The Show Must Go On in Niagara Falls!

Often I write about events happening at higher-profile venues such as the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts, both in downtown St. Catharines, or the Shaw and Stratford Festivals in the summer months.  But there are lots of smaller-scale community groups and professional dinner-theatre venues putting on shows on a regular basis too.  The problem is, they sometimes get overlooked in favour of the bigger events and venues.

So this weekend I want to pay tribute to a long-standing theatre tradition based in Niagara Falls that has literally been packing them in for nightly dinner shows for years, and perhaps overlooked by some as being "too touristy for me".  The truth is, it provides an exceptional venue for young, up-and-coming musical performers and an exceptional value for their patrons.

I'm talking, of course, of Oh Canada Eh? on Lundy's Lane, founded and co-owned by Jim Cooper and Anne Robinson.  My far better half and I have ventured down to catch a few shows there over the years, and have always been impressed both with the show and the dinner provided.  Our most recent trip, this past Monday evening, was a perfect case in point.

We had heard of their new show, literally titled The Show Must Go On, featuring music of the 60s and 70s.  Since Sophie is a big fan of music of that era she was excited to invite a couple of friends and we made it a foursome for dinner and the show.

The show is written and directed by Lee Siegel, a musical child of that era who has extensive theatrical experience both locally and beyond, including the Stratford Festival.  In his program notes, he warns patrons this show is unlike any other they have seen at the venerable log cabin and he's right.  It is louder, showier, and edgier than we've seen in the past, introducing several new performers to the Oh Canada Eh family in the process.

At first blush you might be surprised at some of the musical content presented in medley form, as there is certainly some riskier material than we've seen in the past.  But looking at the audience at the performance we attended Monday night, not a single person didn't know most if not all of the songs on the programme and some even moved with the music while seated at their tables.

That's the whole idea, of course.  Keep it interesting but be sure to present a crowd-pleasing show.  This Siegel achieves effortlessly, stringing together hits ranging from Tears of a Clown, He's So Fine, War, When a Man Loves a Woman, Freebird, Spinning Wheel and a host of others.  He also designed the lighting for the show which works particularly well in the compact space of the dinner theatre.

You can pack as many great songs as you can into a show and it can still fall flat if you don't have the right cast to execute your plan but again, Siegel has scored a winner with this young, knowledgeable and energetic team of performers.  True, most if not all of them were not even born when much of this music was first popular, but we've all grown up with it all around us so it is unlikely any of it is the least bit unfamiliar to this cast.

We only know the first names of the singers, Alexandra, Alex, Ann-Marie, Andrew, Mason and Melissa, but many are known in the community for their other work over the years.  All of them imbued their solo numbers with a lot of feeling and worked well together on the ensemble pieces, but the biggest standout in the cast, I think, is Ann-Marie, who gets the show rolling with a circus-themed medley of The Show Must Go On.

The performers are backed by a small but talented group of musicians:  Jake Zapotoczny or Rob Kilian on piano, Adrian Juras or Nick Stevens on bass, Thomas Reid on drums and Bryce Moore or Brad Krauss on guitar.  They even get their shot at the solo spotlight in the show as well.

Audience participation is carefully grafted into the show too, so be careful where you choose to sit if you would rather not find yourself the subject of one of the songs in the show, for example.

On the subject of seating, if you have never been keep in mind the best value for sitting close enough but just far enough away is what's called Maple Leaf seating, which we always choose.  The dinner is served family style so be sure to greet your table-mates upon arrival as you will be passing things around before the show starts.

The dinner is basic but exceptionally well-presented and the service is very efficient.  It is amazing they can produce the quality of dinner they do for such a large crowd on time every night, no matter what.  You usually have your choice of several meat dishes along with potato and vegetable, with dessert and coffee or tea available during the intermission break.  If you have dietary restrictions they appear to have no problem fulfilling those, too.  Sophie, for example is vegan and she finds their alternate dish for her much to her liking so she doesn't feel singled out at all.

Many of the performers actually work as servers before the show starts so it is important to keep in mind they are working extremely hard for your enjoyment both on stage and off, so keep that in mind and tip appropriately, please.

This latest show at Oh Canada Eh runs until April 14th, six nights a week, so there is still plenty of time left to book a night.  It is certainly one of the best shows they've done and worth your time if you want to return again or if you've never been to the theatre before.

For package pricing simply go to the Oh Canada Eh website where you can book your tickets online. It is all pretty effortless.

Have a great weekend!

March 17th, 2018.