Volume 29 Issue 5 | April & May 2024

MUSIC THEATRE BRUCE

MUSIC THEATRE BRUCE ZINGER Soprano Meghan Lindsay and Atelier Ballet artist Eric César de Mello da Silva in All is Love SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT and a toast to new creation and Gracias a la Vida (curated by Patricia O’Callaghan) programs in the pandemic.” Beckwith teaches music at the secondary school level and adds that he plans to bring his students to Matthias Goerne’ and Evgeny Kissin’s performance of Dichterliebe this month (April 21, Roy Thomson Hall). “The students in the voice program love art songs and often juxtapose them with musical theatre songs, which are often not dissimilar in their story-telling arcs.” With innovative productions like the Confluence show leading the way to spark interest, and the openheartedness of young singers, art song might once again take centre stage for more listeners. As Beckwith says, “Art songs endure because they are tiny perfect gems and poignantly marry words and music. We look forward to Teiya Kasahara’s re-envisioning of Schumann’s Dichterliebe with a goal towards de-mystifying and further popularizing what is in essence a very accessible, moving, timeless and entertaining art form.” Elsewhere: Some other recent and current performances offering insights into art song include Opera Atelier’s upcoming All Is Love, showcasing Measha Brueggergosman-Lee and including Reynaldo Hahn’s setting of Verlaine’s L’heure Exquise; and the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, just before this issue went to press, presenting Franz Schubert’s song cycle Winterreisse in a new arrangement for choir, baritone Brett Polegato, and piano. This past March, in a clever contemporary turn, Nathan Keoughan and pianist/composer Peter Tiefenbach performed Tiefenbach’s dramatic and humorous cycle, The Long Walk Home, as part of Against the Grain Theatre’s Opera pub at The Drake Hotel. Jokingly referred to as “Die Tinderreise”, this original song cycle with text by James Ostime tells the story of a man’s one-night journey, echoing cycles such as Winterreise but including contemporary details. Listing details: Confluence Concerts. Dichterliebe: Whose Love? Teiya Kasahara 笠 原 貞 野 , vocalist; David Eliakis, piano. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. May 3 and 4, 7:30, with pre-concert chat at 6:45pm. Tickets: www.bemusednetwork.com/events. . Stephanie Conn is an ethnomusicologist, writer/editor, and former producer for CBC Radio. A member of the ensemble Puirt a Baroque, she has also sung with Tafelmusik and other period ensembles, and is active as a traditional Gaelic singer and piano accompanist in Cape Breton. Her podcast “Friend of a Friend” can be heard at https://meezstephanie.substack.com JENNIFER PARR For months there has been speculation, in “the business” and out, about what the unannounced “secret” seventh show of the upcoming 2024/2025 Mirvish season might be. Possibilities mooted have included Beetlejuice and MJ: the musical among others. The real news is much more exciting. It has just been announced (March 19) that this “secret show” will actually be a remount (or rather a newly enhanced version) of the hit Canadian premiere production of Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, currently finishing a triumphant and record breaking 16-week run at Streetcar Crow’s Nest in Toronto’s east end. I have been a champion of this production from very early in the process, interviewing director Chris Abraham (Dec/ Broadway Classics arranged/directed by Charles Cozens featuring Jeff Madden Stephanie Brandt Ella Boich ISABEL BADER THEATER MAY 11 8 PM 18 | April & May 2024 thewholenote.com

The cast of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 Jan issue) after a visit to early rehearsals where the chemistry of creative team, cast and musicians was boldly on display. When I saw the show for the third time a week ago I saw a production at its peak: the story telling clear as a bell, the ensemble of performers a thrilling display of world class Canadian musical theatre talent led by Hailey Gillis as a luminous Natasha and Evan Buliung as a tormented Pierre. Director Chris Abraham, choreographer Ray Hogg, music director Ryan deSouza and the superb design team have given us a fully realized world that immerses the audience in a decadent recreation of 1812 Russia that is both true to the period and radically contemporary. Audiences hungry for exciting musical theatre have been flocking to Crow’s to experience this production that could easily have run for much longer if the space had been available. How perfect, then, that Mirvish should pick it up, giving Great Comet a chance to prolong its life and reach even more new audiences. George Krissa (Anatole) & Hailey Gillis (Natasha) Championing Canadian musical creation is something that one always wishes top-flight producers will do, and Mirvish Productions are no strangers to the role, having helped to shepherd three shows that started off as experiments in much smaller spaces into being monster hits: Two Pianos Four Hands, Drowsy Chaperone, and Come From Away. PHOTOS: DAHLIA KATZ GRANDMA’S SHAWL Experience a poignant musical journey intertwining Ukrainian and Indigenous cultures, celebrating unity, resilience, and the enduring bond of women. ARTISTS Music Director / Soprano Natalya Gennadi Mezzo-Soprano Kristine Dandavino Piano Jo Greenaway Violin Oleksandra Fedyshyn REDWOOD THEATRE MAY 4, 2024 7:30pm SOUNDSTREAMS.CA The Michael and Sonja Koerner Charitable Foundation The Mary-Margaret Webb Foundation Epstein Family Trust The JB JB Doherty Family Foundation The Anne-Marie H. H. Applin Foundation thewholenote.com April & May 2024 | 19