The Sunday Afternoon Classics, a series very much favoured by the 50 plus audience, has been re-named this season as Generations Series to attract families, resulting in teenagers and small children, parents and grandparents, all in all enjoying this program and showing the younger listeners how beautiful and informal classical music can be.

This very inspiring concert, first of the series, took place November 4th and presented a slightly modified selection of the Signature Concerts played just the day before. Since it was the third time the orchestra played Mozart’s Turkish Violin Concerto – featuring Stephen Sitarski playing violin – and Jupiter Symphony - no wonder they were relaxed and on top of it. Overture to Il Signor Bruschino by Rossini and Gary Kulesha’s Symphony No.3 completed the program. The symphonies were not played in full, but after very pleasant introductions by Tom Allen and Edwin Outwater, the most memorable parts were delivered. Their commentaries were welcome, informal, and easily accepted by younger concert attendees. Making the music easier to adjust to for the children and less strenuous for the seniors is a great idea!

Besides the regular programs of Theatre Athena, located in downtown Waterloo, the same premises can be rented for a single performance of opera singers, stand-up comedies or some other venue. In such case the premises is called Waterloo Entertainment Centre. A recent one-actor smash comedy about men and women’s’ relationships was performed by Michael Van Osch (incidentally a native of Waterloo) and called Defending the Caveman. I have seen either this show or a very similar one in 1998 in Washington and could not miss this opportunity to have fun again. And what fun it was!! The hall was packed, from very young to very senior – all kept laughing all the way through and then outside as well. Basically it is a humorous way of looking at differences between men and women, how they relate and react to each other, how they don’t understand each other and how they cannot live without each other. The stories were very familiar to everyone, as we all know women are from Venus and men from Mars, and it is sufficient just to show how they interact and communicate, to laugh and to wonder how humanity has survived for thousands of years and still continues to exist.

A slide show and music completed the show. Michael Van Osch, being about 40 and married knows what being a caveman is all about and became rather emotional at the end. It was mentioned that the show will return in March next year. If you have not seen it – plan to attend then. It is an evening of great comedy!