Theatre review
Part 1 of this epic tale, titled Family Tree, sets out to introduce the main characters of the Cape Breton family by letting us know off the top who’s dead and who’s not. We meet the family patriarch, James Piper , as a teenage piano tuner called to the home of a strict Lebanese-Canadian family to service their upright piano, attracting the eye of their spirited 12-year-old daughter, Materia .
Two more babies – twin girls Mercedes and Frances – soon come along, and Materia, by now slightly more mature, is able to love them, despite her jealousy of Kathleen and growing hatred of her husband. When war is declared, James enlists and, to Materia’s consternation, he is not killed in action; instead, he comes back in a state of shell shock, with an unnatural attraction to Kathleen that compels him to send her away. Off she goes to New York City for vocal training.
Under the guidance of music supervisor Sean Mayes, the musical backdrop is created by a small combo of players performing live, shifting effortlessly from the Celtic-influenced tunes of Cape Breton to the jazz and big-band stylings of the Harlem club scene. The piano is an anchor on stage, too, as nearly all the actors have talent on the ivories and their characters often turn to music instead of words.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Backstage burnout in Toronto theatre was always a thing — post-pandemic it’s gotten worseIt’s a problem ingrained in the very fabric of the theatre industry. There’s little infrastructure to support crucial backstage workers.
Read more »
Kanata movie theatre evacuated due to 'chemical like' odourOttawa fire says its HazMat team responded to a call about an odour at the movie theatre on Kanata Avenue.
Read more »
Ottawa police investigating 'chemical like' odour in Kanata movie theatreOttawa fire says firefighters responded to a call about a strange odour in a theatre on Kanata Avenue just before 12 p.m. Saturday.
Read more »
DEA review gives short shrift to foreign corruption scandalsAfter nearly two years and at least US$1.4 million spent, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Friday released an external review of its overseas operations that gave short shrift to recent corruption scandals and offered a series of recommendations that critics dismissed as overly vague.
Read more »