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Music THEATRE SPOTLIGHT<br />
by Sarah B. Hood<br />
Big Month for Music~1 ·Openings<br />
So far, this Noyember seems like<br />
a banner month for music theatre<br />
fans, with a crowded slate of openings<br />
that's well balanced between<br />
focal and impo~ted work, new productions<br />
and revivals. For instance,<br />
Montreal's hip-hop humoris.ts<br />
Jerome Saibil and Eli Batalion<br />
are bringing Job: The Hip-Hop<br />
Sagq to the Tarragon Extra<br />
Space, begimiing <strong>November</strong> 18. ·<br />
·It's a combination of their two extremely<br />
popular Fringe hits that<br />
riffed wittily on the Biblical tale of<br />
Job. On <strong>November</strong> 11, Tarragon<br />
Theatre brings back Karen Hines'<br />
romantic satire Hello ... Hello, while<br />
Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for<br />
Young People remounts Jacob<br />
Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang<br />
from <strong>November</strong> 8 on. Also ...<br />
Kevin Quain<br />
in the Tex-Mex and country idioms.<br />
However, Quain's also<br />
known for his collaborations with<br />
theatre and dance artists, so it's not<br />
surprising that he's adapted his<br />
most recent CD as an unorthodox<br />
retelling of Pagliacci set in a remote<br />
Mexican desert town. Under<br />
the direction of Ted Dykstra, Tequila<br />
Vampire Matinee opens at<br />
Theatre Passe Muraille on <strong>November</strong><br />
13.<br />
CAFFEY'S GOOKIN'<br />
Florida performer/writer/director<br />
Marion J. Caffey is in town for<br />
CanStage to direct his acclaimed<br />
show Cookin' at the Cookery,<br />
based on the career of blues singer<br />
Alberta Hunter. Caffey's previous<br />
creations include Street Corner<br />
Symphony, a soul-flavoured pastiche<br />
of '60s and '70s hits like "R- BROADWAY'S PRODUCERS<br />
E-S-P-E-C-T" and "-Midnight The hard-to-get Broadway ticket is.<br />
Train to Georgia", which ran on soon to become just as coveted in<br />
Broadway. Recently Caffey also ·Toronto when The Producers beassembled<br />
the vodi talents of Vic- gins previews at the Canon Thetor<br />
Trent Cook, Rodrick Dixon and atre on <strong>November</strong> 21 (with an of<br />
Thomas Young for an extremely ficial opening on December 11).<br />
successful African American an- In the Toronto cast of this multiswer<br />
to the success of the Three pie award-winning show' Sean<br />
Tenors called Three Mo' Tenors, Cullen plays the flamboyant Broadwhich<br />
was taped for the PBS Great way impresario Max Bialystock,<br />
Performances Series. Cookin' at the who conspires with retiring ac<br />
Cookery opens on <strong>November</strong> 13 countant Leo Bloom (Michael<br />
at the Bluma Appel Theatre with Therriault) to stage a musical that's<br />
powerful local blues diva Jackie bound to flop in the hopes of prof<br />
Richardson in the title role and iting by the losses. Funnyman'<br />
musical direction by veteran piano Cullen made his ffrst big career<br />
man Joe Sealy.<br />
move performing live as a member<br />
of Toronto's Corky and the Juice<br />
BLOODSUCKERS<br />
Pigs, then moved into such televi-<br />
WITH LEMON-WEDGES? sion spots as NBC's Late Friday,<br />
On any given night the odds are The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,<br />
better than even that musician and This Hour Has 22 Minutes and<br />
songwriter Kevin Quain will be his very own The Sean Cullen<br />
playing somewhere in this town - Show. Therriault is a Stratford<br />
most likely someplace with a liq- Festival stalwart (Camelot, Fiddler<br />
uor .license. He's perhaps best On The Roof and maJJy others).<br />
known for his Sunday night gigs He's also performed in summer<br />
at the Cameron House with The musicals around Ontario, like West<br />
Mad Bastards, but he and his ac- Side Story at Huron Country Playcordion<br />
are also frequently to be house, She Loves Me at the Drayfound<br />
at The Rex, Rancho Relaxo ton Festival and You're A Good<br />
and Graffiti's in Kensington Mar- Man Charlie Brown at the Grand<br />
ket with a variety of collaborators. Theatre in London.<br />
AND SINCE<br />
CHICAGO SOLD OUT ...<br />
Stephen Sheffer. Cabaret "Emcee"<br />
If you've caught any of that recent ·<br />
WNED program . about classic<br />
Broadway, you may have seen<br />
Joel Grey, who originated the role<br />
of the Emcee in Cabaret, performing<br />
the signature tune with an "allgirl"<br />
band. If so, like me, you may<br />
have an itch to see the whole show<br />
again. Well, we're in luck! It may<br />
not star Joel Grey, but Lloyd Allison<br />
Entertainment is presenting<br />
a completely new productiop of the<br />
classic Kander and Ebb show in a<br />
very suitable, intimate location, the<br />
little New Yorker Theatre on<br />
Yonge Street. It promises a modest<br />
budget, a local cast and a goodsized<br />
live band. Cabaret runs from<br />
<strong>November</strong> 14 to December 6.<br />
IN THE WINGS<br />
The Shaw Festival has announced<br />
that its musicals for next summer<br />
will be Pal Joey by Rodgers, Hart<br />
and O'Hara at the Royal George<br />
and the much lesser known Floyd<br />
BOOK<br />
SHELF<br />
by Pamela Margles<br />
With so many special musical<br />
events going on this month -<br />
from a rare concert by Oscar<br />
Peterson and an opportunity to<br />
hear all eight of R. Murray<br />
Schafer's great string quartets,<br />
to the massive festival celebrating<br />
the music of Benjamin Britten, .<br />
organized by the Herculean Nicholas<br />
Goldschmid(, it's good<br />
to have these four significant<br />
books to set the scene and enhance<br />
our enjoyment of the music.<br />
BRITTEN<br />
Paul Kildea<br />
Britten on Music<br />
edited by Paul Kildea<br />
Oxford University Press<br />
456 pages<br />
hardcover $90.00<br />
Collins by Adam Guettel and Tina Though his musical ideas provid<br />
Landau at the Court House Theaed<br />
an unstoppable flow of ·<br />
tre. (This rarity is inspired by the works, Benjamin Britten was not<br />
true story of a Kentucky man who a particularily prolific writer.<br />
was trapped in a narrow cave, to Paul Kildea has done a superb<br />
the burning interest of the media job of collecting his words from<br />
and the general public, in 1925.) speeches, radio broadcasts, inter-<br />
Also, Mirvish Productions views, concert notes, and even<br />
has announced that Disney's The letters to the editor. He has wise<br />
Lion King will close definitively ly arranged them chronologically,<br />
on January 4, 2004. Meanwhile, with introductions, biographical<br />
Mamma Mia! continues at the summaries, annotations and<br />
Royal Alex u~til at least Fe?ru~ry cross-references.<br />
29. Now stamng as ~onna is K.m~ _ Britten's writings prove inval<br />
Huffma~, a two-time Gemim uable for shedding light on his<br />
A ward w1,nner for her appearanc- creative process and his role in<br />
es on TV s Traders.<br />
twentieth century music.·<br />
Sarah B. Hood's new book Toron- Throughout, he offers tributes<br />
to: The Unknown City, cowritten to cruci.al figures in his life like<br />
with Howard Akler, is now availa- his beloved teacher, Frank<br />
ble in bookstores around town. Bridge, his longtime performing<br />
32 WWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COM NOVEMBER 1 - DECEMBER 7 <strong>2003</strong>
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