Shaw Festival in Ontario

[WOSQ]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 3:24pm

I am heading up from August 21 - 28. Does anyone know how the productions have been received so far?

12 shows in a week. I am seeing them all this season. I say it is like summer camp for theatre fans.

[judy_in_disguise]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 3:31pm

Ooooh.
I usually much prefer Stratford to Shaw shows, however, Shaw tends to go more for obscure, quality pieces rather than moneymaking tactics like Stratford (LOVE Stratford but they do try to appeal to pop culture a little too much).
I haven't heard much about this season, but I do know that Pal Joey has been MUCH less than a hit. It's always hit-or-miss at Shaw. I've never walked out of a show there thinking " that was nice". It's always "that was absolutely incredible" or "that was a big waste of my time". Strange.

[Jon]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 4:25pm

Broadway musicals are NOT their strong suit. They should stick to Shaw and other classics.

I just love the Shaw fest for the town - beautiful scenery, great restaurants and shopping, and just a 20 minute drive from the over-the-top tourist trap that is Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

[judy_in_disguise]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 4:29pm

oh I know, Niagra on the Lake is wonderful. Although it's incredibly boring if you're there for too long.
Shaw does well with intelligent Broadway musicals that aren't as well known (aka Sondheim...). Merrily We Roll Along was fantastic, for example. Pal Joey is in the same vein, but it's just not working.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 4:37pm

It is my fourth season attending and I have had only one out-and-out dud (The House of Bernarda Alba).

Like everywhere, you win some, you lose some and some are rained out. There have been some productions that have been less-than-stellar, but I have often found it is the plays I have never heard of that are the real finds.

Pal Joey has book trouble. It has always had book trouble and always will have book trouble. The score however is ravishing.

I love that no matter what the show, there isn't a microphone in sight. The audience willingly listens.

[judy_in_disguise]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 4:38pm

speaking of rained out....
Quiet in the Land was a limited engagment at Stratford last year, and from all accounts, a fantastic piece of theatre.
I had tickets for the first night of that big blackout. The show *gasp* DIDN'T go on!

[WOSQ]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 4:44pm

Judy and Jon,
Are the three of us the only ones here who know there is a thriving theatre community in Canada--or as we in the US sometimes say "north of the border"?

Of course they say that in Mexico too.

[judy_in_disguise]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 5:07pm

I know there are a few more Canadians lurking on the board....
I get ecstatic every time I hear an American speak of Canadian theatre. Maybe there WILL be an industry for me to enter in when I graduate!
I am quite patriotic, as you will notice after a little while on this board.....and I believe Canada has a thriving arts community. What's also nice about it is that everyone is interconnected, it's easy to make and maintain contacts, and whether at an audition or a show there is always a familiar face.

[mallardo]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 7:24pm

Judy, I know what you mean about the "interconnected community." I've worked on two TV series shot in Toronto and it seemed like cast members were always driving off to Niagara or Stratford in time for their eight o'clock curtains, then hustling back to Toronto for the next day's shoot. It's a pretty good situation for actors up there.

[StageMom2]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 10:21pm

There are other people out there that know about Niagara on the Lake - I am one of them. We are from Ohio and always make a day trip to Niagara on the Lake when we stay at the Falls. What a beautiful town, with interesting shops, nice places to eat. We just started attending the Shaw plays, etc. last year. My brother (also from Ohio) has been attending Shaw for 12 years and pretty much has liked everything he has ever seen. He got us started on the Shaw. Last year we saw "Misalliance" and liked it very much. My brother saw 3 plays in July and he liked everyone of them. This year we did see "Pal Joey" in July. I liked the music from it and the day that we were there it was a complete sell-out. We saw the understudy for Laurie Patton (I believe) and we were not thrilled with her singing. Her acting wasn't bad though. The main character moved well, he looked the part, tall dark and handsome guy - had a nice voice but he didn't have a song where you would sit back and say "Wow, he is good". However, I read in his bio that he had played in the original cast of "Mama Mia" as Skye in Toronto when it first opened. My son's who is majoring in Theatre/Musical Theatre hopes to someday audition for the Shaw. Most of the people in the shows at Shaw are usually in 2 shows at once, which I find pretty remarkable.

[judy_in_disguise]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 10:36pm

2 or 3, in Stratford they're all in 3. I love the "company" system they have at these festivals. Insane, but so much fun!
Word to the wise: under normal circumstances, you have to be fairly well established in Canada in order to get an audition at these top-ranked festivals. Makes sense.
Or just try the casting couch. Also makes sense

[Jon]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 11:18pm

I found the coolest poster in Niagara-on-the-Lake about ten years ago. It was promoting the annual "Stratford vs. Shaw Fest Cricket Match" in which the actors from the two festivals played against each other. The poster was done in an old fashioned woodcut style, and it depicted G.B. Shaw and Wm. Shakespeare in cricket uniforms, with Shakespeare at bat and Shaw catching. The odd thing is, I happened to find the poster not at the official Shaw Fest gift shop, but at a little shop that sold sports souvenirs!

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 12:25am

I know there are a few more Canadians lurking on the board....

Ahem, "lurking"? Judy_in_disguise, you know I'm a flaming Canadian!

As for Stratford, I posted my reviews of this year's productions of Guys and Dolls and (my critic's choice) Shakespeare's Timon of Athens. Search the site for them, if you're interested. I took a lot of time writing them, and no one noticed.

[judy_in_disguise]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 12:30am

I noticed, and I am very appreciative! I've seen every show at Stratford for the past three years, but this year I'm living across the province and *gasp* I haven't been there yet!
And yes, bluewizard, you are a VERY flaming Canadian. Red hot, in fact!