Calgary who are your role models?

skill: an ability that you have. Something at which you are very good.

strive: to try really hard to achieve or do something. You have to “strive” really hard to achieve your goals.

train: when you are learning new skills you have to practice a lot. When you practice it’s called “training” because you are teaching (or, “training”) yourself to know how to perform that skill.

For Grown-Ups:

Betty Mitchell Award: The namesake of one of Calgary theatre’s most prominent trailblazers, Dr. Betty Mitchell, these annual awards make note of the outstanding achievements of individuals within Calgary’s professional theatre community.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary: committed to providing safe and supportive environments in which to learn the skills necessary to overcome obstacles and create positive opportunities in their lives, BGCC, has been helping Calgary’s children for over seventy years. Their multi-disciplinary support programs have aided over 38000 children to develop the physical, social, and educational abilities to reach their full potential as society’s valued participants and leaders.

Ground Zero Theatre (GZT): Formed in the late 1990s, Ground Zero Theatre is a not-for-profit company devoted to immersing Calgary’s established theatre professionals and rising amateurs into a mixing pot of often daring and challenging works. GZT commonly pushes the edges of the YYCTheatre landscape by developing shows that could find their place only within the audience-exciting niche that GZT has carved out. They may be best known for their 2010 production of “Evil Dead: The Musical”.

Hit & Myth: Often partnered with GZT, Hit & Myth are a Calgary-based theatre company dedicated to providing their ever-growing audiences with dark, avant-garde and provocative productions.

Lunchbox Theatre: Unique among Calgary’s theatre venues, this internationally-recognized company has been bringing the professionals, shoppers and thespians of YYC’s downtown core noontime theatre since 1975. Lunchbox has achieved its renown for providing an environment of witty and upbeat plays and musical revues as well as for its development of a significant wealth of one-act plays. Give yourself a treat and enjoy a Lunchbox show tomorrow at noon. (Bringing your lunch is more than encouraged.)

Theatre Calgary: One of the most storied and influential theatre companies in Canada, Theatre Calgary has grown over its 44-year formal history from its roots in mid-World War amateur theatre to a professional company that attracts the notoriety of the world’s most prestigious performers, directors and playwrights. Spawned from the inspiration that local dramaturg and Western Canada High School teacher, Betty Mitchell, imparted to her students in the 1940s, the company has been headed by numerous legends of Canadian theatre, not the least of which is Sharon Pollock. Since 2005, Dennis Garnhum has been at the helm bringing a vibrant energy to the TC stage through his development of new works alongside national and global collaborations. 2011-2012 has been near capacity for every show, attracting more than 10 000 subscribers to its season–a milestone that was once assumed inconcevable for Calgary theatre.

Vertigo Theatre: Whether an adult or a child, Vertigo Theatre hosts something intriguing for you. Through a thirty-year history, this company, located in the base of the Calgary Tower, has been home to a unique dichotomy of performances. To their more than 5200 adult subscribers they offer a strict diet of engaging mystery theatre. And to their youth audiences, they offer the Y Stage. The Y Stage is Calgary only fully professional company providing solely Theatre for Young Audiences. The theatre space also plays host to a myriad of professional and community theatre groups that, among them, proffer a smorgasbord of options and tones of illuminating theatre right in the heart of Calgary.

For more Kids and Grown-up-friendly reading practice, including other “Words to Learn”, keep clicking through our blog posts. We guarantee you’ll learn a word or two, and you might even be inspired to get out and see some of the great performances that are going on around Calgary right now!

HUDSON & HOWARD: As Winnie and Nelson Mandela in new biopic "Winnie"

the celluloid treats selected for the 12^th annual Floating Film Festival. The FFF, launched by TIFF co-founder Dusty Cohl two decades ago and now captained by filmmaker Barry Avrich, embarks on a 10-day Caribbean odyssey on Monday Feb. 27 – the day after the Oscars – on the Seabourn Sojourn. More on FFF 12 as it happens …  Rachel McAdams and her main squeeze Michael Sheen are having a lovely Valentine’s Day, thanks for asking. McAdams’ film with Channing Tatum, The Vow, is number one at the box office, and Sheen is now set to star in the Showtime pilot Masters of Sex …  triumphant trio Russell Braun, Krisztina Szabo and Erin Wall, the three great voices who spark the current,

McADAMS: Happy February

theatrically dazzling Canadian Opera Company production of Love From Afar, won’t be sitting around after the controversial extravaganza closes on Feb. 22. Ms. Szabo is already set to perform with conductor Alex Pauk at the Esprit Orchestra event Gripped By Passion at Koerner Hall on Feb. 26 .And  her co-stars Braun and Wall are set to team up again in Ottawa in a new production of Carmina Burana March 8-9 at the National Arts Centre … and dynamic duo Jay Leno & Madonna teamed up to promote his Tonight Show with a delightfully snappy SuperBowl commercial I finally caught up with yesterday. Did you miss it too? Here it is. Enjoy!

PRESENT LAUGHTER: Montreal’s phenomenal Just For Laughs comedy festival celebrates its 30^th anniversary (!!!) this year July 12-29, after warming up with a six-night stand in Chicago June 12-17 … a new cartoon-for-the-mind

JOHNSTON & MERCER: Rideau Hall playdate

podcast from those wacky Illustrated Men is set in the mythical town of Monogami, Ontario.  In the first episode Sam and Ella Toad move to Monogami to make a new start; some kids out camping spot a UFO; and alien bounty hunters land. Will Sam’s car get towed by zombies? You’ll have to tune in to find out …  stand-up guy Harry Doupe hosts Everyone’s A Winner, the March 9 all-star comedy fundraiser at Second City in support of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League with smile-makers  Sean Cullen, Tim Steeves, Laurie Elliott, Pete Zedlacher and many more … Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are set to play two middle-aged guys starting over as interns at an internet company in the Shawn Levy comedy Interns … and Rick Mercer finally gets a taste of the high life he’s been missing when he hobnobs with new Governor-General David Johnston at Rideau Hall tonight on CBC’s Rick Mercer Report.

McCARTHY & NICHOLSON: on stage in Halifax

FOOTLIGHTS: Stage and screen lioness Sheila McCarthy is back on the boards at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax, garnering glowing notices in Norm Foster’s new comedy Mrs. Parliament’s Night Out with J. D. Nicholson. McCarthy is also set to co-star in  Lost In Yonkers with Linda Kash, David Eisner and Happy Days legend Marion Ross when the Neil Simon classic opens here in May   … Graham Abbey of The Border TV fame

BALABAN: Back at Theatre Passe Muraille

is also collecting kudos for his stage turn with Barry Flatman in the Canadian premiere of Enron, directed by Antoni Cimolino at Theatre Calgary … Divisadero: a performance, adapted by Michael Ondaatje from his Governor General Award-winning novel and directed by Daniel Brooks, is back at Theatre Passe Muraille for a limited run through Sunday Feb. 26. The production reunites the original cast of Liane Balaban, Maggie Huculak, Tom McCamus, Amy Rutherford and Justin Rutledge, who created music specifically for the piece …  and Allan Hawco and Philip Riccio’s ambitious Company Theatre has announced its next production. Speaking In Tongues, by Andrew Bovell, will be directed by Riccio and play the Berkeley Street Theatre Oct. 29-Nov. 24. Will Riccio load the dice with lotsa star power? Stay tuned.

TENNANT: On a MIssion

DEEP FREEZE: Some of our faviourite stars are urging us to come into the cold. And their message is definitely on point. “Come freeze your butt off on February 25, 2012 with Yonge Street Mission on the coldest night of the year! It is a 5k and 10k non-competitive walk in the frigid cold for the hurting, homeless and hungry. Sign up as an individual or a team today. If you can’t join us that night, consider donating!” Sparklies askng us to participate via a very engaging vimeo include Maria Del Mar, Peter Keleghan, Debra McGrath, Patrick McKenna, Mark McKinney, Colin Mochrie, Leah Pinsent, Veronica Tennant and, still wearing his Stephen Leacock moustache, Gordon Pinsent. To see it, just click here.

• Any Gilbert and Sullivan operetta – I love the witty “list songs” like “I’ve Got a Little List”, “A Modern Major General” and “When I Was a Lad”, but for me, if you’ve seen/heard one of these shows/songs, you’ve seen/heard them all. That being said, I am told that some of my songs, namely “Do You Have A Mirror?” (from No Ordinary Tulip) and “What Have You Done?” (from Eve: The True Story) show distinctive G&S influence, so perhaps I don’t hate them as much as I think I do. You tell me
• Cats– I know I’m going to get some (more) hate mail here, but although I love the sets and costumes, I feel there is not enough story line to make this show interesting and most of songs are distinctly unmemorable (no pun intended). But then maybe it’s just that I’m allergic to cats, or to brilliant lines like “So first, your memory I’ll jog, and say a cat is not a dog.” Where is Tim Rice when you need him? More to say about this when I go see it at Theatre Calgary with the Calgary Musicals MeetUp Group in May (still 3 tickets left if you want to join us!)
• Hairspray and Memphis – catchy ‘50’s and 60’s nostalgic music, but these stories of interracial harmony are just a bit too preachy for me. Perhaps not more so than West Side Story, but the characters, stories and music just aren’t nearly as strong. Or maybe, in the case of Hairspray, I just didn’t get the point of John Travolta in drag in the 2007 film (see my comments on Grease in my last post)
• Spamalot– mostly original music, if not skits, and I could see how it would appeal to die-hard Monty Python fans, but for my money I’d rather watch one of their old movies or TV shows
• The Producers – Haven’t seen this but I bought the Broadway show soundtrack when the 2001 stage show won a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards because I wanted to know what the fuss was about. I know the whole point is that they’re trying to produce a flop, but there’s just so much awful music (“Springtime for Hitler” etc.), that I couldn’t bear to listen to it and gave away my CD after a few listens.  It’s a good story, though, and the 1968 (non-musical) film with Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel is worth watching, especially if you’re a Mel Brooks fan

To be fair, I don’t know I would say these are the worst shows ever made. I just picked them because, with the exception of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas which were too early, they all were Tony Award Winners for Best Musical and a lot of people really, really like them, and I don’t think they live up to the hype.

I’m committed to going to see every musical that opens in Calgary in 2012, so I’ll get a chance to challenge some of my prejudices and maybe find some new shows to add to one of my lists. February looks to be a light month for live musical theatre in Calgary, and a good month for cocooning indoors, so maybe I’ll take that opportunity to hunt down some of those movie musicals I haven’t seen (especially the Tony winners) and write about them too.

So, enough about me! What do you think of my lists? What shows are on your lists – and why? Have you ever hated a show you expected to love, or loved a show you expected to hate? I’d love to hear your stories.

Cheers

Lynn

P.S. Thanks to Wikipedia for all the links (what would we do without them)?

The earliest surviving screen adaptation is a short British film from 1901, while the first TV version seems to have been broadcast in 1944. Versions of the story have been told using Disney characters, Sesame Street residents, Bugs Bunny characters and even Mr. Magoo. A Christmas Carol has also been used as a theme on TV shows ranging from The Six Million Dollar Man and WKRP in Cincinnati to Family Ties and The Jetsons.

We’ve also seen the role of Scrooge (or a Scrooge-like character) played or voiced by a myriad of actors over the decades: Orson Wells (CBS radio in 1938), Alec Guinness (BBC radio in 1951), Laurence Oliver (BBC radio in 1953), Albert Finney (in a 1970 film), George C. Scott (for TV in 1984), Bill Murray (in a 1988 film), Patrick Stewart (for TV in 1999), Kelsey Grammer (for TV in 2004) and Jim Carrey (in a 2009 film.)

Stephen Hair as Scrooge in the 2010 Theatre Calgary production of A Christmas Carol.

But for Calgarians, we’re lucky enough to have our own local version of Scrooge. Now 61, actor Stephen Hair was 44 when he played Scrooge for the first time at Theatre Calgary. (He’d had other roles in the show before being cast as Scrooge in 1994.)   Talking to Herald arts writer Stephen Hunt, Hair noted this year’s production is quite different from past shows. “There’s singing throughout,” says Hair.  ”We’ve never had that before. It’s almost non-stop, wonderful music. There is skating, there is flying, there is sword fighting — singing, dancing, snow, ice — it is just a giant, enormous, interesting Christmas future.”  To read a review of the play by Hunt click here.

Stephen Hair as Scrooge in 2009.

Theatre Calgary has been producing the play for 25 years (23 in a row) and over that quarter century, 615,000 theatre-goers have taken in the classic tale. The Herald’s Bob Clark took a look back at a quarter century of Theatre Calgary’s A Christmas Carol. Click here to read the full story.

Stephen Hair as Scrooge in 2006.

Huge kudos to director and adapter Dennis Garnhum, who is becoming a local theatre treasure. (Read an interview with him at the Theatre Calgary website. ) Kudos also go to Theatre Calgary board member Edith Wenzel (President, International Results Group) and Cal Wenzel (Founder/CEO Shane Homes), who stepped up to donate $1 million to help make this latest production occur.

After seeing this new production, I’ve been using one word to describe it — outstanding. The acting is first-rate; the pacing and musical numbers are true crowd pleasers; and, the staging and costumes are  simply superb. If you have a chance to see A Christmas Carol this year (or next, since limited tickets are left for 2011), go! It’s a perfect reminder of the reason why we celebrate this season.

Stephen Hair as Scrooge in 2002.

Stephen Hair as Scrooge in 2000.

Stephen Hair as Scrooge in 1996.

Stephen Hair as Scrooge in 1994.

Stephen Hair as Philip Marlowe in 1992, before he began being cast as Scrooge.

However, there are times when a poignant story can be conveyed without words. Such is the case with Tosca Cafe, the latest production from Theatre Calgary. After seeing the production last night, it became apparent the play is a wonderful example of how stories can be told through dance, music, gestures and actions. Herald Entertainment writer Stephen Hunt had a great review of the play; you can read it by clicking here.

Before the play started, artistic director Dennis Garnhum told the packed house that Theatre Calgary has already exceeded its subscription goal for the season. Congrats to Garnhum and Theatre Calgary president Tom McCabe for meeting this mark. I think Calgary is in for one of its best seasons of theatre.

Taking in Tosca Cafe is also a treat, because we get to see legendary Canadian dancer Rex Harrington take to the stage. Many of us have seen him as a guest judge on So You Think You Dance Canada, but it’s nice to see him bring his charisma and stage appeal to live Calgary audiences. (Watch an interview with Harrington on Theatre Calgary’s site by clicking here.) As Theatre Calgary’s communication guru Christopher Loach notes, it’s great to see Rex’s talents mesh along with those of the rest of the cast. Tosca Cafe is here until Oct. 2.

Former National Ballet of Canada star Rex Harrington as Rudolf Nuryev, in Tosca Cafe at Theatre Calgary

The big show running at Theatre Calgary, Tosca Cafe, represents Rex Harrington’s first major dance gig since retiring from the National Ballet of Canada as star principal dancer six years ago.

Well, okay, not his first gig.

He also had a large role in Alley Cats, The Musical in Vancouver in October 2005 — an original show that, Harrington readily admits, “died instantly.”

“That (Alley Cats) was a whole other experience,” Harrington recalls.

Among the things he realized from taking part in the ill-fated production was that controlling your nerves as a dancer is simply a matter of ‘internalizing’ — far different from trying to control your nerves “when you have to use your breath (sing).”

“The first few times I had to sing onstage, I was, like, ‘Omigod!’ — because it (nervousness) tightens up everything,” Harrington adds, singing a few notes that end in falsetto to illustrate.

“I had a signal (with the actress who played opposite him): I would put my hand in my pocket if I couldn’t hit something, and she’d sing it for me, in the duet,” Harrington says.

“It was a lot of fun. Nerve-wracking, but fun.”

Did he see his turn in Tosca Cafe, where he plays 10 characters in a chronological narrative told through song, acting and movement (reminiscent of The Overcoat), as the start of something new in his post-National career?

He’d probably more than consider it, Harrington says.

“I loved being on TV and doing So You Think You Can Dance Canada (on which he was a guest adjudicator this past season) and being able to be myself in those situations — and I’ve always wanted to have my own talk show, or something like that.

“But I do have a day job (National Ballet artist in residence), and I love doing it.”

Given his interest in musical theatre, and having so recently taken an active role in San Francisco Ballet choreographer Val Caniparoli’s re-shaping and re-working of Tosca Cafe for its Theatre Calgary run, would Harrington himself ever be likely to try his hand at choreographing for either the theatre or ballet stage?

“I’ve never really choreographed,” says Harrington.

“I don’t know whether it’s just fear that’s held me back.

“I have thought about taking part in (National Ballet choreographic) workshops and getting into the studio with some dancers — because I do have ideas.

“But then I’m afraid — because I’ve worked with so many great choreographers, and would I just copy what I know?

“I think unless you have a real idea, then maybe you shouldn’t.”

Harold Pinter’s BETRAYAL

Directed by Richard Rose

March 23rd to April 11, 2010
Times vary and there are weekend matinees.
Max Bell Theatre
at The Epcor Centre for Performing Arts

Emma has had a seven year affair with Jerry, her husband Robert’s best friend. Ingeniously unfolding in reverse, the nine scenes in the play begin at the end of the affair and move backwards to the moment the lovers first share an adulterous kiss. This love triangle reveals that everyone has something to hide and betrayal has more than one price. Poignant, and often bitterly comic, this play highlights the genius one of the world’s greatest modern playwrights.

Theatre Calgary offers solid, reputable and established works by acclaimed playwrights, and brings in leading directors and talent for performances.

TICKETS:
Theatre Calgary Box Office: (403) 294-7447
(Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM MST)
TicketMaster has a full price and date listing, and a map of the Max Bell Theatre, call (403) 299-8888

Writer Bruce Ruddell weaves fantasy with history as he delves into the moral dilemmas faced by the expedition.  The characters have also been fictionalised; Reid is now Max Tomson (Cameron MacDuffee) and Duff is now Lewis Wilson (John Mann).

John Mann and Tom Jackson in Beyond Eden at the Vancouver Playhouse.

Wilson struggles with his desire to preserve the totem poles before they decay and are lost and his respect for the Haida beliefs and traditions.  The mixed-race Tomson is also on his own journey to recognising and reclaiming his heritage.

Mann, of Spirit of the West fame, is in fine form, vocally and dramatically.  Tom Jackson (North of 60) deftly plays the Watchman, a mystical guide intent on protecting the totem poles from Wilson’s interference.  The fallback into over-used stereotypes, which at times threatened to derail the production, is carefully tempered by the beautiful imagery.

There are some stunning visuals on display here, including a sequence of canoe lanterns floating above the heads of the audience, and luminescent totem poles given life as their projected carvings take motion.  Bretta Gerecke’s evocative set involving ramps and angled poles is flawless.

Composer Bill Henderson’s score is serviceable but mostly forgettable.  The use of traditionally-inspired Haida music by Gwaai Edenshaw, however, is seamlessly integrated and rises far above the weaker elements.

There are also some valiant efforts to incorporate basic character development to add some humanity to the history, but these fall way short of their goal.  The subplots involving Wilson’s attempts to reconnect with his son and wife are meandering at best and come off as insincere.  Jennifer Lines’ performance as Wilson’s wife is well-executed, but the character, as written, is superfluous and adds little to the production.

The musical is steeped heavily with both ambition and gravitas, which mostly serve it well.  As a historical narrative, it hits the mark; as a musical, it’s lacking.  Though the script and score could do with a major renovation, overall Beyond Eden is visually and thematically haunting.

The Vancouver Playhouse and Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad in co-production with Theatre Calgary present Beyond Eden from January 16 – February 6, 2010 at the Vancouver Playhouse, Hamilton and Dunsmuir.  Tickets are available online or by phone at 604-873-3311.