Today family and friends would normally be celebrating another birthday for my sister Suzanne (she would have been 58 today), but that is tempered by preparing to mark the 1st anniversary of her passing in a little over a month from this otherwise annual cause for celebration.

Hard to believe so much time has gone by already, and yet in many cases the work on her legacy and memory is not only still ongoing, it is barely getting started. 

Her Suzanne St.Yves Amani Peace Prize was topped up late last year to allow that initiative to continue.

She left me a lifetime of personal journals and writings that make my own output seem tinier by comparison, and my hope is that will find the light of day along with her photography work.  

She had left a request asking me not to allow her Facebook page to become a tribute space, but I am inclined to use that space to keep those close to her aware of the progress on anything related, as her reach was literally around the world.

So, just a short note to say there will be more to come from Suzanne, while she didn't get to be here as long as we all would have preferred, I think she will continue to affect people in teh ways only she seemed capable of.

 

A Gentleman's Guide To Love & Murder, Stage West Calgary

A Gentleman’s Guide To Love & Murder
Stage West Calgary
runs to June 23

5 out of 5 stars

Scoring the Canadian premiere of Robert L. Freedman & Steven Lutvak’s Tony Award-winning “A Gentleman’s Guide To Love & Murder”,  Stage West Calgary left nothing to chance. A top-shelf cast, a keenly sharp house band, and a returning solid gold director at the helm make this one of the best bets that you’ll leave at the end with a broad smile on your face.

Of course, the writing helps immensely, as the story and songs allow each actor to propel both the story-line and the assorted characters along to an ending with a hilarious twist. The entire production is truly tongue-in-cheek but in a way that allows the audience in on the jokes, and possibly even rooting for a happy ending for a goodnatured murderer. I guess all those TV anti-hero hits over the past decade or so have leavened our senses, or the humour is just that strong.

As is the case with this blog review, I’ll be leaving much out to have appear in my official Calgary Herald review, which should come out over the next week. That said, I can give you some highlights and high points.

In the case of this production, we are forewarned at the start by a chorus of mourners to leave while we still can, given the gory proceedings about to be shared. well, as gory as a comedy will afford, and none actually seen on stage…

In a nutshell, which is kind-of what the retro footlights onstage look like, our “hero” is Montague “Monty” Navarro (Sayer Roberts), who discovers that he comes from a far more prominent bloodline than the one has been forced to live out his entire young life. His mother was a D’Ysquith before she was cast out for marrying beneath her own rank, so in a dizzying round of information from Miss Shingle (Elizabeth Stepkowski-Tarhan) Monty must wrap around the news that he is in line to become an earl, should the multitude of other D’Ysquiths depart this mortal coil ahead of him. 

As you may imagine, the temptation to escalate that opportunity offsets the ethical merits of enabling those demises, and Monty begins to eliminate his relatives in a series of seemingly accidental deaths.

Man, it’s hard to hold back given how good all this is, so maybe I had better utilize point form to hit on a few highlights before I wrap this up:

* Roberts is a talent, with his ability to convey the transformation from the innocent youth into the scheming murderer. Great vocalist as well.
* Elizabeth Stepkowski-Tarhan always delivers, and in this case she plays a somewhat minor role that may or may not be so minor.
* Kate Blackburn is Sibella Hallward, a schemer in her own right that loves Monty but won’t marry a poverty-stricken sort. What a stellar voice - perfectly suited for this genre of musical theatre.
* Ellen Denny plays Phoebe D’Ysquith, Monty’s betrothed once he moves upward towards his place in the D’Ysquith standings. Another astounding singer.
* Tyler Murree plays most members of the D’Ysquith family, and I can’t say that restricts him to male roles. Absolutely a standout on every level here. 
* Mark Bellamy & Konrad Pluta as director and musical director respectively - each one producing exceptional results.

This may be the longest short review I’ve ever given - all I can say is that the Calgary Herald review is longer, and more informative. I’ll add a link once that is live online to share.

Photos courtesy of Stage West Calgary, John Watson Photography.

Drinking Habits 2 Caught In The Act

 Drinking Habits 2 Caught In The Act

at Stage West Calgary to April 14
2.5 out of 5 stars

Photos courtesy Stage West Calgary

I really expected to be writing an entirely different review today, given how much I LOVED Drinking Habits back in 2017 (see review posted in at the end). 

That first production was a terrific farce blessed with frantic plot twists, fantastic actors, and above all, tight comedy that worked to great effect. The sequel falls quite a bit short in recreating all of those elements.

Drinking Habits 2 Caught In The Act actually feels a bit like the writer picked up fragments from a discount comedy bin to weave the fabrics together, but couldn’t quite complete a whole cloth from the effort.

Photos courtesy Stage West Calgary

I do have to keep something aside for the official forthcoming Calgary Herald review, but let’s see what might have been missing from this production:

Director - no, that is still the acclaimed and highly competent J. Sean Elliott, who I have complimented here frequently before, especially when it comes to farces. He certainly keeps things moving, and was able to cast this outing with the original actors from the prior production, but the comedy seems to be stretching much too thinly. For example, the hypnosis bit that telegraphs obvious outcomes was old back when Bugs Bunny was pulling it on Saturday morning cartoons, 40+ years ago.

Cast - no, as I mentioned a moment ago, there is a lifeboat full of highly talented actors on this wayward raft. Jeremy LaPalme (Paul) and Charlie Gould (Sally) are the unrequited lovers torn between career paths and marital bliss. Luc Trottier (George) and Kate Madden (Kate) liven the proceedings up as a couple about to enter parenthood, notwithstanding participating in a hastily crafted fundraising event to save an orphanage. 

As the Mother Superior and The Sisters Of Perpetual Sewing, Elinor Holt, Esther Purves-Smith and Natascha Girgis are tasked with underpinning the comedic moments - mostly to good effect, but in Girgis’ case she has a scene-stealing moment that is the sole great comedic moment. And Robert Klein as Father Chenille returns, but this time balances hopeful retirement with a budding career as a magician for that aforementioned fundraiser. 

For the most part, these are all likeable characters, even if sometimes just a slight step aside from caricature. 

Writing - herein lies the rub in this outing. Confusing even after a recap of the first production to get started, overdone for much of the early proceedings, there are only hints of the comedy that buoyed Drinking Habits. I don’t know if it was too much ambition in commandeering a credible storyline with the same characters, or just a mish-mash of comedic features that didn’t mesh this time around, but the laughs were clearly hard won.

For a facility that often meets or surpasses with sequels, this was a rare miss. I’ll post a link to the full review when The Calgary Herald goes live online.

Photos courtesy Stage West Calgary

Drinking Habits 2 Caught In The Act

at Stage West Calgary to April 14

Calgary Herald review of "Drinking Habits"

Photo courtesy Son Of Town Hall

My audio podcast interview with Son Of Town Hall

Had an absolute blast chatting up the gentlemen from Son Of Town Hall, my first ever live three-way. Interview.

While one was in the U.S. (presumably his home in Texas, the other was in London, while I anguished over the magic of the technology that is Google Hangouts. All went well, and the accompanying interivew can be found here:

Son Of Town Hall 

David Berkeley and Ben Parker are a captivating blend of showmanship and craftsmanship, featuring sharp songwriting skills and harmonies that only enhance each other's outstanding vocal abilities. Their senses of humour are also razor sharp...

Give the episode a listen, either from that link, or DL it for free from iTunes, ThatDanGuy's Podcast!

Son Of Town Hall   

My conversation with Troy Kokol of Calgary Songsmiths

Logo courtesy of Calgary Songsmiths

I've been pretty remiss for some time now with this site, after getting a little lost in where my writing career was going to.

I'm going to try and get better with where I used to be in this space, moving forward.

To kick things off, check out my conversation with singer and songwriter Troy Kokol, a principal with Calgary Songsmiths (visit their Facebook group page to get all the details), and learn about this amazing resource for songwriters here in Calgary!

Troy Kokol of Calgary Songsmiths