Calgary arts groups are sellouts in Ottawa
What do you get when you send shows from the 2012 cultural capital to the national capital? Sellouts. That’s the word from Ottawa, where Theatre Calgary’s sumptuous co-production (along with the National Arts Centre) of Pride and Prejudice opened in Ottawa a couple of weeks back.
The reviews were positive. “Directed by Dennis Garnhum and featuring a large cast, the show moves with elegance, passion and an admirably measured pace,” said Patrick Langston in the Ottawa Citizen. And theatre bigwigs from places like Stratford and Toronto made the trek to see the show and, most tellingly, the National Arts Centre (NAC) was forced to add four additional performances to accommodate demand for tickets.
“I didn’t realize just how beloved Jane Austen is, but I think if the production wasn’t really special, the show wouldn’t take off as it did,” says NAC Englishlanguage artistic director Jillian Keiley, in an email. “However, the show is special and people are really moved by it.
“Co-producing a show with a company like Theatre Calgary,” she adds, “is a great fit for our audience.”
Garnhum, in an email from London, explains that the appeal of Pride and Prejudice is simple.
“This story is about the fundamental need for love,” he says, “with our partners, with our par- ents or with our children. People love to be reminded of, or be in the presence of, love. That, and a pile of great actors who you just adore rather quickly.”
Meanwhile, Thursday night in NAC’s largest theatre space, they’re opening Alberta Ballet’s holiday production of The Nutcracker, prior to it playing the Jubilee Auditorium from Dec. 20 to 24.
For Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre, NAC is turning into a bit of a home away from home: In addition to the Nutcracker, the ballet will be back in 2013 to perform Love Lies Bleeding.
“The NAC has always been the home of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the National (Ballet) and the Grand Ballet Canadien,” says Grande-Maitre, “and the Alberta Ballet has rarely been invited (apart from Alberta Scene in 2005).
“Now,” he adds, “we’re coming back with Loves Lies Bleeding this year, so that’s two visits in the same season, which is extraordinary.”
What is it about The Nutcracker, anyway, that brings audiences back year after year?
“The story is about a girl, which is rare,” Grand-Maitre says. “Something about the hero’s journey for this little girl, in that she faces her fears.
“And because,” he adds, “it’s a beautiful fairy tale, and the music is just extraordinary.”
However, it turns out The Nutcracker resonates for personal reasons with Grand-Maitre.
“I’ve been doing Nutcracker since I was a dancer in school,” he says, “and I’ve done it every year (ever since), because across North America, it’s really the bread and butter (of every professional ballet company.”
And one other thing about doing it at the National Arts Centre.
“It’s my hometown here,” Grand-Maitre says. “I grew up across the river (in Hull, now called Gatineau).
“A lot of family members are coming,” he says. “Aunts and uncles are going to see both Nutcracker and Love Lies Bleeding — (so) yeah, I’m going to be a bit more nervous. Family is unforgiving.”
The fact that two Calgary arts companies are filling seats at the National Arts Centre doesn’t surprise Keiley, a Newfoundland native who was here in the spring directing Oil and Water at the Magnetic North Theatre Festival.
That visit — and another trip to hold auditions for the National Arts Centre — left her with favourable impressions of Calgary’s cultural scene.
“It seems that the best of the performing arts are deeply ensconced in the fabric of the place,” she says.
“You take a place, a building like the Epcor Centre, that can house a sold-out symphony, a standingroom-only puppet show, and international guests lining up at the doors of the High Performance Rodeo all within a few feet, and a few days of each other and you’ve got a breeding ground for something very special.”
Garnhum says the scene at the National Arts Centre before shows was memorable.
“(I) loved being in a building where you would walk by someone holding an instrument, and then see a dancer warming up in the halls,” he says.
“(There was) a great energy and a strong feeling of national pride
having our production there.”
The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra will undoubtedly hit a few holiday notes this weekend when they perform their holiday staples, Handel’s Messiah as well as Sing-Along Messiah.
The performances of Handel’s Messiah (Dec 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m.) will be the CPO conducting debut of Chorus Master Timothy Shantz, where the orchestra will be joined by Calgary Philharmonic Chorus.
Sing-Along Messiah (Dec 9 at 2 p.m.) happens to coincide with World Choral Day, an international choral event, so just imagine one gigantic choir, spanning the planet, all singing the same song that’s not “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke.” Jack Singer Concert Hall will also serve as a drop-off point for the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank, so bring some with you to the show.
LAST CHANCE TO SEE:
The Underpants is a comedy (by Carl Sternheim, adapted by Steve Martin) set in 1912, so where better to stage it than John Snow House, a venue that was built — guess when? — in 1912. The show — which tells the story of a Calgary couple in the early days of the 20th century who go out to go to the Calgary Stampede only to discover that one of them has forgotten their underpants — is being produced by Theatre BSMT. It runs through Dec. 8. Tickets are scarce, but they just added a show Friday night at 10:30 p.m. For more info, go to theatrebsmt.ca or call 403-690-2693.