Saturday, July 23, 2022

My first trip back to the Shaw Festival in 3 years

 Due to the ongoing pandemic and my own personal situation after the loss of Sophie I was reluctant to rush back to live theatre and concerts anytime soon, and when I did I knew I would have to be careful and take it slowly. 

Last season, although I sympathized with live theatre including the Shaw Festival as they struggled to cope with the realities of operating during the pandemic, I knew in my heart I was not emotionally ready to handle that next step in my recovery yet.  Give it another year, I said.  And so I did.

This season most of our major theatre and musical festivals are in full swing or are about to, and people are more than ready to return to what most would consider to be a more 'normal' routine again.  But was I?

The only way to find out was to actually go and experience live theatre again and see how things went, so I did.  My good friends at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake were kind enough to invite me back to review some shows again this season for the first time since the pandemic began, and I was happy to take them up on the offer.

My first show of the season was the big musical at the Festival Theatre this season, the baseball-themed Damn Yankees by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.  The book is by the great George Abbott along with Douglass Wallop, based on Wallop's novel "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant."

Now before I get to the show itself, a word about pandemic protocols.  Most theatre companies, though not all, have relaxed their restrictions regarding vaccinations and mask wearing at this point in the season. In the case of the Shaw Festival there are not obvious restrictions in place, but I chose to go the cautious route and like the staff at the theatre, I was fully masked for the entire performance.  The only time I removed it was while outside at a safe distance during intermission.

Am I overreacting?  I don't think so.  Look, I had people on either side of me, neither wearing masks, and I am not going to ask their vaccination status.  So my only line of defence now along with being fully vaccinated along with two booster shots is to wear the mask.  It is not onerous.  It is not a big deal.  I feel better for doing it.

Okay, enough of that, now on to the show. 

Director Brian Hill has pulled together a superlative cast that works especially well in the ensemble pieces, creating the excitement one would expect from a baseball team on the road to glory.  I found some of the production numbers a little bit long, but overall the show moves at a good pace even though you will be there for two hours and 45 minutes with one intermission.

Damn Yankees tells the story of the sad sack Washington Senators baseball team, watching the hated New York Yankees waltz their way to yet another pennant at the end of the season.  But can they be stopped?

That was the thinking of middle-aged Joe Boyd, a die hard Senators fan who basically thought if there were some way to stop the inevitable from happening, you should at least try it.  Enter Mike Nadajewski as Applegate, the devil in fancy dress who hears Boyd's wish and decides to make Joe an offer he just can't refuse.

You probably know the rest of the story.  Paunchy Joe Boyd, played by Shane Carty, is magically transformed into hot-hitting new baseball phenom Joe Hardy, but of course there is a price to pay.  He has to sell his soul to Applegate do achieve his dream to become a great ball player and that means leaving his loving wife Meg forever.

Sounds complicated but wait.  Joe has remorse during his successful baseball run and wishes to go back to the loving arms of Meg, but Applegate has other ideas.  He employs the services of lovely Lola to tempt Joe to stick with the plan and not return to his wife as Joe Boyd at the agreed-upon cutoff time.

The rest of the story you can figure out for yourself but suffice it to say it plays into the time period in which the musical was written, 1955, and the desire to live the great American Dream.  Dated?  Yeah, a little, but most people in the audience at the performance I attended were quite happy to check their reality at the door and just live the dream along with Joe and to hell with the pandemic, along with those Yankees.

The cast is uniformly good, even with a replacement in the key role of Joe Hardy.  Drew Plummer was still in the role originally featuring James Daley, who has been out for awhile due to an injury.  Plummer actually looks like a more fit and younger Joe Boyd than originally planned with the first casting, but by the time you get to the show later this season I would imagine James Daley would be back in his assigned role if he is not already.

Carty as Joe Boyd is solid; Patty Jamieson as his stalwart wife Meg is very good and consistent throughout.  Kimberley Rampersad sizzles in the role of Lola, having great fun with her signature tune, "Whatever Lola Wants."

But this show belongs to Shaw bright light Mike Nadajewski as the nefarious and aptly-named Applegate. His inflections in his voice just drip of evil at times, and he makes the most of his big showstopper tune in the second act, "Those Were The Good Old Days".  He also has a wardrobe many men - and perhaps women - would kill for!

So, as far as musicals go, does this carry the banner for the Shaw Festival's 60th Anniversary season?  Well I think their 50th Anniversary season fared better with My Fair Lady but hey, given the trials and tribulations of the pandemic, I think it does quite nicely thank you very much.

Damn Yankees is darn good and rates a solid 3 out of 4 stars.  And yes, it's great to be back.

The show continues at the Festival Theatre until October 9th.  For tickets, call the Shaw box office or go to www.shawfest.com.

Have a great weekend!

July 23rd, 2022.

Saturday, July 16, 2022

Summer music festivals are in full swing in Ontario

 I am thinking it is time to try to get back on the so-called horse again and start reporting on the arts, as I have done for many years now in this space.  It has been a difficult process for me as I have written previously, as a lot of things in my life just didn't seem as important anymore once I lost Sophie almost two years ago.  But the desire to write again is slowly coming back, so let's see how this goes...

Thanks to COVID many summer music festivals in the province went virtual the last couple of years, and only this year are starting to come back as in-person events, and it seems the public is ready to take the plunge as well.  Having said that, it is wise to check with your festival prior to booking tickets to get the latest updates on protocols (if any) in place in that particular venue for the date you are going.  

For me, I am taking a gradual, slow approach to returning to the arts this summer, having made two trips to the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake so far this season, wearing my mask the entire time I am in the theatre.  I have had a difficult transition to doing these events alone again, of course, and I will be writing more about that and my return to Shaw in my next report in this space.

Most summer music festivals are either in full swing now or just about to, and I must apologize to my friends at the 2022 Collingwood Summer Music Festival as their events ended last night.  The week long festival is still a young event and will continue to grow in the future but for now, the 2022 edition is now completed and in the books.  My apologies again for not getting to this post before this weekend.

I've chosen three festivals I have grown quite fond of over the years, although one of them I have actually yet to visit.  But the location, in Parry Sound, looks amazing and I always enjoy visiting that part of Ontario, so maybe next year I will be able to pay a visit.

Locally, Music Niagara got their 24th season underway back on June 17th at St. Mark's Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Artistic Director Atis Bankas has assembled a great roster of performers for the remainder of the run, through to August 20th.  Some of the upcoming highlights include a performance of Richard Strauss' 1897 melodrama "Enoch Arden", scored for narrator and piano.  Pianist Victoria Kogan accompanies Shaw Festival Artistic Director Tim Carroll for this performance tomorrow afternoon at 4 in the friendly confines of St. Mark's Church.

Almost all the performances this season are at St. Mark's in fact, with performances continuing July 23rd with a programme entitled "From Pergolesi and Bach to Stravinsky and Part, and July 31st with Portuguese pianist Artur Pereira presenting a programme entitled "A Fresh Look at Beethoven".  

On July 9th a recital was held at Navy Hall featuring Julie Nesrallah and Guy Few, and the Toronto All-Star Big Band will perform August 1st at Club Italia in Niagara Falls.  These were the only two events scheduled this season outside of St. Mark's.

Tickets for any and all of Music Niagara's events are available by going to www.musicniagara.org.

Week Two of the Elora Festival is in full swing and always worth a drive to the picturesque village of Elora, just north of Guelph.  Last evening the Canadian Brass performed in the Gambrel Barn on the outskirts of town, and tonight that venue will be dark as there is a late-breaking concert postponement to report.

Autorickshaw was scheduled to perform with the Penderecki String Quartet and The Elora Singers in a concert entitled "Kaleidoscope" in the Gambrel Barn tonight, but yesterday afternoon I received word the event was postponed.  No specific reason for the delay was given and so far there is no update on if and when the event might be rescheduled.

There are however two smaller events happening today:  "Stars and Heavens" will feature Studio de musique ancienne de Montreal with Artistic Director Andrew McAnerney at St. John's Church this afternoon at 1:30 and a concert entitled "Being Lost" will take place in that same cosy venue this afternoon at 4.  CBC Music host Tom Allen is the narrator and Patricia O'Callaghan is the featured soprano.

Tomorrow afternoon at 4 the Main Stage comes alive again with "Voice of the Weaver", featuring composer Peter-Anthony Togni, poet Mary Louise Martin, bass clarinet soloist Jeff Reilly and The Elora Singers.

Tickets and more information on all Elora Festival events this season can be found at www.elorafestival.ca.

Finally, tomorrow is the first day of the two-week celebration of the arts up in Parry Sound, as the Festival of the Sound gets underway for another season, with most events taking place at the beautiful Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts in Parry Sound.  As I mentioned earlier, next year I hope to finally see that venue up close.

The Opening Concert takes place tomorrow with the Elmer Iseler Singers, followed by an Anniversary Concert July 18th with The Canadian Brass.  Highlights this season include Live on the Sound:  A Floating Festival on the Island Queen and the Jazz Canada Weekend.

For tickets and more information on the Festival of the Sound, go to www.festivalofthesound.ca.

Music is again all around us, so as safely as possible let's get out and enjoy it.  Have a great weekend!

July 16th, 2022.