I have become quite the little political activist this week. Well, that’s not quite true, but I did write a letter to the editor of Kingston’s local paper protesting the paper of me they printed on the front page last weekend, in which they implied that as a Queen’s student I am a completely socially *un*conscious person. They used the old stereotype of the Queen’s student - the picture was blurred in such a way that the only distinguishable feature was my Queen’s leather jacket, which is certainly very recognizable in Kingston as a symbol of this university. So I wrote them and asked them to be a bit more imaginative in the future. :-)
Very exciting theatrical experience this past weekend - my friend Tara and I went to see a local production of The Secret Garden. Wow. TSG has been a favourite show of mine musically for several years, so when I heard that they were doing it here I was very excited to see it on stage. And I wasn’t disappointed. There were a few technical difficulties (which I’ve noticed before at this theatre - microphones cutting in and out and that sort of thing) and the dancing wasn’t always convincing, but other than that it was a fantastic production. The phenomenal Len Whalen, who I have seen play Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar three times here in Kingston (and who has moved me to tears three times with his Gethsemene!) played Archibald Craven, and was absolutely terrific. And he worked very nicely with Stephen Shaw as Neville (I’ve seen him as Sky Masterson and Danny Zuko - it was nice to see him in a more serious role) - together they brought the house down with Lily’s Eyes. Extremely powerful and moving performances from both of them. Jessica Sage didn’t have that much to do as Lily - she just stood there looking benevolant most of the time, as suits a friendly ghost! :-) - but she had a beautiful voice. The children playing Mary and Dickon were fantastic; Colin was a little less impressive, but he was fine. Martha was also a highlight - she was also the only one who attempted and maintained the proper accent throughout the entire thing! :-) It was interesting to see the staging - I wasn’t aware that the chorus is composed completely of what they called “Dreamers” - people dressed all in white, who are ghosts of the people Mary knew in India (including her parents), and who follow her to England and stay until she is settled in her new life there. Not what I was expecting, so it was kind of different. But neat.
Every time I see one of the shows here in Kingston (they usually do three fairly large-scale musicals a year) I am reminded how vibrant the local theatre community is in this city, and in many other like it. While it’s great to go to Toronto to see the big shows (and I’m planning to go to Les Mis again in December, so I’m certainly not criticizing that aspect of theatre! :-), I certainly don’t need to go to Toronto to see quality musical productions. I don’t understand people who don’t support the theatre in their own city because it’s “not as good”. Of course it’s not going to be the same level as a multi-million dollar touring production brought into Toronto or Ottawa. That’s not the point, and it’s not supposed to be! Local theatre can be just as moving, as funny, as heart-wrenching, as beautiful an experience as anything you see in the big theatres. Len Whalen is certainly as talented, if not more so, than many people I’ve seen in “big budget” shows. I walked out of that theatre Saturday night as fulfilled as I have after many shows I’ve seen in Toronto and other places (maybe not as fulfilled as my most recent Les Mis experience, but Colm is sort of an exception! :-) So, I guess my long story short (I know, I know, too late! :-) is to GO OUT and SUPPORT your local theatre. See the shows they have to offer. Don’t go in there expecting fireworks and blow you out of your seat costumes, but go expecting a fantastic evening of song and music and story and performing. You might be surprised at just how good it really is.
