June, 2004 - Nr. 6
KW & Beyond
by Irena Syrokomla
Strawberries in January
at Theatre & Company
This is the last play of the 2003/04 season at the Kitchener downtown theatre. This time it is a light and charming comedy written Evelyne de la Cheneliere, a Quebec playwright, premiered in Montreal in 2002. It is well-translated into easy flowing colloquial English and well acted by actors already known to us: Mike Peng, Andrew Lakin and Alison Jutzi. A new face is Heather Goodwin, this is her first very fresh appearance with Theatre & Company.
The play is very entertaining, light, and reflecting so many aspects of modern life, individuals engrossed in their own dreams and wishful thinking, thus not recognizing the meaning of events occurring around them, and missing the obvious signs and opportunities. It is a story of four young people looking for love, wishing for it, looking somewhere far away and not seeing the signs of it waiting to be picked up just near by. At the end all falls into place, of course.
The programs for the play contained information on the fall season – Stuart Scadron-Wattles, the Artistic Director is giving us some more plays to look forward to. In September there will be a light play based on Greek myths Metamorphoses, followed by a classic Christmas play for all ages based on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. In the middle of winter in February there is Mary’s Wedding, the winner of the 2002 Betty Mitchell Award and written by Calgary playwright Stephen Massicotte. The Walk in the Woods is especially worth looking forward to, a story of a Russian and an American arms negotiators coming to grips with their frustration and inability to reach a workable compromise of making peace. At the end of next spring there is going to be a cottage country based play Lake Nora Arms, something to start the summer and join the cavalcades of cars rushing away from the cities to the cottage every weekend.
The subscriptions are $140 for 5 plays, call 519-571-0928, fax 519-571-9051 or visit the web page www.theatreandcompany.org (oh my, what would we do without web pages, internet and e-mail!).
Meanwhile, the summer is upon us, with summer theatres,
concerts, Shaw and Stratford in full swing. I will be happy to let you know
what is happening there in the next issue. Have a great summer!
Grand River Baroque Festival
For the third year I look forward to The Grand River Baroque Festival. James Mason and Julie Baumgartel, the Artistic Directors, are as always in charge and thank heavens for that. It is again at the Buehlow Farm at the south end of Trussler Road close to the 401. As I remember and anticipate, the farm is going to be enveloped in blooming perennials. It is scheduled as usual for the beginning of July, opening concert is July 1, Thursday evening is going to be all six of J.S.Bach’s Branderburg Concertos, I can’t wait for this evening. On Friday and Saturday there is more of Bach, Oboe Concerto in F Major, Concerto for Three Violins and other period composers following: Scarlatti and Biber. Of course the tradition of serving appetizers and drinks served will be continued, and I assume the quality of such will be of equally high standards as it has been in the past. Laura Pudwell, Monica Whicher, Michael Colivin and Daniel Lichti will be singing as usual. The quality of musicians and singers is professional and admirable. It is a joy for your ears and for your soul, believe me, I know!
The theme for this year is passion, murder and revenge. The concert on Saturday at 3 pm will be "Murder al la Baroque" and Colin Fox will comment on composers who wrote about murder.
At 5:45 pm there will be an elegant four-course meal served, tickets are to be ordered by June 30. At 8 pm "Murder Most Foul" – Scarlatti’s dramatization of the biblical story of Cain’s murder of Abel. At 11 pm – for those who wish to stay in the hot summer night, and who wouldn’t? – "The Mystery Sonatas". The festival wraps up on Sunday July 4th.
From my experience of the last two seasons the tickets will be sold by mid June, and there are a crowd of music connoisseurs coming from Toronto as well as from Detroit. So get your tickets soon.
The price range is $20 to $25 per concert, less for students. Dinner is $35 per person. The box office telephone number is 519-273-4539; fax requests 519-273-4976 and web page www.grbf.ca. And they will send you a flyer with the program and driving directions!
