THEATRE NEWS: Doras set for June 27
9 MAY/11

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency

TORONTO - The Toronto theatre community will celebrate its best when the 32nd annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, otherwise known as the Doras, are handed out in ceremonies at the Bluma Appel Theatre, June 27.

According to an announcement Monday from the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, this year’s Dora event, honouring the best of Toronto theatre in the past year, will be hosted by Craig Lauzon and Michaela Washburn, written by Chris Earle and directed by Sandra Lefrançois.

Ceremonies will be preceded by a VIP reception in the lower lobby of the Sony Centre and followed by a street party under the stars in front of the St. Lawrence Centre.

Tickets, priced at $65, are available at 416-366-7723, while VIP tickets are priced at $165 and are available at 416-536-6468, ext. 27. For further info, visit www.tapa.ca.

THEATRE REVIEW:
THE RAILWAY CHILDREN
8 MAY/11

JOHN COULBOURN,
QMI Agency
Rating: 4 out of 5


TORONTO - If you’re the kind who thinks that the trip should be every bit as much an adventure as the departure and arrival, then THE RAILWAY CHILDREN might be just the ticket, if you’re looking for a summer theatre jaunt.


Direct from Britain where it apparently played to enthralled audiences, the York Theatre Royal’s production (in association with the National Railway Museum) of Mike Kenny’s stage adaptation of Edith Nesbit’s THE RAILWAY CHILDREN opened under the big-top of the new Roundhouse Theatre yesterday, offering a round trip ticket to the Victorian era to all comers.


As departures go, this voyage begins in a rather quiet way. Although the extensive cast is fully arrayed in period costume when they first confront their audience, they are very much of today as they do the theatrical equivalent of warm-up exercises, drawing that audience slowly into their sphere and gently leading them on the first step of their voyage. And soon, thanks to the collective efforts of siblings Roberta (Natasha Greenblatt), Peter (Harry Judge) and Phyllis (Kate Besworth), in whose memory that story plays out, we are at home in Victorian London, sharing the upper middle-class existence of a senior civil servant and his family. But not for long, for the children’s beloved father (Richard Sheridan Willis) is suddenly taken away.


The three children are then whisked away to a strange new home in Yorkshire by their mother (Emma Campbell), there to dwell in genteel and anonymous poverty, as the Dreyfus-esque details of their father’s fate are slowly revealed. Turns out however, that Victorian kids were still kids after all, and, after some initial mis-steps with the locals, our threesome is soon in thrall not only to the kind-hearted local station master (Craig Warnock), but to the railway which he serves — the daily London-bound train serving as an imaginary conduit to carry their best wishes to their missing father.


It’s all a sort of steam-driven re-telling of Little Women, complete with stiff upper-lips, life lessons, mysterious foreigners and ripping adventures — and not surprisingly, heroics and heart-warming resolutions ensue. The story moves at an often stately pace, giving an audience plenty of time to appreciate the quality performances of a supporting cast that also includes John Gilbert, Alison Deon (standing in for Laura Schutt), Doug MacLeod and a host of others. As the childish Phyllis, Besworth is a delight, but Judge’s preciousness, masquerading as brattiness, fast wears thin. But that’s only half the story, of course, for this is as much an adventure in stagecraft as it is in storytelling, cooked up by director Damian Cruden and designer Joanna Scotcher. Together, they turn their new tent-theatre and the railway track that runs through it into a slice of industrial age Britain— albeit an industrial age with most of the grit and virtually all of the grime removed.


Complete with an antique steam engine that makes a couple of pivotal appearances and ever-shifting set pieces to keep the story moving , it makes for an experience that might even make you forgive seating that seems to have been borrowed from the immigrant trains that ran across Canada in the same era. So, all aboard — but bring a cushion!

THEATRE REVIEW: ZADIE'S SHOES
7 MAY/11

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Turns out breaking in isn't something reserved exclusively for new shoes. Case in point: ZADIE'S SHOES, a play by Adam Pettle that, a decade ago thrust the then largely unknown Toronto playwright into the limelight when it premièred on the Factory Theatre mainstage.

Directed by Factory's erstwhile artistic director Jackie Maxwell (now happily ensconced as head of the Shaw Festival) and featuring the playwright's thespian brother Jordan opposite the estimable Kelli Fox in the leading roles, it was so well received that it transferred to the Winter Garden Theatre, where it took a stab at a commercial run. And audiences of all ages seemed to enjoy walking in the shoes of a young man who inherited a gambling addiction from his grandfather — a man who, on the eve of his departure from Poland for Canada, lost his shoes in a game of chance.

Now, a decade on, ZADIE'S SHOES are again pacing the stage of the Factory Theatre, this time under the direction of the playwright and his actor/director brother. And based on the final preview performance (on which this review is based) SHOES still has a lot of traction.

In the pivotal role of Benjamin, a man whose familial problem with gambling is exacerbated by a penchant for losing he also inherited from his grandfather, Joe Cobden may lack the easy loopy grace that marked Jordan Pettle's performance, but he brings an off-centre sort of commitment to the role that seems to work almost as well. Cobden is particularly strong in the scenes he shares with Patricia Fagan, cool and elegant in the role of Benjamin's sweetheart Ruth, an ailing woman frustrated over her boyfriend's love of gambling even while she's preparing to to take a major gamble of her own.

Based on minimal local references, the work is set in Toronto in the present day, which proves to be more than enough to make us terribly grateful that designer Jackie Chau didn't choose urban design as her career. A whole city as awkward and uninhabitable as this set would be all but unliveable.

Still, both William MacDonald (as an edgy refugee from the societal underbelly named Bear) and Harry Nelken (as a sometimes profitable prophet named Eli) manage to make it their home, sharing it comfortably with Cobden and Fagan as the story demands. Ultimately, however, the problems with this production are perhaps best defined by the roles of Ruth's sisters, Lily (Shannon Perreault) and Beth (Lisa Ryder), the former gambling on the hereafter and the latter on the here and now.

In both previous productions, these characters, as well as that of Beth's husband, played by Geoffrey Pounsett, seemed two-dimensional, awakened from his imagination only to showcase the playwright's gift for witty repartee. In this production, they seem to fit much better, but that does not mean their characters have acquired depth under the stewardship of the brothers Pettle.

Rather, it underscores the fact that the whole production seems to exist on a much more shallow plane — one created to showcase the writing, rather than the humanity of the story it tells. This time out, ZADIE'S SHOES might be comfortable for walking, but running? Not so much. Perhaps some resouling is in order.

THEATRE REVIEW: BROWN BALLS
5 MAY/11

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency
Rating: 4 out of 5


When it comes right down to it, every one of us has to battle a host of stereotypes if we want to carve out a personal niche as a home for our true self. That said, those who are part of a visual minority face even greater challenges than those of us who represent the various sub-strata of broadly drawn norms, comprised of skin colour, gender, sexuality and a host of other things that should in reality be dismissed as personal modifiers rather than arbiters.

Not surprisingly, those defined almost solely by race often choose to fight back — often from a place of rage, sometimes from a place of sadness but always from a place of humanity. Happily, in celebration of Asian Heritage Month, the folks at fu-Gen Asian Canadian Theatre Company have settled on edgy humour as the tone for their examination and rebuttal of the stereotypes faced by males of Asian extraction in our civilization.

Actually, make that males of East Asian and South East Asian, for as is made abundantly clear in fu-GEN's production of BROWN BALLS, which opened in the Factory Studio Tuesday, the "Asian" label covers a broad spectrum of humanity indeed. So playwright Byron Abalos narrows his focus, choosing to dwell on the experiences of three young Canadian men from diverse Asian backgrounds. Paul Jeong or PJ (played by Sean Baek) traces his roots to Korea, while John Paul Kung or JP (Richard Lee) is of Chinese descent. As for Charles Crawford (David Yee), his background is mixed, son of a Scottish father and a Filipino mother.

After setting the scene with a bizarre and often very funny evocation of the Sunday night rush at the only Chinese eatery in a Jewish 'hood, the trio tackles what is to prove the main course for the evening, taking their audience hostage and serving up a whole plateful of Asian Male stereotypes, most of them shaped by a long and often colour-miscoded relationship with Hollywood.

With Yee doing Charlie Chan, Lee essaying Fu Manchu and Baek covering off on a pantheon of martial arts stars like Bruce Lee, they eviscerate and reconstruct the image of the Asian male in Western civilization in an attempt to redeem it. Under the free-wheeling direction of Nina Lee Aquino, this is an often free form affair with few barriers between the action on stage and the audience. Indeed, as the 85-minute show evolves, the audience becomes a principal player, providing not just statistical fodder for the performers but comedic fodder as well. One might also add that there are definitely no sacred cows here, but then as they clearly point out, that is another part of Asia entirely.

But as its title implies, this is often edgy stuff, as the personality of each of the characters evolves, with Baek staking out turf as the stereotypical young Asian Canadian on the make, Lee, the equally familiar driven-to-succeed Asian Canadian scholar and Yee, the passive Asian American gay man, even as they rail against those stereotypes.

Working on a slick set created by designer Jackie Chau, in a successful creative collaboration with electronic whiz kids Aaron Kelly and Shawn Henry, BROWN BALLS is an often slick and entertaining affair, although in the climactic shift from comedy to drama, a little more care in separating the performer from the performance might be advisable.

Still, it's an an often thought-provoking and almost always entertaining evening, underlining the fact that the best way to debunk stereotypes is to ignore them and make contact with the human who happens to be wearing them.

THEATRE/OPERA NEWS: 'Mormon' tops Tony Award noms; remembering Domini; Actors' Fund benefit; Pieczonka returns
3 MAY/11

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency

While the comedic The Book of Mormon dominated the nominations for the 2011 Tony Awards announced yesterday in New York, there also proved to be a few seriously exciting nominations with a Canadian connection.

That would include at least one of Mormon's 14 nominations, with Nikki M. James, nominated for best supporting actress -- best known to Canadian audiences for her work opposite Christopher Plummer in the Stratford Festival production of Caesar and Cleopatra.

And then there is Brian Bedford's revival of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, which garnered a total of three nominations including best revival, best actor/play (for Bedford's performance as Lady Bracknell) and best costumes for Desmond Heeley, who designed the production in its original Stratford iteration as well.

Other names familiar to Canadian audiences include Winnipeg-born Joshua Henry, nominated for a best actor/musical Tony for his work in The Scottsboro Boys (one of 12 nominations for the musical), in competition with Australia's Tony Sheldon, currently reprising his Toronto-honed performance in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, which earned his nod.

And while there are plenty of other names familiar to Toronto theatre audiences -- everyone from the legendary Vanessa Redgrave, nominated for best actress/play for Driving Miss Daisy and Patty Lupone (supporting actress/musical for Women on the Verge of A Nervous Breakdown) to one-time Dora nominee Norbert Leo Butz (best actor/musical for Catch Me if You Can) and playwright Athol Fugard, who will receive a special lifetime achievement award --  there's also more than a few nominees who will be giving Toronto audiences a look at their work in the year ahead.

Featured in the forthcoming Mirvish season, War Horse, has earned a special Tony Award slated to be awarded to South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, who brought the title character to life on stage. War Horse is also nominated for best play, best direction/play (Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris), best scenery (Rae Smith), best lighting (Paule Constable) and best sound design (Christopher Shutt).

The Tony Awards will take place at the Beacon Theatre in New York on Sunday, June 12.

****

BLYTHE SPIRIT: Actress Domini Blythe, who passed away late last year, will be remembered by family and friends at a memorial to be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 15, in the lobby of the Stratford Festival Theatre. Remarks at 4:30 p.m.

****

ART FOR ARTISTS' SAKE: Nicholas Carrière, J. Anthony Crane and Ben Lipitz -- three actors currently appearing in the touring production of Disney's The Lion King --  will take to the stage of the Factory Theatre on Monday, May 16 to present a single performance of Yasmina Reza's thought-provoking play, Art. Tickets are priced at $25 and all proceeds will go to the Actors Fund of Canada. For tix and further info, call the Factory box office at 416-504-9971 or visit www.factorytheatre.ca

****

ADRIENNE AUF NAXOS, AT LAST: After being sidelined by ill health for Saturday's opening performance of Ariadne auf Naxos at the Four Seasons Centre, local favourite Adrienne Pieczonka was not only recovered but raring to go for the second performance of the Canadian Opera Company's production of the work last night, according to opera sources.




OPERA REVIEW: ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
1 MAY/11

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency
Rating: 4 out of 5

TORONTO - Prevailing wisdom notwithstanding, coalitions are nothing new — even in the world of opera. And for proof, cast an eye and ear to the Four Seasons Centre, where, under the tutelage of the Canadian Opera Company, high art and low comedy have found a way to work together to dominate the stage in a work titled ARIADNE AUF NAXOS — with a little help from composer Richard Strauss and librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal, of course.

On the high art front, it is the story of Ariadne, abandoned wife of the heroic (but caddish) Theseus. Finding herself all alone on the deserted island of Naxos, she takes comfort in the arms of Bacchus, inadvertently setting a pattern of alcohol abuse for spurned lovers throughout history, it seems to me — but we digress.

It’s a touching tale, full of mythical pain, pathos and passion — and a fair bit of high comedy too, thanks to an early sitcom concept cooked up by composer and librettist that results in the tragic opera being invaded during its first performance by a troupe of comedians from the base world of musical comedy. The collision of two worlds is set up in a back-stage prologue, effectively staged in this production from the Welsh National Opera by director Neil Armfield.

Backstage at a private theatre in Vienna, a young composer (mezzo-soprano Alice Coote) prepares to debut a serious new work, but as his cast assembles, it is revealed that they will share the stage with a troupe of music hall comedians engaged to perform directly after them  — a revelation which outrages all involved. But when word comes from the master of the house that, due to time constraints, they are expected to perform simultaneously, things really begin to fall apart. Or at least, that’s how it seems, until the curtain goes up on the second act and artists, high brow and low, get serious about making art.

It’s a delicious conceit, but apparently fate wasn’t content with the twists and turns cooked up by composer and librettist as this work took to the Four Seasons Stage on Saturday. First off, soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, a COC favourite, withdrew from the role of the Prima Donna/Ariadne due to illness, surrendering the stage to soprano Amber Wagner for the opening performance. Hot on the heels of that announcement came word that soprano Jane Archibald, cast as Zerbinetta, was suffering from an infection and begged indulgence from her audience during her performance.

In short, it seemed to be the kind of performance where just about anything could happen — and indeed, it did, at least on the plus side of the ledger. While Toronto opera fans have learned to justifiably treasure Pieczonka’s artistry, one suspects there were few in Saturday’s audience who felt they were making do with second best in Wagner’s touching, vocally thrilling performance opposite the magnificent tenor Richard Margison as Bacchus. And if illness diminished Archibald’s bravura performance as the touchingly madcap Zerbinetta, backed by baritone Peter Barrett, bass Michael Uloth and tenors Christopher Enns and John Easterlin, then one can only conclude that a performance delivered at the peak of health would, quite simply, be one for the ages. And it didn’t stop  there.

With the COC Orchestra under the baton of  Sir Andrew Davis, making a welcome Toronto return, and a supporting cast that also included tenor Roger Honeywell, baritones Adrian Kramer and Doug MacNaughton, mezzo Lauren Segal, bass-baritone Richard Stilwell and sopranos Teiya Kasahara and Simone Osborne, director Armfield and his creative team (including designers Dale Ferguson and Tim Mitchell and choreographer Denni Sayers) came up with a coalition that not only worked, but soared. In the end, it seems, all it takes is a lot of good faith and a willingness to work together.

OPERA REVIEW:
CINDERELLA
(La Cenerentola)
29 APR/11

JOHN COULBOURN,
QMI Agency
Rating: 4 out of 5


TORONTO - First off, and just for the record, it should be stated that this is not Walt Disney’s Cinderella — or even the one that predated it, for that matter. In fact, the Canadian Opera Company’s production of the classic story, titled LA CENERENTOLA, could be said to be something both a lot older and considerably newer than the Cinderella who dwells in today’s public consciousness.


Older, in that it is an opera almost 200 years old, composed by Gioacchino Antonio Rossini around a libretto by Giacomo Ferretti, patterned after a couple of stories that were even older. And newer, in that this co-production of the Houston Grand Opera, Welsh National Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu and Grand Théâtre de Genève sports a highly theatrical Babes-in-Toyland look that might have been achieved had Mondrian, Picasso, Gaudi and a few of their artist friends collaborated on the design of a nursery for a very precocious child hooked on classic Commedia de’Arte.


All of which means the production, currently playing at the Four Seasons Centre, isn’t your mamma’s LA CENERENTOLA — or your daughter’s CINDERELLA, either. But there are things that would be familiar to both camps — things like a tragic title character, sung here by mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong, who survives on the very fringes of familial life, abused by two self-centred sisters, sung by mezzo Rihab Chaieb and soprano Ileana Montalbetti and finding warmth in the ashes of the family hearth. And, of course, all three of them find themselves competing for the hand of a handsome prince, sung by tenor Lawrence Brownlee.


But from there, things take a few unfamiliar turns. The evil stepmother’s gone, replaced in this story by a venal father (bass Donato DiStefano doing a boffo turn in classic buffo tradition), while the role of the fairy godmother has been usurped by a Merlin-esque royal advisor (bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen), who has cooked up a bit of a bait ’n’ switch scheme for the Prince and his valet (baritone Brett Polegato) to ensure the King-in-waiting doesn’t fall prey to some heir-brained scheme cooked up by the likes of Cinderella’s father or her sisters.


Musically, of course, it is a classical treat, with conductor Leonardo Vordoni putting the COC Orchestra through its paces with measured briskness. But from a plot point of view, it might be considered just a trifle short, as composer and librettist come together to demand long segments of the kind of stand-and-deliver staging that could, in the right circumstances, render all but the most musically adoring fans utterly comatose.


But here, director Joan Font brings his background with Spain’s Els Comediants to bear, combining the candy floss colour palette of Joan J. Guillen’s inventive toy-like sets with the sun-drenched lighting of Albert Faura to maximum effect. Font also conspires with choreographer Xevi Dorca to incorporate a troupe of often delightfully entertaining mice to enliven the proceedings when they become mired in the music. They don’t completely solve the problem, but they help.


Vocally, this is a universally impressive cast — and happily, almost everyone seems comfortable enough to have a bit of fun with Font’s admittedly eccentric take on the tale. From a comedic point of view, of course, DiStefano steals the show, but credit must also go to Chaieb and Montalbetti, who, as the evil sisters, refuse to allow massive panniers to turn them into overly upholstered couch potatoes. As the Prince’s valet, Polegato walks a fine line, milking maximum comedy from his role, while never upstaging the quite believable romance developing between the masterful Brownless and the delightfully pragmatic DeShong.


It may not be your mamma’s version of the story, or your daughter’s, but if you’ve got a taste for something a little different, you might want to make this one all your own.