November 2005 will see the Society's second production of "Cinderella". It follows last autumn's well-received premiere of the Filippone version of "Rumpelstiltskin".
Cinderella may well be the most popular fairy tale of all time. This
year's ubiquitous Disney videos and dvds are marketing a 50 year old
cartoon. But, in fact, Cinderella's a lot older than that.
The story of the mistreated girl been told at least 700 different
times. A thousand years ago in China she was helped out by a magic
fish instead of a fairy godmother. She's been called The Cinder Maid
and Cap 'o Rushes and Katie Wooden Cloak. In the famous Charles
Perrault version of 1697, she's Cendrillon, wears glass slippers and
forgives her sisters. By the time the Brothers Grimm write about her
in 1814, her shoes are gold and her evil step sisters have their eyes
plucked out by blackbirds! According to Disney, the step-sisters are
ugly. In the earlier versions they are beautiful but vain.
So, welcome to version #701. I like to think that our playwright, Brad
Filippone, has come up with the ideal combination of familiarity and
innovation. Cinderella still has a tough life but she takes things
into her own hands. The fairy godmother still works her magic but
she gets help from a few fairy friends. And, in a nod to "A Wonderful
Life", she has to earn her wings. We also have a town crier who takes his
job very seriously and a king who moonlights as a puppeteer.
And who knew the evil sisters were such good singers? Yes, this is a
musical comedy version of Cinderella filled with lovely and witty
songs borrowed from Gilbert and Sullivan musicals, often sly adapted
to fit our story. And wait until you see the costumes!
In short, we hope there's something for music lovers and fairy tale
fans of all ages.
Jacqui Good, stage director
Cinderella is coming to town;
Halifax:
Friday, November 18, 2005, 8PM, St. Matthew's United Church, Barrington
St.
Saturday, November 19, 2005, 2PM, St. Matthew's United Church, Barrington
St.
Dartmouth:
Sunday, November 20, 2005, 2PM, Alderney Landing Theartre
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, $5 for
children under 12.
==============================
Also touring to :
Lunenburg:
Sunday, November 27th
========================================================
Comments by Alasdair McKay on "Patience" (Spring Production
2005)
The run of Patience at the Rebecca Cohn is now over. The show was a great
artistic success, but was not well patronised and likely has been a
financial failure, which is a
pity, because it was very well worth seeing.
The uncommon appearance of a cow on stage was a welcome addition, as was a
teddy bear, of which Patience and Grosvenor seemed to have retained,
separately, a long cherished head and body - doubtless in consequence of
some childhood
dispute.
These and other innovations made up, in part, for the inexplicable absence
of Lady Jane's string instrument in the Act II opening and for the
memorable "curse" dialogue between Bunthorne and Grosvenor, which was
replaced by deliberately inept sword play.
The chorus of lovesick maidens and heavy dragoons was in excellent
choreographic and musical shape. Curiously, the "20 lovesick maidens" are
about half a dozen short, though they produce plenty of sound and movement
nonetheless.
There is a lot of "young
blood" on stage, which is particularly appropriate for this operetta in
which all the characters except the solicitor and the colonel are less
than 40 years old, and most of them closer to 20 years old. The actors
portraying them do not diverge too greatly from such ages.