An amazing show and wonderful concert tonight. Music from Dvorak, Bizet, Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and even a John Williams piece from Star Wars: Episode II. The final number of the evening was Ravel's Bolero with an act of strength and balance with two men from Poland. Stunning! Loved the beauty and grace of the gymnast, "Lady in White" and fantastic work by both female and male aerialists. The mime/juggler added some whimsy to the night. So glad to have gone and enjoyed this treat with my friend Jill.
27 January 2011
NEVERMORE: The Imaginary Life & Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe
Just got home from the performance of Nevermore at Vertigo Theatre in partnership with the High Performance Rodeo. Wow!! Okay as Jill said, it isn't necessarily for everyone, and Ingrid was still talking about how good the last show, The 39 Steps, was, but I loved it. If you are a fan of Tim Burton's work, and enjoy live performance and music... (all those things apply for me) then this is one to see. It's certainly dark - no quirky happy ending like Nightmare Before Christmas or calypso dancing to Harry Belafonte to lighten the mood, Edgar's life is quite tragic - although I think the number when he meets his first love - Elmira - was a sweet moment. The six members of the cast were amazing - strong singers all and it really proceeds at a breakneck pace - with pauses only occasionally and definitely for effect. Usually one sentence leads directly into the next - barely a chance to breathe. It was developed and debuted by Catalyst Theatre out of Edmonton as a commissioned work for the Magnetic North Theatre Festival in 2009. Since then it has gone on to performances in Vancouver, Toronto, London and just finished a run in New York. I was glad to find the videos below - no soundtrack available, so this way I can enjoy it again. It runs until February 6 so there is still a chance to catch it here.
Next show - Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None!!
Ran into a friend on the way out and was reminded that The Drowsy Chaperone (NOT Drowning as I misquoted - too much of the macabre still lingering?) is coming up at Theatre Calgary. Anyone want to catch that with me??
