The 45th season of the Elora Festival set to get underway

For some, the number 45 now has a bad rap.  Unfortunately it is now forever tied to a certain bombastic U.S. Presidential candidate and as such, I rather feel badly for that pair of digits.  Who could blame them for wanting to downgrade or upgrade their stature if at all possible?!

But take heart, dear 45.  You are also associated with not one, not two, but three arts-related anniversaries of note in Ontario this year, and that is truly cause for celebration.  

Both the Festival of the Sound in Parry Sound and Toronto's Elmer Iseler Singers are celebrating their 45th anniversaries this year, as well as my much-loved Elora Festival.  There.  That should put a smile on at least our version of 45's face!

Oddly enough, both the Festival of the Sound and the Elmer Iseler Singers will be joining forces with the Elora Festival for the latter's Closing Gala this season at the spacious Gambrel Barn in the village of Elora on Saturday night, July 20th.  The performance will also feature a host of Canadian classical luminaries such as Russell Braun, Leslie Fagan, Beverley Johnston and the duo piano team of Anagnoson and Kinton.  The forces come together for a suitably bombastic (coincidence?!) performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The 45th season of the Elora Festival kicks off a three-week run at various locations throughout Elora and the surrounding area this coming Friday night, July 5th., also at the Gambrel Barn, with a performance of Haydn's The Creation, an absolute masterpiece for choir and orchestra.  For the opening gala The Elora Singers will be joined by a host of soloists as well as Musicians of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.  It promises to be a wonderful kickoff to the three weeks of music-making in and around Elora.

In between there are performances for most any musical taste, with artists ranging from The King's Singers to Laila Biali.  Performances include everything from a collection of Benjamin Britten's Canticles, Hymns and Folk Songs to music by Faure, Messiaen and of course, J.S. Bach.

One of the Bach concerts will be attended by your humble scribe again this season, and I am grateful for the opportunity once again to attend.  It's at the always-welcoming St. John's Anglican Church in Elora, and is entitled J.S. Bach's Long Walk in the Snow.

CBC Music host Tom Allen leads an afternoon of music, storytelling and history that features such artists as former K-W Symphony Principal harpist Lori Gemmell, vocalist Suba Sankaran, Dylan Bell, and violinist Rebekah Wolkstein.  I attended the Bach recital that featured Tom Allen and friends last season and it was delightful on a Saturday afternoon, so I am happy to return for the encore performance again this season.

The Elora Festival has long been one of my favourite summertime music escapes in Ontario, and this year promises to be no different.  I am looking forward to good food, music and friends all coming together on Saturday afternoon, July 13th at 1:30 pm.

If you're interested in finding out more about the 2024 edition of The Elora Festival, go to their website at www.elorafestival.ca or call the box office at 1-519-846-0331.

For me there is no better way to enjoy a July day in the village of Elora.

Have a great weekend!

June 29th, 2024.

The one show to see at Shaw this season? My Fair Lady!

 The Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake needed a blockbuster musical this season to offset their surprise financial setback after last season.  That sounds like an easy fix, but really it isn't.  As the sole musical on the bill this season and running straight through to December this year, this musical choice had to have legs, as it were, and be about as guaranteed a crowd-pleaser as possible.

Lerner & Loewe's classic from 1956, My Fair Lady, fit the bill perfectly.  Much as it did back in 2011 to celebrate the first 50 years of the Festival and was a huge hit back then as well.  Really, this is the sort of musical goldmine Shaw Festival revels in and can do better than most anyone else around.  So I wouldn't say it's a sure bet, but darn close to it.

The musical, coming during the golden age of big Broadway musicals, is showing its age somewhat after all these years, but it is up to the co-directors Tim Carroll and Kimberley Rampersad to elevate and move the musical forward into the 21st century and bring together a cast able to fulfil that dream.

Here on all counts, I would say it is a job well done.

I won't give away the ending for those few who may not really know the story as of yet (it is based, of course, on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion) but for many it remains problematic, especially in the 21st century.  Still, the original musical changed the ending from Shaw's original intent so in either case it presented problems.

The ending of My Fair Lady has always left me with mixed emotions, even after the stellar 2011 production here at Shaw, but we always have to remember the context of when it was written and first staged and base your observations on that historical fact when revisiting the musical now.

Having said all that, the ride to the end is about as joyful, tuneful and full of masterful performances you just can't help but love this show.  The entire cast and crew shine brightly here and they seem to know they have a box-office winner on their hands.

There's no shortage of accolades to hand out with this strong cast, from David Adams' delightfully 'cocky' Alfred P. Doolittle, Eliza's father, to Shaw veteran Sharry Flett's elegant and refined Mrs. Higgins, Henry's mother of course.  She knows the many shortcomings of her son but knows he is a good man in spite of his intractable demeanour much of the time.

But the two central characters, Eliza Doolittle and her elocution teacher Professor Henry Higgins are what make this production extra special.  Kristi Frank's Eliza is strong-willed with a desire to make more of her life than be a mere flower-girl for the rest of her life, and she sees in Higgins a way out of her squalid conditions.  Her voice shines in every number she sings.

Tom Rooney as Henry Higgins is crafty enough to know he hasn't got the pipes necessary for a full singing role here, so as many who have gone before him including the first Higgins, Rex Harrison, who originated the role on Broadway.  They make this a singing/speaking role and it just works.  But when Rooney does in fact sing, he does not disappoint.  His final scene as he longingly sings "I've Grown Accustomed to her Face" will absolutely pull at your heartstrings.  The old guy has a heart after all!

Along with a strong cast and direction the choreography by Rampersad is bang on, and Paul Sportelli's musical direction works well with the musical forces at his disposal,  I noted a bit of a sound issue in the early going as I sometimes could not hear all the ensemble voices on stage while the orchestra was in full flight but that might be rectified in future performances.

So, should you go?  Absolutely you should!  This is textbook musical done with much love and respect for the original.  It may not appear quite as splashy as the celebratory 2011 production at Shaw, but it is still one for the ages.

My Fair Lady rates a full 4 out of 4 stars and continues at the Festival Theatre through to December 22nd.  For tickets and more information go to Shawfest.com.

Have a great weekend!

June 21st, 2024.