So we had our trip to Stratford. I'm still coming down from the high. :-) I can't go into too many details here because once I get
started I don't think I'll ever be able to stop! :-) Let's just say that Brent Carver is a theatrical god (and a real sweetheart as
well!), Paul Gross as Hamlet was a pleasant surprise (and he's even more handsome in person!) and we had a blast of a
weekend! I just can't believe it's over!
Some quickie reviews! Friday night we saw the Ragtime tour in Ottawa. I enjoyed the show when I saw it on Broadway last
year, but I wasn't prepared for how powerful this production would be. I think overall the cast was much stronger than the one
I saw in New York, and although at times the stage looked a little bare (the sets were really scaled down) it just allowed that
glorious score and the wonderful performances to shine through that much more. Saturday we drove to Stratford (operating on
about two hours sleep ... note to self: that is not enough if you're planning to see a production of Hamlet in the afternoon around
naptime :-) and other than the couple of scenes where I couldn't keep my eyes open during Hamlet (NOT the fault of the
production) it was a fabulous show. I openly admit I wasn't looking forward as much to this show ... I went for three reasons.
The main reason was Stacy and Elizabeth are both huge Paul Gross fans and really wanted to see the show, but also I thought it
would be kind of cool to see Paul Gross live on stage, and I thought I really couldn't go to the Stratford Festival and not see
ANYTHING related to Shakespeare. :-) However, I was very pleasantly surprised ... at the beginning he was a little too whiny
and sulky, and I just wanted to smack him upside the head, but I feel that way about Hamlet in general, so I don't really think it
was this particular performance. :-) The production on the whole was excellent, if a little long, and Paul was fabulous. Plus he
was really nice, although a bit mobbed, at the stage door, and just drop dead gorgeous. Wowza.
The highlight for me, though, was that evening, when we saw Brent Carver play Tevye in Fiddler. If you had asked me my
dream roles for Brent, Tevye would NEVER have been on the list, but he proved me wrong. He was perfection. Every line,
every facial expression, every dance step was fantastic, and he both made me laugh out loud and broke my heart, often within
seconds of each other. We bugged him for a couple of minutes at the stage door and he was wonderfully gracious and kind
(especially since it was starting to rain!), although he seemed a little stunned that we wanted to talk to him ... he can't really be
that modest, can he??? An absolutely breathtaking performance, and one that will rank very high on my list of all time theatrical
highlights forever.
Anyway, that's enough gushing for one night. Here are a few pictures of the Fiddler production:
#1 - Brent as Tevye
#2 - with Barbara Barsky as Golde (and Philip Hughes as the Fidder up in the corner)
#3 - l to r - Fred Love as Perchik, Tracy Michailidis as Hodel, Michael Therriault as Motel, Robin Hutton as Tzeitel, Amy Walsh as Chava and Jonathan Goad as Fyedka
#4 - Motel and Tzeitel's wedding
#5 - Tradition!
#6 - L'Chaim!
I'm sure I'll have more to say in a few days. I still haven't done my Tony recap, have I? :-) Happy Canada Day, everyone!
(And Happy 4th to my American friends!) I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend!
