I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE!

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now CHANGE!

Opens June 17th at the Catalyst Theatre.

A humorous music look at relationships, from first-date-from-hell to love after being widowed.

This is a fantastic show -- hilarious at times, and poignant and moving at others. Beautifully performed by a superb cast, this show is guaranteed to have you laughing and crying. You're sure to recognize your friends, your spouse, possibly even yourself...

Tickets available at Tix on the Square: http://www.tixonthesquare.ca/event/detail/1974/

See you there!

Give Peas a Chance

Even though it feels like summer already, it is officially spring. And what a busy spring it will be:

First up is Give Peas a Chance, the latest cabaret offering from the Three Peas. We perform April 23rd & 24th at the Catalyst Theatre. Show time is 8:00 pm, tickets at Tix on the Square, or at the door (cash only at the door). This year's show features music from Jacques Brel, Stephen Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, Kander & Ebb, Ashman & Menken, Goldrich & Heisler, Noel Coward and others. The show is sounding SUPERB -- hope to see you all there!!!

Next, also at the Catalyst Theatre is I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. Presented by ELOPE Musical Theatre, this is a delightfully witty show about the good, the bad and the downright hilarious aspects of dating and relationships. Performs June 17, 18 19,24, 25, 26.

Finally, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is cast and starting rehearsals. Walterdale Playhouse presents this as it's final production of the season -- performs July 7-17.

See you at the theatre!

Happy 2010!!

It's a new year and a new decade, and with it comes a very busy performance season.

First up is Jaimi and Evan's Inaugural Cabaret. Jaimi Reese and Evan Westfal will be performing at the Upper Crust Cafe, January 31st, and I will be assisting on piano. The evening will be a mix of pop tunes, jazz standards and show tunes. Be sure to come out and support young talent.

The Three Peas return to the stage in April. We will be raising the roof at the Catalyst Theatre, April 23 & 24. The set list is again fantastically diverse, and will include music from Goldrich & Heisler, Kander & Ebb, Noel Coward, Frank Loesser, Leonard Bernstein and others. Ticket details will be available soon -- tickets will, as always, be available at Tix on the Square.

ELOPE presents I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at the Catalyst Theatre, in June. This is a delightful look at modern relationships, from first dates through marriage, children and love in later years. Audition information will be available shortly.

Finally,The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas will romp and stomp across the Walterdale Theatre stage in July. A very entertaining show with a cast of quirky characters, toe-tapping music , and a football sequence to rival "Glee". Don't miss it!

I guess I have a few tunes to practice... better get to it. See you all at the theatre -- I'll be the one at the piano!

Projects, projects, projects....

Thanks to all of you who came out to see "Sweeney Todd". The cast, crew and orchestra had a great time, and we were all pleased to be able to share it with so many people.

Now that I remember how to play the violin, I will be continuing to do so for the next couple of months. I will be playing in the orchestra for Festival Place's production on "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". This is a great, fun show for families and people of all ages. Details at www.festivalplace.ab.ca.

The new year brings lots of excitement:

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change is ELOPE's spring production, and I am thrilled to be working as Musical Director on this show. It is a delightful show about relationships -- the good, the bad and the embarassing! The show is full of great songs, and should be very entertaining. Audition details will be available here later.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is Walterdale's summer show. Auditions for this show will be held in April, and it needs a big cast -- lots of great music for adults of all ages.

Give Peas a Chance is the 6th appearance by the Peas -- Judy McFerran, Timothy Anderson, and me at the piano (and occasionally singing!). We will be in a new venue, and will bring some fantastic new tunes. Performs in April; full details soon.

In the meantime, make sure you check out some excellent theatre in the greater Edmonton area, including "Oleana" at Festival Place, "Steel Magnolias" at Horizon Stage, and "Lend Me a Tenor" at Walterdale Theatre.

"Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd..."

Well, I have dusted off the ol' axe, and will be playing some serious 2nd violin for Sweeney Todd, presented by Two One Way Tickets to Broadway. Show runs Oct 28-31 at the Stanley Milner Library Theatre, tickets at Tix on the Square. The cast is full of outstanding singers -- be sure to catch the show if you can.

Meanwhile, the spring is shaping up to be a very busy season. The Peas will likely be performing again in April -- watch this space for details. "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" runs at the Walterdale in July, and in between, there will likely be some other stuff to keep my little fingers busy. Wouldn't want to get bored, after all...

Have a fantastic fall, and watch out for crazy barbers and pie-makers!

Fall 2009 -- Is it here already?

The season has begun, just as we are finally enjoying summer... oh well, welcome to Alberta!

This fall sees me bit less busy than usual, but the spring will more than make up for it, have no fear.

Long on the horizon is "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" for the Walterdale Theatre. It performs in July, auditions in April, but my prep has already begun. I spent most of the Folk Festival seeking out southern American music, to immerse myself in its sound. (by the way, while doing this "research", I discovered a FANTASTIC Cajun group called The Pine Leaf Boys. They are also doing a show at the Arden Theatre later this year -- they are a lot of fun, check them out!). I will spend the next months listening to a lot of old-fashioned southern country and gospel -- aah, those sweet harmonies! Fun, fun music.

The Peas are planning to perform next in early 2010, schedules and venues permitting. Watch this space for updates on "Give Peas a Chance" (Timothy loves the title so much, we have to let him use it!)

In the meantime, be sure to catch the work of some good friends:

Sweeney Todd (Stanley Milner Library -- October)
Oleanna (Festival Place -- November)
Steel Magnolias (Horizon Stage -- November)

Work on the Gershwin CD is nearly finished, and Martin Galba and I will be holding the CD launch sometime after he is done with Sweeney.

On a non-musical note, I will be running my first 5KM race on September 20th. My training is going very well, and I am posting good times right now. (not quite as fast as Usian Bolt, but his stride is a bit bigger than mine, ha ha!). I am really excited about running in an actual timed race!

Wishing you all a very happy and productive fall!

Revolutionary Fringe Picks!

The Fringe Festival is getting ready to Stage a Revolution! Get it? “Stage”?? Plays – on the stage??? Cool, eh…Anyways, here’s what you’ve been waiting for: your guide to the revolution. Man your barricades, let’s get busy with some serious theatre.

Since it is a revolutionary theme, one would expect to see some cutting edge works and topics, and this year should not disappoint. There are works about Louis Riel, a Canadian revolutionary if ever there was one (“The Seven Lives of Louis Riel”), as well as a musical telling the story of St Joan (“Saint Joan and Me”). There are works about George Orwell, who wrote on revolutionary themes (“George Orwell Is Not My Real Name”), and a new staging of the ancient play “Lysistrata”, which tells of a revolutionary approach to the end of war. We have early plays by the late Harold Pinter, who revolutionized modern English theatre (“Pinter’s Briefs”), and of course, a couple of interpretations of Shakespeare (“The Secret Love Life of Ophelia”; “Full of Sound and Fury”). We have Pulitzer-nominated drama from Jon Marans (“Old Wicked Songs”), and a unique collaboration from Pulitzer-winner Sam Shepard and Patti Smith (“Cowboy Mouth”).

Some of my favourite overseas performers have returned this year: Kevin Williamson, Marcus Fernando, and Erik deWaal are all masters at their craft. These men all show you how it should be done, Between them, they appear in 5 productions (“Pinter’s Briefs”, “George Orwell is Not My Real Name”, “Red Wine & Canvas”, “Full of Sound and Fury”, and “Blue is the Water”). Be sure to catch at least one.

For those of you longing for more B-Movie-style theatre, this is your year. We have not one but TWO zombie plays (“Captain Hook vs. The Zombies”; “For the Love of a Zombie”), Sci-fi sounding titles (“She Came From Planet X”, “Adventures in X-Ray Theatre”, and the grand-daddy of them all – “The Rocky Horror Show”. Cheese galore – fantastic!!!

Curiously, the human body seems to figures prominently in a number of this year’s offerings: “Tasha Diamant’s Human Body Project”, “Never Trust a Naked Marriage Counsellor”, "Full Frontal Nudity" , "Cadaver", and numerous others. Must be something in the water this year.

For all you hippies out there, we have a John Denver retrospective in “John Denver: Rocky Mountain Memories”, and “Transcanada ’69”, which pays homage to the music of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, et al. Bring your headband and your guitar.

This year is full of opportunities to see new works by local playwrights. From veterans such as Stewart Lemoine, Chris Craddock and David Belke, to playwrights you may never have heard of, but have talent oozing out of every pore, there is no excuse to not support our outstanding local talent. Edmonton is a hotbed of quality writing for the theatre – check it out. Go see something new.

For myself, my personal “don’t miss” list includes “Jack and Jill Deconstruct”, “The Year of Magical Thinking”, “Cabaret Terrarium” and “The Snow Queen”, among others. And who knows what the surprise find of the Fringe will be – we’ll find out sometime in the next week.

And, as you know, I offer this list only as a guide through the many offerings at the Fringe -- I don’t normally “plug” shows. I will make something of an exception this year, however. “From Something” will not appear in your guide, as it is a last-minute replacement for “The Particulars”. The show is written and directed by Kristen Finlay, and stars Joyce LaBriola, Julie Sinclair and Anne Marie Szucs. All are outstanding performers, but this show does not have the benefit of placement in the Fringe guide. Check it out, mention it to friends, and let’s give these artists the audience they deserve. (Remember, they are replacing “The Particulars” – so make the change in your program now – I’ll wait while you get a pen...)

So, go and see as many shows as you can. Ask other patrons what they recommend. If you see an artist whose show you enjoyed, tell them, and spread the word to others. Remind your friends and colleagues that going to the Fringe and not seeing a show is like going to taste of Edmonton and not eating, or going to the Folk Festival and leaving before the music starts. IT’S A THEATRE FESTIVAL – GO SEE A PLAY!!!

AND LET’S SELL MORE TICKETS THAN WINNIPEG THIS YEAR!!!! Honestly folks, it’s embarrassing that we’re being beaten by Winnipeg…. Do your part for the cause.See you at the Fringe!