10/22/2014 0 Comments Liberation Days | Theatre CalgaryWhen I was 11 or 12, I went to Europe on a band trip. We visited Germany, Holland, France and England. As part of our tour, we were given some basic historical and touristy notes. What I remember most about our discussion of Holland was how the Dutch population held Canadians in high regard, due to the acts of Canadian soldiers in the 2nd World War. We were told that the people of Holland revered and respected Canadians because of their war efforts, liberating Holland during the war. I don't recall learning this in school, but remember it from my time twenty-some years ago. Having this basic understand helped me appreciate this play a little more, as I realized we were being shown the darker side to a very positive story.
The play focuses on the aftermath of the Liberation Days, and the struggle for locals and Canadian soldiers to get back to "normal", and to determine what their "new normal" is. The play establishes a number of characters who struggle with their losses throughout the war, and how they're now trying to survive. To be honest, I didn't feel emotionally connected to the characters, and I wonder if that had to do with the situations they were in, the setting of the piece, or the distractions of a bilingual script. There was a lot of Dutch language in the play - a lot more than we were comfortable with. Long, drawn-out conversations in Dutch actually made me feel disengaged from the story. I understand the requirement for realism in any piece of fiction, and know the playwright was making a point about the characters who were either connected or disconnected through language. However, there were a few too many scenes with seemingly critical pieces of information that the majority of the English-speaking audience missed. I was mostly impressed with the technical aspects of the show - the staging, the set design, the lighting, the projection filming and the music all added to the overall atmosphere of post-war Europe. The music and audio effects were very creative, and involved scene-setting music that transitioned from filling the whole theatre, to being played out on a scratchy record on a gramophone with the character conducting his invisible orchestra. Through this technique, the music corrals the audience from their real lives, into the world on the stage. Music included within a play or film is classified as diegetic, which means the characters hear the music, as does the audience. This is different from background music, scene-setting music, or As for the story line, I feel as though we've just started the story. Wouldn't it have been fascinating to see the next chapter in this story - a return to Canada as a brand new Canadian, new bride and new mother. That would have been a very interesting take to see how women of my grandmother's generation were able to adapt to life in such a different country and culture. It is with good reason the London press has called this “the funniest play on the planet.” Its one and only goal is pure uproarious laughter. Goofy slapstick and silliness combined with music provided by a 1960s boy-band to get you in the spirit—that’s the way to kick off a season. – Dennis (Artistic Director, Theatre Calgary) Date Night | Wednesday, September 10 We wanted to make sure we could navigate through the traffic of Snowmageddon September 2014, so we left work early enough to make it downtown to an amazing dinner at Milestone's on Stephen Avenue. It's "Date Nigh" at Milestones - so we got an appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert to share. We've always had great food and drinks there - and tonight was no exception! I was glad to have a few solid hours before our show, and Neal and I spent a very nice evening together. It's fun how the restaurant is connected back to the theatre and the parking lot through the +15 system in downtown Calgary. It was fun to navigate around, up and down, back to the theatre after our meal. Theatre Calgary This is probably our sixth season with Theatre Calgary, and this was - hands down - the funniest show we've seen them do.There was one point where I literally - LITERALLY - passed out from laughing so hard! The show was full of farce and slapstick and clever wordplay. Most of the audience howled, but some just simply didn't get it - or didn't find it funny at all. In fact, about four people from within our row left during intermission, and didn't come back. The show was particularly clever when taking into account it was a re-telling of a Italian play from the 1700s. The set design, costumes and accents were clever, and gave a good impression of 1960s England, complete with a host of memorable characters. Based on the Commedia dell'Arte tradition of fairly recognizable stock characters, the actors were still able to bring life into their words and actions, and avoided being completely 2-dimensional stereotypes. In addition to the action on stage, it really was a spectacle. There was a lot of great live music and dancing and singing and even a washboard! At times, it was almost like a variety show, and each actor took on a different role during curtain breaks - even playing the steel drums, doing some stand-up comedy, and playing a contraption covered in assorted bike horns! The four band members of "The Craze" served as an intro act, and came back between each scene change. Although this wasn't a musical show, the music provided by The Craze, really helped move the story along, and became an integral part of the experience. I was a little nervous before we went - not knowing anything about this play - as the first play of a season is always so important to set expectations for the rest of the year. Bravo to all of the cast and crew involved! I think we're ready for an amazing season at Theatre Calgary! For more about this amazing show: |
AuthorMonti Tanner (he/him) BEd, BA, MEd Archives
May 2023
CategoriesAll Art Exhibit ATP Book Broadway Across Canada Clean Clear Connected Consistent Date Night Festival Film Food & Drink Fringe Festival Front Row Centre Ground Zero MBSR Mindfulness Morpheus Music Musical Poetry Reading Shakespeare Stage West Storybook Tarot Theatre Theatre Calgary Third Street University Of Calgary Webinar Wellness |