In late September, 2007 I sat in the Diesel Playhouse in the audience for Acting Up Stage’s one-night only concert With A Little Help From My Friends: the stars of Toronto musical theatre singing the songs of the Beatles. I had just moved from Halifax (via Vancouver, but we don’t talk about that) to Toronto two weeks earlier and this was the first show that I would see in my new city. I didn’t have a blog. I didn’t write theatre reviews. I didn’t know who any of the actors who would grace the stage were except for Patricia Zentilli, who I had seen play Ophelia in Hamlet (2000) and Curley’s Wife in Of Mice and Men (1999) at Neptune Theatre in Halifax (and later, I remembered that we had done a benefit together in 1999 where she sang “Somewhere That’s Green” (spingle!) for which my memory is uncharacteristically hazy). I didn’t have an inkling what my future held, and could not have dreamed half of the adventure that would soon sweep me up so quickly and absolutely.

My first memory of With A Little Help From My Friends is of a boy coming out onstage, a remarkably young and eloquent boy, who of course was Mitchell Marcus, and he gave a speech (quite like the one he gave last night) about the need for musical theatre in Toronto, the goals and objectives of his theatre company and his dedication to bringing contemporary musical theatre to Torontonian audiences and employing local musical theatre performers. I remember that this speech alone moved me to tears. Yes, I remember thinking, Yes! This boy is fulfilling the dream, he’s perpetuating Canadian theatre in the perfect direction and he’s accomplishing such marvels, and he’s so young and so smart and so determined and he’s passionate about the theatre that he loves. He is part of the answer to the Canadian theatre conundrum.

A year and a half later, last night at The Sound of Silence, Acting Up Stage’s one-night only concert featuring musical theatre stars singing the songs of Paul Simon, armed with all the knowledge of Toronto’s theatre community that I have amassed and absorbed fervently, Mitchell’s speech last night still made me feel so proud and just as certain that we can expect fantastic things from this young man. He works so diligently, his goals are lofty, but pure, and he sees them through, and I admire him wholeheartedly.

The second thing I remember about With A Little Help From My Friends is Steven Gallagher bursting onto the scene and kick-starting the evening like the absolute rock star that he is. I was thrilled that The Sound of Silence began in the exact same way. His rendition of “Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard” was perfection and “Old Songs/Book Ends” was done with such simple beauty that it stands as proof that Gallagher is a master of his craft.

Eliza-Jane Scott was quirkiness at its best in her rendition of “At the Zoo” which included her playing the Melodica! She is such a captivating performer, and like Gallagher, she makes performing look like the easiest and most natural thing in the world. She sang a compelling version of “American Tune,” and I think I could listen to her sing the phone book and find the poetry in it. Andrew Kushnir sang a hauntingly gorgeous rendition of “The Sound of Silence” and then brought the house down with cohort Michael Therriault in a performance of “Mrs. Robinson” like nothing that has ever been seen before boasting of Kushnir’s amazing operatic and jazz stylings and Kushnir and Therriault’s freestyle hip hop talents. It was one of the most hilarious and creative things I have seen onstage, perhaps since Kushnir and Damien Atkins’ fifteen minute a cappella reworking of some of today’s most popular songs at Sing Out, Louise in March (which boasted of crazy harmonies and different musical styles!). Andrew Kushnir is a walking one-man-show and I always feel so fortunate to get to see him perform, whether he’s onstage or making up impromptu songs in real life. Therriault also rocked out, and showed off his amazing acting skills and comedic timing, with “You Can Call Me Al.” You could feel the sense of fun emanating off the stage and it proved utterly contagious.

Jeff Madden’s voice is absolutely incredible. I could listen to him sing all day. His rendition of “The Only Living Boy in New York” blew my mind. If you haven’t seen The Jersey Boys yet: go! Go! Go! Susan Henley sang a breathtaking rendition of “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover” with Jamie Drake providing fantastic drum accompaniment. Sara Farb showed off her signature belt with “Late in the Evening.”

Amanda LeBlanc radiates the most beautiful light I have ever seen onstage. It is utterly enchanting. She always reminds me of an angel. Her rendition of “Kathy’s Song” was absolutely beautiful; she had the audience in the palm of her hand. Then Thom Allison almost brought the balcony down with his mind-blowing, gospel-esque, crowd-rousing rendition of “Loves Me Like A Rock.” Allison’s voice is so beautiful. It doesn’t matter how many times you hear him sing, you always come away feeling utterly impressed. The first thing I said to him ever in my life, after From A Little Help From My Friends, was, “wow, you should get “superstar” tattooed on your forehead.” I stand by my initial assessment. Blythe Wilson closed the show with a perfect rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” This song has been recorded countless times, but I defy anyone to find one better than the performance Wilson gave last night.  

    The power of this show was in the arrangements of Paul Simon’s songs to suit the singer’s voices and to capture a faction of their personalities. Each arrangement was unique while still maintaining the essence of Simon’s great songs. These were all done by the incomparable Reza Jacobs, with help from Amanda LeBlanc and Sara Farb. Jacobs bursts with energy as he bursts with talent, and plays the piano with such gusto that you get the sense he’s blasting the force and power toward the singers and into the audience as he head bangs. The band also included Bram Gielen on bass, Erik Patterson on guitar, Lindsey Hilliard who had some gorgeous violin solos, and Jamie Drake who rocked out on a vast array of different types of drums.

In all, The Sound of Silence was the best type of rock concert and it affirms that our Canadian musical theatre legends are true rock stars, who shine so brightly in this community and who should be a source of pride for our entire nation. A year and a half ago, I sat floored that such talented people, and such amazing theatrical opportunities existed in this country. Today, I beam with pride and feel so blessed to be in this city, at this exciting time in Canadian theatre history where such talented people with huge dreams, ambitions and hope converge and insure the last thing that Canada hears from us is silence.      

 

Jeff Madden’s website characterizes him as a “rising star of the Toronto theatre scene.” The way I see it, he’s risen pretty damn close to the top! Currently starring as Frankie Valli in the DanCap production of The Jersey Boys (the smash-hit-Canadian cast sensation extended to June 28^th, 2009), Madden previously performed at the Shaw Festival for eight consecutive seasons. His CD Taking the Wheel was released in 2007, and it is absolutely gorgeous. You can listen to bits of it for free on his website (while you browse through fun photos and read his blog!)- you should check it out (bet you’ll listen to “Tears in Heaven” over and over again!). I’m going to be getting my hands on it STAT, as they say… and then I’ll blog about it more!

If you want to hear his gorgeous voice in person, you’re in luck, beyond Jersey Boys he is also going to be singing two songs at Acting Up Stage’s The Sound of Silence. Monday, April 20^th, 2009. 8pm. And I feel very fortunate to be able to present to you a blog written by superstar Jeff Madden about an experience that he once had in New York City.

Boy Alone in New York

By Jeff Madden

I felt like the 'Only Living Boy in New York' last fall, when I was auditioning for Jersey Boys. I had auditioned in Toronto a couple of times and it had gone well, but when they offered to fly me down to New York ASAP I knew they were serious.

I had been to New York a couple of times previously, but had always gone with someone, crashing on friend's couches. But, this time was different.

Going to the airport solo, flying solo, and taking a cab to a hotel solo. Spending the night by myself, getting ready in the morning by myself, and just strolling the avenues biding my time all by myself. With my iPod supplying the tunes, I let the music just propel me around the town, without a plan (other than getting to my audition on time!)

I think you can hear those things in Simon and Garfunkel's song. The acceptance of being on your own, with not a care in the world, just enjoying taking a stroll through that beautiful city.

That's what I'll be thinking about when I sing that song Monday night. The last trip to New York. In fact, I'm trying to lead my life more like that, each and every day. Loving life, right now, in this moment.

Come hear Jeff Madden sing Paul Simon!!

Acting UpStage’s The SOUND OF SILENCE: Thom Allison, Sara Farb, Steven Gallagher, Susan Henley, Andrew Kushnir, Amanda LeBlanc, Jeff Madden, Eliza-Jane Scott, Michael Therriault, Blythe Wilson. Arrangements and Musical Direction by Reza Jacobs.

So get on that bus, Gus! No need to be coy, Roy! 10 Canadian Musical theatre legends. One Night Only. April 20^th, 2009. 8pm.

Get to the theatre, Peter

 Actor-Singer-Songwriter Amanda LeBlanc is our special guest on the blog today! She has performed in theatres from Neptune in Halifax to the Citadel in Edmonton, and on April 20^th she is going to be one of ten musical superstars to perform in Acting Up Stage’s The Sound of Silence at the Bathurst Street Theatre. I asked Amanda what the city or town where her heart lies is and why. Here is what she said: (and check out her MySpace to listen to her beautiful song “Man in the Moon”!!)   

The Best of Both Worlds
By Amanda LeBlanc 

Where does my heart lie and why?

Well, that’s an easy question to answer- home. And home is where the heart is, isn’t it?

My heart beats most readily by the ocean, where the water meets the shore, and so lies on the coast of Nova Scotia- be it on the Eastern Shore, or in Belle Cote, Margaree (where my roots stem from). The ocean gives me perspective and connects me with who am at the core. I have grown to love Toronto, but it took some time that was ridden with doubt, and visiting home during that time got me through. I couldn’t be happier to live here now, and to be headed East for the summer.... I’ve now got the best of both worlds.

So come hear some kick ass renditions of incredible Paul Simon tunes before I take off! It’s going to be an awesome night.

Acting UpStage’s The SOUND OF SILENCE: Thom Allison, Sara Farb, Steven Gallagher, Susan Henley, Andrew Kushnir, Amanda LeBlanc, Jeff Madden, Eliza-Jane Scott, Michael Therriault, Blythe Wilson. Arrangements and Musical Direction by Reza Jacobs.

So get on that bus, Gus! No need to be coy, Roy! 10 Canadian Musical theatre legends. One Night Only. April 20^th, 2009. 8pm.

Get to the theatre, Peter!

 

Amanda:
Have you ever had any strange recurring dreams or nightmares? Or, what is one of your strangest dreams or nightmares?

Andrew:
I had two recurring nightmares growing up. I haven’t had either of them for a long time.

The first is the “Can Never Get Home” nightmare. It usually takes place in an overcast, barren, war zone. The roads are all gravel. The buildings are all concrete. They’re broken from bombs and missiles. The ground shakes as more go off. It makes me nauseous. Somewhere in that grey landscape is an orange-yellow school bus. I have to find it. It’s the only way home.

Sometimes I can’t find it. And that’s the nightmare.

Sometimes I find it, but I miss it. And that’s the nightmare.

And sometimes I find it and I manage to get on. But it never takes me home. It just keeps driving and driving and nothing ever looks familiar.

Yay!

The second one is the “Breaking Teeth” nightmare. This one doesn’t have a typical context, just degrees of unpleasantness. There’s the “Well, that’s inconvenient” version all the way to the “Holy goddamn shit what the HELL is happunin tuh muh!!” version where more and more teeth shatter as I cry for help. On the light end, one of my two front teeth becomes a bit wobbly and I flick it off with my tongue. I usually turn to someone in the dream and say “I think I need a dentist. Do you know of one?” On the heavy end, my teeth are splitting down their middles, like when carrots get very dry and crack. I run my tongue over them gently and they smash in my mouth. You know when people vandalize a bus shelter, the glass breaks into those equal pieces. That’s what my mouth fills with. But it’s teeth. My teeth. And they cut up my tongue and gums and my mouth fills with blood.

There we go. I just wrote a Judith Thompson monologue.

Come hear me sing some Paul Simon!

Acting UpStage’s The SOUND OF SILENCE: Thom Allison, Sara Farb, Steven Gallagher, Susan Henley, Andrew Kushnir, Amanda LeBlanc, Jeff Madden, Eliza-Jane Scott, Michael Therriault, Blythe Wilson. Arrangements and Musical Direction by Reza Jacobs.

So get on that bus, Gus! No need to be coy, Roy! 10 Canadian Musical theatre legends. One Night Only. April 20^th, 2009. 8pm.

Get to the theatre, Peter!

 

Michael Therriault is a Dora Award winning actor who appeared in seven seasons at the Stratford Festival before playing Leopold Bloom in The Producers.  He appeared on Broadway in the revival of Fiddler on the Roof and then starred in London and in Toronto in The Lord of the Rings as Gollom. He will next be appearing at the Bathurst Street Theatre singing the songs of Paul Simon at the one night only theatrical event The Sound of Silence. I asked Michael if he could adopt any pseudonym what would it be. Here’s what he had to say:

Alias Michael Therriault: By No Stress Bob

If I had to create a name for my alter-ego, it would be "No Stress Bob." I think I always have wanted to be No Stress Bob but he is so ELUSIVE!!!! Almost as elusive as "Memory is my middle name Max" or "I Know exactly where my cell phone is Chuck". These people never choose to be part of my personality and it drives me nuts! I am getting bored with "It's somewhere in my backpack Jack" ; "it's on the tip of my tongue Terrance" and "Worried Wally". They hang out with me most of the time.

But I guess the misfits of your personality need love too. Right?

Come hear Michael Therriault sing the songs of Paul Simon!

Acting UpStage’s The SOUND OF SILENCE: Thom Allison, Sara Farb, Steven Gallagher, Susan Henley, Andrew Kushnir, Amanda LeBlanc, Jeff Madden, Eliza-Jane Scott, Michael Therriault, Blythe Wilson. Arrangements and Musical Direction by Reza Jacobs.

So get on that bus, Gus! No need to be coy, Roy! 10 Canadian Musical theatre legends. One Night Only. April 20^th, 2009. 8pm.

Get to the theatre, Peter!

Amanda asked me to choose my favorite photograph. I thought, "Does she mean pictures of me in a show?"  "Pictures of my dog?"  And then I thought about what songs I'll be singing on Monday, and I knew right away what I wanted to include. One of the tunes is called Old Friends/Bookends. There there is a line at the end of the song

"Long ago it must be

I have a photograph

Preserve your memories

They're all that's left  you"

The first was taken almost forty years ago, it's a faded polaroid, and it includes my parents, my grandmother and three of my siblings. In it, we are at the beach, all of us in bathing suits. My dad is on his hands and knees and my mom is sitting on him, like she's riding a horse. She's holding my youngest brother Phil in her lap. My sister Donna sits in front of my mom, and  has her knees wrapped tightly around my Dad's ears. My brother Charlie looks like he's about ready to jump on. And he's yelling.  In the background my grandmother looks on bemusedly in sunglasses and an oversized hat. I am standing on the right of the photgraph, leaning into to my mom's leg,  looking down at my dad. I think I was laughing at him because he's about to collapse under the weight of everyone. We are all wearing big toothy smiles, the kind you have just before everyone is about to burst into laugher. I love this picture because  I think it must have been a very happy day. I have no memory of what else we did, but this picture shows how much we were loved as kids. And how we always laughed together as a family.

The second picture I've included is of the same group, almost, in January of this year celebrating my mom's 70th Birthday. We (her five children) organized a big surprise party for her. Most of us live far away so most of the burden fell to my sister Lise, but we all managed to show up, I baked 50 cupcakes and froze them for the 8 hour drive! We all shouted SURPRISE to many tears and much laughter. In this picture, it's the end of the night, my mom is sitting in the center, and all five of her kids surround her. My brother Phil, my sister Lise, my sister Donna, my brother Charlie, and me. My grandmother and father are no longer with us. But this was another fantastic day. And I think the only time we have all been together in my home town for ten years. And this time I remember the circumstances!  I also see that I am ALOT older than my parents are in the first picture. All of us, (even my brother Charlie who never smiles with his teeth!) are smiling our big toothy grins. Just like we're about to burst into laughter. All we're missing are the bathing suits.

Come hear Steven Gallagher sing the songs of Paul Simon!

Acting UpStage’s The SOUND OF SILENCE: Thom Allison, Sara Farb, Steven Gallagher, Susan Henley, Andrew Kushnir, Amanda LeBlanc, Jeff Madden, Eliza-Jane Scott, Michael Therriault, Blythe Wilson. Arrangements and Musical Direction by Reza Jacobs.

So get on that bus, Gus! No need to be coy, Roy! 10 Canadian Musical theatre legends. One Night Only. April 20^th, 2009. 8pm.

Get to the theatre, Peter!

 

Critically acclaimed Canadian musical theatre comedienne Eliza-Jane Scott shares a story about two of her most memorable road trips. You should also check out her CD at CD Baby! She’s unbelievable!  

On the Road by Eliza-Jane Scott

In high school two of my best guy friends and I drove to Graceland on a whim. For some reason my mother agreed to these shenanigans and the vintage Econoline Van headed south. Memphis was gray (middle of winter), Graceland was shriney and tacky and strange (forgive me, I KNOW it is the KING of which I speak) and the company was amazing save the firecrackers in the hotel room, the constant coin dropping in my bed as I tried to sleep and the general angst of thinking you are in love with both of your friends. I wasn't, I was just needy. I'm a bugger.

The other was a road trip to see the fabulous Stephanie Roth on her Rent tour. A close friend and I flew down to see her in Tuscon Arizona and stayed on the see the canyon (you know the one of which I speak). It was an amazing trip. Besides seeing our Miss Stephanie in action our three days at the canyon were startling, adventurous, life enriching, breath taking. I almost lost my friend over the canyon ledge (we went in January and bought crampons ((attachable spikes)) and decided to hike 2 kms down the icy and slick canyon in fall weather clothes and little supplies (STUPID))). But one morning, I awoke before dawn and headed down to a trail that headed out onto a less travelled part of the canyon. I watched the sunrise that morning, sitting on the furthest tip of this sheer rock drop. It was a beauty so ecstatic I will never recover from it. I hope I never do.

That image reminds me of song I will sing on the night of the Paul Simon show, American Tune. A song of longing for beauty and comfort, hope and history. That's what the Grand Canyon is and everyone should see it sometime, as it is our own.

>this public service announcement was made possible by a generous donation from the Please Come to Arizona with the Proper Gear You Jack Ass Foundation>

Come hear Eliza-Jane Scott sing the songs of Paul Simon!

Acting UpStage’s The SOUND OF SILENCE: Thom Allison, Sara Farb, Steven Gallagher, Susan Henley, Andrew Kushnir, Amanda LeBlanc, Jeff Madden, Eliza-Jane Scott, Michael Therriault, Blythe Wilson. Arrangements and Musical Direction by Reza Jacobs.

So get on that bus, Gus! No need to be coy, Roy! 10 Canadian Musical theatre legends. One Night Only. April 20^th, 2009. 8pm.

Get to the theatre, Peter!

I am excited to announce the launch of a brand new special feature on the blog and, even more importantly, a very exciting upcoming theatrical extravaganza to tell you about! Acting UpStage Theatre Company (A New Brain, Elegies, Edges) presents The Sound of Silence: a cabaret paying tribute to one of the world’s greatest songwriters, Paul Simon! The songs will be sung by some of Canada’s biggest theatre stars on April 20^th, 2009 at the Bathurst Street Theatre at 8pm. Tickets are between $25.00-$45.00 and you can find all the rest of the appropriate information on their website.

            To celebrate this exciting show, like the last blog-a-palooza for Sing Out, Louise back in March, some of the amazing performers of The Sound of Silence are going to write special guest blogs on a theme that somehow connects to one of the songs they will be singing on the 20^th. Keep checking back, because there will be new special blogs posted until the day of the show!

            Up first we have Toronto’s Belting Princess, Sara Farb, who shares one of her earliest childhood memories.

                My earliest childhood memory...

                                    By Sara Farb

Well, here's one that I'm not sure is the earliest, but it's certainly early. I was 2 or 3. My parents thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for ballet lesson at the JCC, because I was a 2 or 3-year-old girl and that is essentially a rite of passage. (I was also signed up for gymnastics, which I took to with much more enthusiasm, and where I lasted for several years. I was not that good.) It was in a gym full of other small girls in their little pink leotards and there very well may have been feathered scrunchies in their tightly bunned and pinned hair, the kind you get at Claire's Accessories in a pack of 5. The teacher told us to all sit in a circle. I think our parents were there, or watching from the observation window. Things happened that are blurry. Eventually we were told to dance when the teacher came around and sprinkled the magic fairy dust on all of us. I remember this as the first time I thought something was stupid. I thought the teacher and all of the other girls dancing around like stupid girlie fairies were so stupid. I remember feeling like the least girly girl in the room and thought you had to be really girly to dance. It was also my first experience feeling like I didn't fit in, which would be a more familiar feeling, obviously, as I grew up since I'm awkward. Mainly in middle school. This is where my fear of dance and dance classes stems from too, and is why I never took any as a younger person, and therefore can't really dance so well, and am thoroughly self conscious when it comes time to dance. All because of that stupid ballet class. I didn't know how to deal with the discomfort so clearly, as any 2 or 3-year-old would do, I sat down in the corner and cried. And never went back. It was the longest half hour ever. Maybe if I weren't so defiant or easily irritated, even as a young person, I could be in the chorus somewhere on tour. Oh well.

Come hear Sara Farb sing live at:

SOUND OF SILENCE: Thom Allison, Sara Farb, Steven Gallagher, Susan Henley, Andrew Kushnir, Amanda LeBlanc, Jeff Madden, Eliza-Jane Scott, Michael Therriault, Blythe Wilson.  Arrangements and Musical Direction by Reza Jacobs.

So get on that bus, Gus! No need to be coy, Roy! 10 Canadian Musical theatre legends. One Night Only. April 20^th, 2009. 8pm.

Get to the theatre, Peter!

 

Fred and Adele Astaire. Donny and Marie Osmond. Sutton and Hunter Foster. Janet and Michael Jackson. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. What is better than a pair of show biz siblings? Every community seems to have its own set, and on Monday, February 23^rd, 2009, the Berkeley Street Theatre and Acting Up Stage’s Dark Night Cabaret Series presented North York’s own legendary siblings: Gabi and Jake Epstein in their own one-night-only show entitled Who Knew They Were Siblings?

 Despite having similar theatrical upbringings and both attending Earl Haig Secondary School and being part of the Claude Watson Arts Program, Jake and Gabi’s careers initially split in different directions. Gabi attended McGill University for Voice and then dedicated herself to musical theatre and cabaret, while Jake was (inter)nationally recognized for playing Craig Manning on the CBC hit television program Degrassi: The Next Generation. But after graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada and returning to Toronto, Jake and Gabi suddenly found themselves in the same city and the same community. In the Fall of 2008 Gabi was performing in Acting Up Stage’s production of Edges, while Jake performed in the Ross Petty Pantomime Cinderella: The Sillylicious Musical. It seemed only fitting, then, that the two Epsteins should do a show together.

Who Knew They Were Siblings was a exuberant evening that celebrated not only Jake and Gabi’s shared passion for the arts, but also their individual interests and talents. Gabi sang mostly musical theatre songs, and the ones that she chose were all typically sung by men. Jake sang predominantly his own music, which is a mixture between indie rock and folk, but ensured that all the songs he covered were typically sung by women. When they came together, it was rooted in harmony; a shared, soulful, beautiful blending of two very unique voices, personalities and talents, that fit together perfectly.

Gabi is always poised, her eyes sparkle, and she speaks with an eloquence that is instantly engaging. Her voice holds elements of Peters, Streisand and Brice, while always remaining unmistakably Gabi. She’s a master of the showstopper, and froze the room twice with Sondheim’s “Everybody Says Don’t” and Schwartz’s “Lost in the Wilderness.” She also proved her power as a storyteller with her rendition of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.”  

Jake throws 100% of himself into every nuance of his performance. It is a marvel to watch him play the guitar because you can see the music radiating from every pore of his body. It’s quite incredible. He infused the whole show with a delightful, boyish sense of fun, and this beautiful earnestness that I hope he will always hold tightly onto. He was joined in most of his songs by the magnificently talented drummer Graeme Gerussi, while Gabi was accompanied by the buoyant Lily Ling- whose energy and elegance at the piano is contagious.

Jake’s own songs are beautiful and impressive. I thought that “Pretend it’s Nothing” suited his voice especially well. He has this lovely, croon-y voice which is very different from Gabi’s, and generally, I think, quite distinctive. I’m sure that Jake is going to keep establishing a name for himself as a singer/songwriter. Other highlights include his rendition of The Cranberries’ song “Dream,” and him and Gabi singing The Mamas and Papas’ song “12:30” and the Beatles tunes “With a Little Help From My Friends.”

Donny and Marie Osmond can become gimmicky and fake pretty quickly, but throughout Epsteinapalooza, Gabi and Jake’s sibling banter was actually, genuinely funny. At one point Jake referenced his harmonica holder saying that it looked like he had really bad braces. He then said, “…I never had braces.” He then smiled mischievously, “Gubby had braces.” It seemed like such a natural tidbit for a younger brother to offer up to an audience. The humor comes because everything that the Epsteins say seems to come from such a genuine place, and you can tell that they really adore one another, which is really heartwarming to see.

I know Jake and Gabi Epstein will continue to blaze their own trails in the theatre scene of Toronto, and wherever they roam, and that they are both poised on the cusp of great success and exciting adventures. However, I can’t help but think about how wonderful they would be as hosts of their own not-gimmicky, not-fake, not-lame televised Variety-style show.

I have all this nostalgia for the time before I was born, which I’m sure is mostly my inflating things to degrees of awesomeness beyond what they deserve because I don’t feel connected to the popular culture of my peers… so, sue me, I think television was way better before I was born. The Carol Burnett Show. The Ed Sullivan Show. The Johnny Carson Show. Donny and Marie. Sonny and Cher. Mary Tyler Moore. Dick Van Dyke. The Original Muppets Show. It’s like televised Vaudeville, how amazing! I don’t understand why 2009 audiences aren’t interested in this type of programming. With the right talent and a lack of the lameness that seems to permeate out of these types of things now (that isn't there in the old clips I watch on youtube), we could make something extraordinary!

At the same time, I’m also so interested in the idea of having local programming: quality local programming that can give American shows a true sense of competition and run for thier money. The East Coast used to have Don Messer’s Jubilee (1957-1969), Toronto had the theatrical Spring Thaw (1948-1971 New Play Society) which spawned the 1952 CBC Variety Show The Big Revue. The West had The Tommy Banks Show from 1968 to 1983. We have the talent now and here, but it’s all about dissemination.

 

                   First of all, I want to take a moment to publicly state how important I think Mitchell Marcus (Artistic Producer of Acting Up Stage) is to the Toronto theatre community. At a time when Canada’s most talented stars are flocking out of town because that’s where the work is, Marcus is creating exciting, dynamic, contemporary shows for our indigenous artists to work and play in. At a time when it seems like the only musical theatre Toronto has is sporadic, and so often American touring shows, Marcus provides the city with a little something sort of small and new, and professionally produced, with all-star Canadian casts that would rival any Broadway tour. When people are wondering how things in Canadian theatre are going to improve or when, Marcus has forged his own path built on optimism, faith, and his intelligence, determination and love for the theatre. Mitchell Marcus truly inspires me, and it is people like him who give me confidence that Canadian theatre will thrive and will grow, and this fills me with such pride. Not to mention that he’s remarkably, extraordinarily young, which means that the world is his oyster, he is bursting with the same potential as his young collaborators, and this makes the future- our future- look so bright and truly exciting.

                    Not only is Marcus offering Toronto Acting Up Stage’s production of A New Brain (playing at the Berkeley Street Theatre Downstairs until March 1^st), but he’s also doing wonders for the promotion of young, musical theatre actors in the establishment of his Dark Nights Cabaret Series (Monday and Tuesday nights at 8:00pm) at the Berkeley. Last night I had the pleasure of attending the first of the Dark Nights Cabaret Series, Sara Farb’s Songs By People I Dig. I think everyone who is working to make Toronto as vibrant and lucrative a theatrical playground as New York City is, is hoping to be able to provide people like Sara Farb a reason to stay, or at least to go back and forth.

                  Sara Farb’s cabaret was a celebration of the songwriters who have had a significant impact on her life, which meant an evening of some of the most beautiful songs that are rarely sung. She began with the incomparable Reza Jacobs’ song “I Feel Gross” for which she burst with perfect lethargic angst and then mixed in a strong dose of impatient determination for Akiva Romer-Segal’s witty song (that he wrote especially for her!) “I Want it Now.” In between each song, she shot a huge, genuine grin at Jacobs, who was playing the piano with rock star, head-banging, hair-flopping flair, and frequently got the giggles, which were infectious. She spoke passionately about each of the artists whose work she admired, and I hope that in her bringing this music to an audience’s attention, there will be more opportunities to hear work by these incredible composers in the future. Paul Sportelli has a pop ballad called “Cinderella” that I predict singers will be rushing to record shortly.

The moment that Sara Farb blew the roof of the Berkeley Street Theatre was during her rendition of “I Once Knew” from Edges, which she co-produced with Gabi Epstein in the Fall of 2007. She is truly Toronto’s Belting Princess, her performance warrants a seatbelt, and she can pull her massive, beautiful, belting voice out of her back pocket and hit the audience with it out of nowhere. It’s amazing and flooring, and an incredible experience to share communal awe with a room full of people. Farb has one of the most natural voices I have ever heard. It looks like singing is easier for her than breathing, and that sort of effortless, exhibition of skill is breathtaking.

                Songs By People I Dig also gave Sara Farb the opportunity to show off aspects of her voice that are heard less frequently than her signature belt. She sang Ben Folds’ “Fred Jones Part 2” and Paul Gordon’s “Painting My Portrait” with poignancy and sweetness, while for some songs her voice had a jazzier timbre. The highlight of the evening for me was hearing Farb and her special guest Will Holly sing Reza Jacobs’ song “Heart.” It was perfect. Holly, from New York, is about to embark on Disney Cruise Line. He is bursting with charm, and reminds me of a mixture between Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Peter Pan. “Heart,” from a musical Jacobs co-wrote with “some guys” in New York called Plastic is one of the most spirited and joyfully funny songs I have ever heard. I always wait in anticipation for the next rendition I hear.       

                  Mitchell Marcus said of Sara Farb in his introduction to her show that she was, “so unbelievably talented, it’s clear, amazing things are going to happen for [her].” I know I’m not the only one who is waiting to see how and when her star is launched to astronomical heights.

 In the early 1990s American musical theatre composer William Finn (25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Falsettos, Elegies: a Song Cycle) was hospitalized and diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation in the brain, which led to a near death experience resulting in brain surgery. It is clear that his 1998 musical A New Brain, now playing at the Berkeley Street Theatre Downstairs (produced by Acting Up Stage Theatre Company), is strongly autobiographical and I think, highly subjective. The result is a very quirky, often catchy, and at times strikingly poignant, trip inside the mind of protagonist Gordon Schwinn.

            While watching this show, I wondered how much had been conceived while Finn was sitting in a hospital bed, sick, scared and drugged up on codeine. Just as Kander and Ebb turned the 1920s criminal justice system into a nightclub for Chicago, Finn also seems to be making the argument that “all the world’s a stage” and that it’s “all show business, kid… the whole world, show business.” The rhythms of the hospital mix with Gordon’s hallucinations and fantasies and become production numbers. There are echoes of “We Both Reached for the Gun” and “The Tango Maureen,” which seem like just the sort of images that would haunt a Broadway aficionado’s subconscious. When thrown together, along with the images of Mr. Bungee, Gordon’s hateful boss, dressed as a giant frog, it becomes absurdist, but firmly rooted in heart and humanity. And oddly enough, it seems plausible because Gordon’s brain is supposed to be running wild, and we’re being taken along for the ride.

            Steven Gallagher plays Gordon, a composer grudgingly writing songs for frogs on Mr. Bungee’s Children’s TV show, who uses music and art to propel himself through his harrowing near-death experience. Gallagher plays Gordon with a remarkable balance of impatience, snarkiness, vulnerability, humanity and likeability. He has a beautifully gripping moment where he confronts his mortality in “In the Middle of the Room,” and he sells the odd (yet visually and musically fantastic) production numbers like “Gordo’s Law of Genetics” with his energy and the sense that he is conducting this show happening in his brain. There is a lovely moment at the end of the show where Gordon muses about how he is entirely different, and yet exactly the same, a contradiction of humanity that Gallagher nails perfectly. 

            I get the sense that the characters in A New Brain are constructed from Gordon’s perspective, which means that they tend towards the general and vague. Gordon’s boyfriend, Roger, for example, is the pinnacle paragon of perfection, while his mother’s idea of Heaven is a date with Mr. Clean. But in the hands of this phenomenal cast, moments of eloquence keep shining through. Thom Allison has a show stopping moment with “Sailing,” which shows off his gorgeous voice magnificently, and he and Paula Wolfson have a heart-wrenching duet “A Really Lousy Day in the Universe.” Wolfson also stops the show with her rendition of “Change.” Barbara Barsky shines particularly bright while singing “The Music Still Plays On.” Patricia Zentilli gives such humanity to Rhoda, a character that is only really seen in snippets, and her rendition of the extremely peculiar “Whenever I Dream,” confirms my hunch that she can do anything. Steve Ross is most endearing as Richard “the nice nurse” and has a star turn in the fantastic “Eating Myself Up Alive,” which is one of the highlights of the show.

            The direction by Daryl Cloran is particularly smooth and clear. He is able to give the audience a clearer picture of what is happening in real life, and what is the product of Gordon’s imagination/hallucination. The entire show seems to run simply and cleanly and the choreography by Marc Kimelman is lively, bright, charming and fun. I did feel that Juan Chioran as Mr. Bungee had found truly clever, funny moments that may have been overshadowed by his costume, and perhaps he would have been even funnier if his clothes had been more suggestive of a frog, rather than being so literal.

            A New Brain may leave your mind spinning, the songs will undoubtedly stick in your brain (“yes, yes, yes, is a good word. Yes, yes, yes is a very special word.), but at the end of the day, the image that stuck with me was one of joy, of hope, and of life. In his Programme Notes, Artistic Producer Mitchell Marcus quoted William Finn saying, “at the piano, there was just all this gratitude that I was alive, and all this life spewing out of me,” and this cast, especially Steven Gallagher, have this infectious, honest, joy about being on that stage and in this moment that is so palpable. I think it would be impossible for you to leave the Berkeley without your heart feeling a little lighter.

If you have been to the Toronto Centre for the Arts lately you will know that a new star was added to the Quinn Vanantwerp, Jeremy Kushnier, Michael Lomenda and Jeff Madden constellation- at least as far as the advertising is concerned. The lobby of the theatre was absolutely peppered with posters for the one-night-only Friday the 13^th   Studio theatre show: Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: An Evening of Seriously Cynical Songs and Sad but True Horror Stories for Anyone who has Followed the Rocky Road to Love starring the vivacious Miss Gabi Epstein. I can’t help but think that this is a preview of the great things to come from this young performer.

A graduate of McGill’s Voice program, Epstein has been performing cabarets around Toronto for the past three years. She made her mark on the musical theatre community as one of the stars of Edges, which she co-produced (with Sara Farb) in 2007, and which was remounted by Acting Upstage Theatre in 2008. The run was an unbelievable success and was extended a month beyond its original closing date.

The Friday the 13^th evening was produced by Studio 5040, whose mandate is to showcase local professional musical theatre performers in an “intimate cabaret-style” venue. It was kick-started with songs sung by Patrick Brown. His set was quite charming with a mixture of musical theatre and blues. He showed especially good comic timing during his rendition of Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich’s “The Morning After” (Leave).

Epstein then burst onto the scene with a jazzy performance of “Love You I Do” from Dreamgirls that suited her big, beautiful voice perfectly. I think it’s rare to see a twenty-three-year-old who exudes such charisma and a strong sense of herself as effortlessly as Epstein does.

She revealed that she hadn’t picked the title of the show, and that since she hadn’t experienced enough along the “rocky road to love” to be too cynical, she was going to take the cabaret in her own creative direction. And thus, she launched into a hilarious exploration of her love/hate relationship with food, and with her career, before tackling the concepts of romantic relationships. Epstein has perfect comic timing for songs like “My Simple Christmas Wish” (Rich, Famous and Powerful) and such beauty and sweetness for a song like Canadian composer Zachary Florence’s “Venice in the Rain.” She told a particularly funny story about going on a blind date with a fellow she would call Joe Schmo… or Joe Schmostein, since he was Jewish, and then launched into an amazingly hysterical rendition of “Blind Date” from Funny Lady for which she adopted a pitch-perfect Yiddish accent. In an earlier number, Epstein jokingly sang, “Barbra Streisand has it all, I can do what she can do!”… I think she may be right.

 An Evening of Seriously Cynical Songs on the Friday the 13^th before Valentines Day starring a musical theatre performer has the potential to be a journey through the greatest over-sung hit love themed songs of the theatre, but Gabi Epstein steered clear of anything clichéd and found the slightly more quirky or obscure music that resonated with her. I especially loved two of her last songs “In a Very Unusual Way” from Nine, and “Cry Me A River,” which she infused with heart and honesty, and her voice soared and blanketed the entire room in its beauty. She followed up with two marathons, a love-song medley and the super-powerhouse “I Am Changing” which can only be characterized as “impressive.”

I think it’s apt that the last words Epstein belted out were, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now.”
Indeed, this girl is on a roll.

            As the dust from 2008 settles and I find myself resolutely rooted in this brand new year, I begin to sweep the cobwebs and eggnog from my brain and look back to the books and mountains of schoolwork I have disregarded in favor of shopping malls and organic candy canes. So, of course, I have begun to catch up reading my favourite blogs and websites and I realized that “the thing to do” was, apparently, to make a list of Amanda’s Favourite Theatrical Moments of 2008, to salute those who I felt were most deserving of a little extra recognition in hopes that 2009 would bring even more inspiration, profundity, awe, wonder and fun into my life.

Here they are, in alphabetical order.

Amanda’s Favourite Theatrical Moments of 2008

1. Ron Jenkins’ phenomenal direction of The Black Rider with November Theatre from Edmonton, which played at Tarragon Theatre this fall. I have never had a theatrical experience quite like this one before. It was gripping and poignant, poetic and beautiful, horrific and awing. It was everything that I think theatre should aspire to be.
2. Joseph Ziegler and John Jarvis’ portrayals of Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts respectively in Soulpepper’s production of A Christmas Carol. This show was magical, and these two actors were at the very hub.
3. Acting UpStage’s production of Edges. This show epitomizes the experience of being a young musical theatre aficionado in Toronto and it is infused with talent, faith, determination, love and optimism for a bright future.
4. The Company Theatre’s amazing production of Festen at the Berkeley Street theatre in December. This was a show that truly ripped down the fourth wall and flung its unsuspecting audience members headlong into the theatrical fray. I have never seen an audience so engaged at a 2:00pm matinee!!
5. Ghost Jail Theatre and their hilarious Improv show every Sunday night at Clinton’s Tavern (although not until January 18^th). Special shout out to Kayla Lorette and Fraz Wiest who have made me spittake. Seriously.
6. Stewart Lemoine’s new play Happy Toes, which I saw at the tail end of the Edmonton International Fringe Festival in August. Funny, clever, nuanced, with brilliant performances by five of Teatro la Quindicina’s core members, this show was even heralded as “awesome” by nine-year-old Cassidy Ekstrom and seven year old Ciarra Ekstrom.
7. The National Theatre of Canada’s weekly improvised Canadian play series Impromptu Splendor. The plays that come out of this show are remarkably (and consistently) fantastic, and getting to watch their creation through improvisation is the rarest of treats.
8. Anthony Black’s performance in his show Invisible Atom which played at Theatre Passe Muraille in the Spring. Black is a fantastic playwright and actor, and the lighting design of this piece blew my mind. It was one of the most beautiful pieces of theatre I have ever seen.
9. Jonathan Monro’s original music for his musical Variations on a Nervous Breakdown. Who knew a Broadway caliber original Canadian musical would come to Barrie?
10. Marla McLean’s portrayal of Mary Bailey and Mike Shara’s portrayal of George Bailey in the Canadian Stage Company’s production of It’s A Wonderful Life. They are the very stuff Christmas is made of.
11. Megan Follows and Dawn Greenhalgh’s gripping performances in Soulpepper’s Production of ‘Night Mother in the spring. Getting the opportunity to watch this famous Canadian mother and daughter duo in Marsha Norman’s play was a truly extraordinary experience.
12. Nicola Lipman’s amazing performance in the Canadian Stage Company’s production of The December Man. Lipman evokes such grief, pain and sorrow perfectly, without ever losing the integrity of the character she is playing.
13. The Canadian Stage Company’s production of Judith Thompson’s play Palace of the End is one of my favourite theatrical experiences of all time. I have never cried so much in a theatre. I walked out of that show with such pride in Canstage for having the bravery to confront such difficult and controversial material. I stand in awe of David Storch, and Maev Beaty’s performance still haunts me.
14. Pull Me Through: the gorgeous compilation album of Broadway and Cabaret songs sung by Toronto actor Patricia Zentilli and accompanied by the extremely talented Patti Loach on the piano. This CD is absolutely essential for anyone who appreciates this type of music. For more information on how to purchase the album, please visit www.patriciazentilli.com
15. Scorched, which played at the Tarragon Theatre in September, was a profound piece of theatre brilliantly written, acted and directed. It was a great example of all the elements coming together and creating an irresistible, powerful fusion.
16. Sharron Matthews and Sharron’s Party. Without a doubt the most fun you will have at the theatre. Her next party is January 19^th at Tallulah’s Cabaret at Buddies. For tickets call 416 975-8555.
17. Ted Dykstra’s performance in Fire. Watching that man play piano is beyond incredible. It almost didn’t matter that I didn’t like the script, the story, or most of the songs, Dykstra’s performance made the show entirely worthwhile for me. Hell, his final song made me cry at a show I didn’t even like! That takes talent.

I want to thank you all for stopping by to read my blog in 2008. I appreciate each and every one of you, and wish to extend my most sincere gratitude to all the theatre artists who work so diligently across our country to create works of art. You are my inspiration, and I find great strength in your words, pictures and most of all, your dreams. Happy 2009!

I recently attended a production of the American Touring Cast’s revival of A Chorus Line at the Cannon Theatre here in Toronto. The most striking moment of the evening for me occurred after the Curtain Call when members of the cast addressed the audience and spoke about a tradition they have in New York that I am familiar with but had never had the opportunity to experience first hand until that night. It’s called Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BCEFA) and it is a charity initiative that began in May, 1992 when Broadway Cares and Equity Fights AIDS merged to form one organization dedicated to “mobilize the unique abilities within the entertainment industries to mitigate the suffering of individuals affected by HIV/AIDS.” It also seeks to “increase national and public awareness and understanding of HIV/AIDS through the creation and dissemination of educational materials and to promote and encourage public support for programs and services which benefit people living with HIV/AIDS.” Therefore, the companies of dozens of Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring shows- actors, dancers, singers, stage managers, ushers and box office personnel all contribute every year to their fundraising initiatives.

At A Chorus Line, members of the cast lined the lobby in costume, with their signature sparkly hats overturned, encouraging audience members to donate their spare change, as well as selling A Chorus Line eco-friendly bags and posters autographed by the entire cast, with all proceeds going to BC/EFA. Audience members were reminded that if every person donated as little as a Twoonie they could raise as much as $3,000 dollars in a single night.

Here are some examples of BCEFA’s fundraising extravaganzas!

 The Easter Bonnet Competition is the culmination of six weeks of intensive fundraising efforts by Broadway and Off-Broadway companies, including shows on National Tour. They give curtain speeches, sell autographed posters and programmes, hold auctions, and do cabaret performances- often using famous Broadway stars to encourage the giving. The winner (the company that has raised the most money for BCEFA) is announced at a star-studded gala evening, which includes more performances by the companies of Broadway shows. “Seasons of Love” and “Love Heals” was performed by a group of past and present stars of Rent in April, 2008, while the cast of Spring Awakening presented a more vulgar adaptation of the entire score of Grease. A second prize is given to the cast that makes the best Easter bonnet (a Ziegfeld Follies-esque headdress that epitomizes an element of their show (or sense of humor)). The 22^nd Annual Easter Bonnet Competition raised a staggering $3,734, 129.

 Broadway Bares, usually held in June, combines the naughtiness of burlesque and the razzle-dazzle of Broadway to create a very unique adult event which has been a success since its inception in 1992 and provides a chance for the hottest male and female dancers on Broadway to explore something different than Oklahoma! Last year it raised $874, 372.

The Gypsy of the Year Competition is the culmination of six weeks intensive fundraising and is presented at the beginning of December each year. It is this series of fundraising that is happening at the Cannon theatre right now! It has been cited as “possibly the season’s most dazzling talent show” and features New York’s most talented “gypsies” (chorus members from Broadway and Off-Broadway shows) in a competitive variety show. Audiences are encouraged to “support their favourite show,” which draws them into the competition as well.

Broadway Bears is an annual auction that features cuddly one-of-a-kind teddy bears that are each outfitted in original, handmade costumes by Broadway’s leading costume designers and represent memorable characters from plays and musicals, past and present. They are also autographed by a Broadway star associated with that particular character. 

Also, each Christmas the cast of various Broadway shows go into the recording studio and record brilliant Christmas/holiday albums which are sold via the Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS online store (http://broadwaycares.stores.yahoo.net/fese.html). “Broadway’s Greatest Gifts: Carols For A Cure” is a compilation 2-disc CD on which each company (or in some cases a few stars of the company) sing a holiday track- some traditional, some hilarious and some especially written to suit their show. All the proceeds (each CD is $20.00 (USD)) go to BCEFA.

These fundraising initiatives save lives and change lives. They root the Broadway performers in New York’s community and establish themselves as people who care and love and who are determined to use their art to make the world a better place all year round. At the same time, these fundraisers also strengthen the Broadway community as they all come together to work for a common goal. They come together in person, in a mob of talent in giant theatres and on Schubert Alley, not just on Facebook, which creates a bond between them all, and a pride in themselves. It also gives the “Broadway community” a face, and an identity that has been captured. It is an identity of selfless love and generosity. They also show support for one another and each other’s talents and their shows, as well as a healthy dose of satire (poking fun at their shows and other people’s shows) and competition. The stars of these fundraisers are also usually members of the Broadway ensembles, which provides an amazing opportunity for up and coming talented performers to perform in front of Broadway stars, directors, producers and audiences and to create a name for themselves outside of their show and the chorus line.

It is a month until Christmas and Hanukkah is upon us, a time for goodwill towards man, woman and child, and for us to lead with our hearts a little more than we usually do. It is my wish this Christmas season, that the Toronto theatre community could and would band together in the same way as the Broadway community does with BCEFA. How wonderful would it be for Tarragon and Soulpepper and Canstage and Stratford and Shaw and everyone to work together, to come together, to celebrate how wonderful it is to work as artists in this city, and the fabulous work that we do here. Work that we should be so proud of. How wonderful would it be to have a charity that we all believed in, so that we could save lives, and change lives and so that we could draw attention to ourselves as artists in the national consciousness. So that we could be seen doing something entirely selfless, that we believed in wholeheartedly, that was not an artist’s gala. Something that was the antithesis of pretentious and entirely of the community we serve, for the community that we serve, to prove that we belong here among the people and that theatre is made for the people and that we urge the people to come, and to come in droves because we think that they’ll find that the stories we have to tell are not too intellectual, too otherworldly or too pretentious for them to understand or love or be touched by. I think we could get a greater sense of ourselves if we band together, so that we’re not dozens of vagrant theatre companies struggling alone to survive, or hundreds of vagrant artists struggling alone to be noticed by the right person, to make this month’s rent and to keep the theatre critics at bay. We should be partners in this fight for a truly great Canadian theatre. We are colleagues. We are peers. We are friends.

Ultimately, I think it would be ideal to open up the initiative to theatre companies across the country. I never want to become one of those academics that abandon their hometown and start to view Toronto as being the essence of Canada. I think that blending voices and sharing experiences and talent and expertise should be a priority for us at this stage of our Canadian theatre’s development. I think there are so many interesting ideas that are being tested throughout this country that haven’t been disseminated enough to have the profound national effect that they ought to have. What sort of national Variety Show could we produce if we all worked together? How much money could that alone raise for a charity? What sort of collaborations could come from encouraging talented artists from different provinces to meet with open hearts and minds? How much could we learn from each other if we stopped seeing each other as a threat?

I also think that having these sorts of fundraisers would be a hell of a lot of fun. I get giddy at the very thought of having the companies of Toronto productions coming together to create parodies like on old fashion variety shows or the New Play Society’s annual fling- Spring Thaw (1948-1971). Bringing stars like Fiona Reid and Christopher Plummer out to help us would be incredible. There could be funny duets and we could do a “miscast” revue where our musical theatre stars like Patricia Zentilli, Thom Allison and Steven Gallagher, George Masswohl, Steven Sutcliffe, Sharron Matthews and Ron Pederson etc. could sing songs that they would never have another opportunity to sing. Smaller theatre companies like Acting Up Stage, Ghost Jail theatre, and the theatre companies within universities, among so many others, could benefit from some much-needed publicity and I bet members of our community would be hugely impressed by some of incredibly talented young theatre practitioners we have in this city alone that very few people have ever heard of. How funny would an evening of Toronto theatre community be? How inspiring! I bet it would strengthen our faith in ourselves. I bet we would all leave the theatre with a renewed strength and rekindled passion to do what we love and to do it well, despite all adversity we face from the outside world.   

The economy is bad, and money is always an issue looming over our heads. The impresario in me has to repress the urge to email all the talented actors I know and attempt to turn my dream into a reality right this second, but I know that ultimately this is bigger than just me. However, I urge the people who are older, wiser, better connected, and who have a better sense of what it takes to produce something big and lofty and magnificent, to think about the possibilities we have to create something extraordinary. Dora Mavor Moore created the foundation of professional theatre in Toronto because she believed in the power of theatre to enrich the lives of everyone it touched. She didn’t let anyone say (and lots of people tried) that it was impossible. Elizabeth Sterling Haynes developed theatre in Alberta despite the fact that she was told that there was no reason for theatre to exist in such a cold, barren, place. Actors fight to stay in the Maritimes despite the fact that there are far more actors than jobs available and very little support from anyone with money or might, because they believe strongly (as I do) that these provinces deserve to have a strong, indigenous theatre that they can be proud of. Nothing can come from not trying, and all the great theatre that has been created in this country has come from someone having a lofty dream and someone else helping him or her turn it into a reality.

I hope that someday, someone or some people, will band with me and say YES. Yes to Canada. Yes to Excellence. Yes to Community. Yes to Success. Yes to Faith. And Yes to Dreams. And making them come true.

At the very least, in the meantime, I encourage you all, please, to visit www.broadwaycares.org and to read about this amazing organization. And for Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanza or just for the fun of it, please invest in some “Carols For A Cure” CDs. They are amazing.

I had the ultimate pleasure of sitting down and talking with Gabi Epstein at Starbucks on a particularly blustery Monday just before she headed down to Revival Bar to perform in Acting UpStage’s production of Edges. The show has received accolades from theatre reviewers around the city (http://mt-champion.livejournal.com/9128.html) and it has been extended to November 24^th, 2008. After briefly catching up and grabbing warm drinks, I started in on the questions.

Amanda Campbell (AC): I think I know the answer to this one, but for all the readers on the blog, what have you been up to since last we saw you in Edges?

Gabi Epstein (GE): Well, right after I finished Edges, I went on to be a featured singer in the National Ballet’s West Side Story Suite. It was an amazing gig. We sang songs from West Side Story while members of the company danced. And we were singing from the pit where the National Ballet’s orchestra was. It ended up being a perfect little package to do. And then I went on a Disney Cruise. *laughs*. It was like, bang-bang- two weeks after West Side Story I started rehearsals. I was in the Original Cast of Toy Story: the musical, and I rehearsed two other shows where I got to be Disney Princesses and got to wear expensive dresses… and dance with the Beast… I was Belle. And that was so fun. We rehearsed for three months here and then we went on the ship in February and we didn’t get back until August and then I started rehearsals for Edges three days after I got back.

AC: That’s a long time to be away. Did you miss everyone a lot?

GE: Yeah, I really did miss everyone. I found it really hard. But, I worked with an amazing cast [on the Disney Cruise] and for Toy Story it was really a lot of puppet work, like full-body puppets. Three quarters of the cast didn’t have their face showing, so I was- a lot of us were- out of our element. Actually, here’s a little something you might like, originally I was cast in the ensemble, but I ended up being the original slinky dog’s butt. It was kinda crazy- it’s probably the hardest thing I ever had to do. I was totally out of my element. But it was good. And I got to play Little Bo Peep for the last part of my contract. I was the understudy… and I got to go on for the end.

AC: That’s awesome. I bet you were adorable.

GE: As Bo Peep? Or Slinky Dog Butt?

AC: Both. *grin* I heard you were hanging out with [Benj] Pasek and [Justin] Paul in New York. What was that like?

GE: Just Benj Pasek. It’s funny, sometimes you forget- you expect them to be together all the time, because they’re writing partners, they’re roommates, they’re best friends… it’s funny, when I got a message back from Benj saying “sure, I’d love to get together” I was sort of like “What? No Paul?” But I was so grateful that he wanted to get together, it was so nice of him to get back to me, A. I keep forgetting he’s my age; he’s done so well. And it was so cool to hear how he got Edges up on its feet. He and Justin were in Michigan and they didn’t get into the show they wanted, so they decided to do something on their own. They booked a venue and they decided to do like a concert of the songs they had written- because they had been working on some stuff together… but when they booked the venue all they had was Boy With Dreams and then by the time the show happened they had the whole first draft of Edges. It’s also cool to hear their perspective on how the show has taken off. They really like the regional life that the show has taken on, and how it has taken off by itself. Because they aren’t really thinking of the show- like becoming the next _title of show_, even if we want it to be, they don’t really, they’ve sort of moved on to other projects and stuff… they really like this sort of grassroots, underground life the show has. Benj really likes hearing about how the show is doing in other places. They were so excited for the Canadian Premiere last year *laughs*. Benj was also really interested and excited about the order that we did the songs in. He was also asking like, ‘what songs go over really well in Toronto?’ *laughs* They’ve taken the Facebook song out of the new version of the show… I guess because it’s not really the newest, funniest thing anymore… but still, everyone has it… and I said that it’s definitely one of the hits in Toronto and we also kept it in there because it’s good to use for marketing.

* Gabi’s phone vibrates and she checks a text message.*

GE: See this is my life. It’s Sara [Farb]. I get text messages like this all the time.

* She shows me her cell phone and the screen reads “Sara: Hooredges!”

GE: That is my life.

AC: That’s hilarious.

Gabi: We add “edges” to the end of everything now. We’ve started to go to Yogedges…

AC: You guys are too funny. So, how does having the new space at Revival enhance this year’s show?

GE: It’s great in that the whole atmosphere of the area and the bar has really enhanced the show. The stage is bigger, which is great, and the lighting… the fact that there’s a bar right there when you go in, and there are chairs set up, it just makes it not as formal as a night out at the theatre. It’s the perfect medium between what we did last year and putting it in a real theatre. And that was exactly what we wanted; it’s a middle ground. And it’s a perfect size. We have gotten a lot of positive feedback about the space. I like it. Yay Revival!

AC: Yay! Can you talk a bit about the new songs that have been added since last year?

GE: Sure. We have three new songs and one kinda modified song. There is a new song for me, which is fun. Perfect. It’s a really, really nice addition in the first act for my character. I really like it. It puts me in limbo, and creates a nice journey for Woman #1, whoever she may be. There’s also a new version of the song Coasting, which has basically been rewritten from the old version. So what we did, we took the first part of the original slow Coasting and we had it go into the new version of Coasting. Actually, I told Benj when I was in New York and he was like “whoa… whoa… whoa… the old Coasting goes into the new one?” And I ended up singing it for him and he loved it. Dispensable is a new song in the middle of the second act, where we’re about to discover really where we are in our characters’ journeys. And the last song, Like Breathing has become our new favourite… our new favourite group song, and it goes into the last part of Become. We love singing it together. It’s nice to be in the “new” Edges with the new transitions and the new venue with the new songs. And also since we changed the order of the songs… it’s nice to change it up a bit.

AC: You may have just answered this, but, do you have a favourite moment or song in the show?

GE: New favourite group song is Like Breathing, it is right after Ready to Be Loved and it’s a way to sum up and to finish our stories that we’ve explored through the whole show. Also just the simplicity of the words “let it be like breathing”… that is amazing to sing. I know that a lot of people think of “Man Of My Dreams” because it’s so funny, but I love singing Lying There. It’s like a little secret, I’m right at the front of the stage and it’s so intimate and precious and then at the end, it’s gone and the show goes on. It’s not a showstopper, and some people might forget about it, but for me it’s a really, really nice moment to have in the show. And I love listening to Jordan [Bell] sing I Once Knew every show. Amazing… And everyone. For the songs we don’t sing, it’s so thrilling to be able to sit back and watch some of our best friends pour out their souls singing these incredible songs. It’s an honor to be up there performing with them.

AC: How have the audiences been responding to the show?

GE: Amazing. We’ve had full houses every show so far. Just, people really, really love the show… I don’t want to jinx it! *laughs* I think they love seeing something so fresh and a little bit different than the other stuff out there right now. And I think it’s cool for the people who saw the show last year to come back this year, and that they like seeing the evolution of Edges. And people are coming back, like you’re coming again tonight… and people are responding well to all the media we’ve had. And it’s nice that there’s a bar because you can meet people there and have people talk to you, so you actually get to meet your audience. We like when people hang around after the show, because we do… and it’s better than a stage door because unless you know somebody… or there’s a big star and you want to see them walk by, nobody-well-not many people- would really go to the stage door and go up to an actor and introduce themselves. Well, maybe some people would, but not very many. I think this makes the show more accessible too.

AC: Has there been anyone in the audience who was a big star in the theatre community that made you go “Oh my God! I can’t believe this person is here!”?

GE: Well, like, it’s funny, through being in this community, people I look up to and admire so much are becoming my peers and friends and colleagues, which is so amazing and they’re coming out not just because it’s a new show out in Toronto, but to support us as emerging artists and they’re so approachable. We’ve become friends. It’s so amazing to have people who a year ago I would have been like “Oh my God, I can’t believe this person is here!!” and now there’s no question, of course they’re going to come. It really makes me feel like a real part of the community here, which is something that can be hard.

AC: What would you say to the people who maybe are thinking about coming to Edges but who haven’t gotten their tickets yet. The people who are on the…. hedges…

GE: What do you have to lose? … other than two hours. You have so much to gain. I said it on my Facebook blog thing that we do... It’s an unbelievable show. You have Sara’s booming voice. Jordan’s beautiful performance of I Once Knew, Eric [Craig]’s hilariousness while not just being the funny one… and I’m not bad either. *grins* What other show has the line “Gay Gay Gay!” in it? Do something different. Edges Forever! Foredges!!

Gabi Epstein is seriously that delightful. Delightfedges? Go see her show, won’t you?

, it plays on Sundays at 7pm and Mondays at 8pm at Revival Bar, 783 College Street (at Shaw) until November 24^th, 2008. For more information visit their website http://www.edgestoronto.com and be their friend on the Facebook.

Amanda Campbell: So, to begin, Edges, if I remember correctly starts with the words, “I’m nineteen and male, I play squash and racquetball. I have an allergy to grapefruit and tomatoes. My sister goes to Yale, I screwed Jen from down the hall over Spring Break in a beach house in Barbados.” Can you both give me “trimmed up” bios of yourselves? They don’t have to rhyme.

Eric Craig (EC) [to Jordan]: Make it rhyme.  

Jordan Bell (JB): I’m 23 and male. I sing and dance for money. laughs I have an addiction to Starbucks breakfast sandwiches. Laughs. Hm… it’s really awkward if I say who I screwed from down the hall… um, I’m an only child laughs who’s been single for too long with no vacation. … It’s not as witty as it ought to have been… And now Eric! Yours should be wittier than mine because you’ve had time to think about it. What’s your little song in the show?

EC: You don’t know? Thanks for listening.

JB: I’m busy typing on my laptop.

EC: The song in the show goes, “I was popular in school, I live West of Central Park, I have a law degree but I watch TV instead. My car is out of fuel, I still get scared of the dark, and every second Monday I skip work to stay in bed.” Uhhh… okay- I would say, I was not popular in school-

JB: You weren’t?

EC: Well no, I mean, I wasn’t the guy sitting alone in the corner knitting…

JB: Not like today?

EC: It’s cold today. But I wasn’t THE GUY. I’m the oldest one in the cast by far.

JB: Not by far.

EC: Yes, I am. You are the second oldest.

JB: I am? Oh. I used to be the baby.

EC: *I* used to be the baby.

JB: Where do you live?

EC: I live… north of Central Park.

JB: You sure do.

EC: And… and, and I don’t go a day without eating bacon.

JB: That’s disgusting.

EC: It’s not disgusting. And my coffee addiction is absolutely crippling. If I go a couple days without coffee I have a headache and can’t function. … I don’t think I structured that in verse. Yours was better, and I had more time.

AC: No, that was good. Good job. So, you did this show last year at around the same time. What was the most appealing aspect for you about reviving Edges?

EC: I just love the material. I missed the songs. We only got three shows last time…

JB: Yeah, the material- Benj and Justin have kept working on it, so they are keeping on making it relevant, which is so exciting!

EC: It’s not common for a show like this to be so relevant, and current and speaking to our generation.

JB: And the people. I missed the people. The four of us in the cast get along so well. We have this great connection. It seems cheesy to say, but we actually really do hang out and get along so great. Rehearsals are just… retarded.

EC: It’s so rare to have a show where everyone connects. That never happens. But Sara [Farb] and Gabi [Epstein], when they started this project last year, they got to decide who they wanted to work with.

JB: Yeah, but still, neither of us had met Sara, and now I talk to her daily. It was also a chance to get to come in and work with friends who were all just as into the material, and who are all equally as talented.

AC: What is different about the show this time around?

JB: This time there’s new material… new songs.

EC: Jordan’s gained a lot of weight. Laughs We made fun of you on Sara’s blog.

JB: Oh, I haven’t read it yet.

EC: And the show’s better organized now. It flows better now, it has its own message, it’s not just eighteen individual songs.

JB: I think the story is made clearer by the staging and lighting, and not just sitting on four chairs. There’s staging now!

EC: And you can drink while you watch. Also, we’re a year older. A lot has happened this year. We’re a year more experienced. And we’ve had a year to sit with these songs.

JB: And having known the material for a year... After last year, we all got a bootleg copy of our performance. I have mine on my Ipod. I listen to it every once in a blue moon. The show is about that experience of growing up, and when I hear some of the lyrics, I go “oh- now I have a different point of view.”

EC: I think it means more because last year was such a great experience, and now we have a chance to turn it into something more. We get to explore more territory.

AC: So, can you tell us what you have been doing in the year that you’ve spent away from the show?

JB: Right after Edges I went away to Calgary for three months and since then I’ve been to Stratford, which was a huge career learning curve. Because when you’re working on something at that level with some of those people, they blew my mind- and to see their process and just working with them taught me a lot. It was a big career year. Also, because I was tucked away in Stratford not a lot of other stuff has been going on in my life. But, I’ve grown up a lot in terms of- I’ve always been a boy… and I don’t think that I’m a man…

EC: Are you a “boy with dreams?”

JB: I think I’m more “no longer a boy, not yet a man”

EC: Ah. So you’re not yet “a part of the painting.”

AC: *laughs* Eric?

EC: It’s been a year of a bit of ups and downs. More downs, actually, to be honest. It was a big year of family and a big year of figuring out what is important, and looking back to last year has been a bit emotional because I see how my priorities have shifted so much- so to look and see how much that’s changed…. And it’s been a busy year with work. I was at StageWest for most of the year, and did a random tour after Edges. So between StageWest and spending time with family—

JB: I don’t know about Gabi and Sara, well I think I can speak for them a little bit, to say that I think it was a year for all of us where we discovered what’s important to us.

EC: And what’s not important. The influences that you don’t need in your life. To figure out who are important to you and why. Again, the songs [in Edges] are so relevant to this, and our generation. They are so well-written.

AC: I interviewed Sara and Gabi last year, and we talked about what appealed to them most about the show. But one of my favourite moments in the show is when you guys sing “Pretty Sweet Day” because it’s one of the only musical theatre songs that I think- I can’t say for sure being a girl and all- but I think, seems to adequately and fairly describe what it’s like being a nineteen year old guy. Can you talk about how that song resonates for you?

EC: I like that song. I was telling my sister- we have a brother, named Owen, and I told Johanna that [Pretty Sweet Day] was gonna be Owen’s favourite song, and she was sorta like “yeah, okay, whatever”- and then they came to the show and afterward Owen sorta stops and goes “I really liked the song you sang about the guys and their drinking buddy.” You know, there’s something in that song that speaks to guys who probably don’t go to musical theatre.

JB: That’s how guys talk to each other. And girls talk. They talk about the stupid stuff they do, and the dumb people they sleep with. They ask questions like “what were you thinking taking her home?”

EC: It’s a show about regular people and problems and issues that regular people have. And in that way, it can bring people into the theatre who wouldn’t normally go see musical theatre.

JB: Yeah, it’s not Andrew Lloyd Webber, singing on the barricade, helicopters flying in and showgirls popping out of cars…-

 EC: We asked for all that, but we didn’t have the budget.

JB: And Mitchell [Marcus] said no.

AC: Mitchell's company, Acting UpStage Theatre Company is dedicated to producing contemporary musical theatre productions in Toronto and to reaching out and generating a new audience. Why do you think this is so important?

EC: I think part of the danger that Toronto faces is that there are these enormous companies doing these enormous shows for a standardized audience of theatre patrons. Then there are very, very small companies trying to do shows that are interesting, and there is so little that is the middle of the road, or a bridge to bring the two together. That’s why Acting UpStage is so important because-- and why Mitchell is extraordinary-- because he is able to do two things at once. On the one hand, he can bring in the people who love theatre, and on the other, he can bring in the people who have never seen theatre, and he offers them something that they can both enjoy. It’s amazing.

JB: He’s a genius.

EC: Because we need to create a new audience. And I know people have been saying that for fifty years, but it doesn’t make it any less true. Especially right now it is so important, when we have a political climate that is not conducive to the arts, we have to create art now that will appeal to audiences across the board.

JB: It’s companies like Acting UpStage that are willing to take risks on something new, something that is not sure to pay off.

EC: Yeah, so many people wouldn’t have picked up Edges because it’s not a sure-fire hit.

JB: But even the sure-fire hits… look at what happened with shows like Hairspray and The Producers…

AC: I agree. Jumping off that point, who are some actors or other artists that you look up to most in the Toronto theatre community?

EC: David Storch for one. Peter Donaldson.

JB: Evan Buliung.

EC: Evan Buliung is a good one. I really like Michael Shara- you don’t see him as much around here, he’s been spending a lot of time at Shaw, but now he’s rehearsing for um… It’s a Wonderful Life at Canstage. Umm… Caroline Cave… Seana McKenna-

JB: I second Seana McKenna.

EC: You know who I love, but you rarely see her outside of Soulpepper, is Nancy Palk.

JB: Morris Panych did this version of Moby Dick at Stratford with no dialogue. I went to see it and I couldn’t catch my breath. It blew my mind.

EC: I’ll go see anything with Diego Matamoros in it. There’s such a long list of people I admire. To list five is to leave out ten.

JB: There is such a wickedly strong community of musical theatre actors that you don’t see in the leads of shows all the time. There are all these triple threats who astound me.

EC: There are just so many.

AC: Eric, last year you were the only Edges cast member who didn’t have Facebook. Since there is a song in the show about Facebook, I was wondering what it was that finally got you to surrender to the Facebook madness?

EC: Well, I guess Katie Grube would have been the cause. I was doing a show with her and she just wouldn’t stop hounding me about it. But also, I spent so much time away from my friends and from the theatre community this year, I felt so disconnected from everybody, and so Facebook helps so much to keep me connected. And now I’m sadly addicted.

AC: We all are. Sara Farb and Gabi Epstein began the Edges initiative last year in attempt to create their own work. What is the most rewarding part of being a young, musical theatre actor in this community? 

EC: I think there is a market for it, there is a group of people who are so excited for Edges and the community is so small that you can actually reach those people.

JB: The community is small, and I think, that we have a supportive community. It feels really great to be a part of that community, with the people who are excited for new projects that are out of the norm. And it gives people a bit of hope that we do have a theatre scene here in Toronto…

EC- It reminds people that we have a theatre community that can be mobilized.

JB: Last year we did three shows and they were sold out, and we didn’t really do the show to market it, we just did the show because we wanted to and the theatre community came out in droves. That was amazing. We really felt the love.

EC: Which I guess is why we’re back again this year.

AC: Beyond Edges, what are some other shows that you’re really excited to see this year in Toronto?

EC: I have to get to see Frost/Nixon.

JB: Me too. I’m really excited.

EC: This is far in the future, but Sunday in the Park With George next season at Shaw. I’m excited to see the Canadian cast of Jersey Boys. It’ll be really neat to see our community in that show and the whole rest of the Soulpepper season.

JB: I’m excited for West Side Story at Stratford because you don’t get to see it a lot, and the music is so, so, good. The music and the dancing. Also, Medea with Seana McKenna-

EC: YES! She’s so incredible!!

JB: She’s amazing.

So are Jordan Bell and Eric Craig. You should check them out in Edges. It plays from October 20^th, 2008 to November 10^th on Sundays at 7pm and Mondays at 8pm at Revival Bar, 783 College Street (at Shaw). For more information visit their website http://www.edgestoronto.com and be their friend on the Facebook. 

I met up with Sara Farb, one of the stars of Acting Up Stage’s production of Pasek and Paul’s musical Edges, on a particularly wet, dreary, day at Sushi Sky on Yonge Street. It’s been over a year since Sara and I first met and sat down to talk about Edges (http://mt-champion.livejournal.com/1452.html) and I was excited to hear about all the new developments for the expanded production that will open at Revival Bar on October 20^th. We briefly got caught up, ordered supper, agreed that I was inept with chopsticks, and then I pulled out the notebook and let Sara take it away!

Amanda Campbell (AC): So, first question—why did you and Eric, Jordan and Gabi decide that Edges needed to be remounted?

Sara Farb (SF): Well, I mean, it was kind of the intention all along. Last year, we wanted to see how people would respond and that was the hope, that we would be able to do a full production. It was also met with the support of Acting Upstage Theatre Company, which, they are really the ideal company to produce the show. And we all knew that there was a little more that we could do with the show. Last year was so fulfilling for us, but it was also limiting. We had time limitations and we were trying to work within people’s schedules. And the fact that we could put the show on again—we seized the opportunity!

AC: What is even better and cooler about Edges this time around?

SF: The venue… there is so much… so much has been expanded. That’s not to say that the first production was bad, but there was really more to expand. And also we have an awesome venue. Revival… it’s a place where you can sit down and have a drink but not forget that you’re at a show. There are also new songs because Pasek and Paul have been making some improvements on Edges to turn it into more of a full-length show rather than a one act. We have the means to publicize way better and to a much larger audience this year. That’s mostly because we have a production company proper and not just a little co-op. We’re all being paid professional rates and we all feel like we’re working on a “real show”- and that we’re getting the chance to break some of the traditional rules. It’s great.

AC: You did the reading of Edges around this time last year-

SF: Yeah! Monday was our anniversary.

AC: Oh cool! Did you do anything special for it?

SF: No. Well, Gabi met with Benj Pasek and we had our preview (at Curtains Down Cabaret). It was just a coincidence that all the Edges stuff happened on that day.

AC: So, what makes fall an Edgy time of year?

SF: Oooh. Good question. There are lots of reasons. I think the attraction that the show has to a younger audience connects really well with the beginning of school. It is easier to get young people excited about something at this time of year because they don’t have too many responsibilities yet. It also ties into the idea of change-, which is an important theme in the show. It was also practical for us because all four of us were free again with four busy careers that had been going on and us all not being in the same city. Umm… also the freshness of the show mixed with the freshness of the new school year and the themes of change in the show are intermingling. It doesn’t seem like it would be as natural to do the show in the winter or even in the spring. But mostly it has to do with schedules.

AC: You mentioned that you guys have four busy careers… what have you been up to since we last saw you in Edges?

SF: Going back to October… in October-November I did The Wizard of Oz at LKTYP (Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People), At the beginning of this year I did some cabarets and the Paprika Festival developing my play (R-E-B-E-C-C-A). Then I did [The] Sisters Rosenweig at Harold Green [Jewish Theatre] and continued developing my play. I did it at the Luminato and workshopped it at SummerWorks [Theatre Festival]… and then I did a Cabaret with Patricia [Zentilli]. And that brought me to August and I started on Edges. Full circle!

AC: Why should everyone make sure that they catch Edges? Even the people who saw Cats once when they were eight and hated it?

SF: This is not your standard musical! It’s a song cycle, which means that it’s technically a musical, but there is no clear through line, no dialogue or characters. It’s a bunch of songs and character types on the brink of change singing about trying to find connections in a world where that can be really hard. The music is current and infectious—they are really like musical monologues and the stories are so clear. It’s like anybody can really relate to what the people are singing about on a real level not just on a “come see my show” level. That’s why the cast is so connected to what we’re singing and saying. It’s a little different than trying to relate to a bunch of cats. The venue also isn’t intimidating. You don’t feel like you have to put on your theatre face or your theatre dress. It’s almost like on par with going to a movie. There’s no pressure. You don’t have to plan your whole week around going to see Edges.

AC: Since it’s been a year, have you had any new insights into the show? Has it changed how you see the songs and the different characters?

SF: Part of what was so great was that we got more time with our director and so we were able to discover new things. It’s not a character driven show, but there are connections in the songs even if there isn’t a clear-cut story. Also, the addition of some other songs helps the development of the songs that were already there.

AC: You have been using Facebook a lot to promote the show. Why is that and how can more people find you on the Internet and jump on the Edges bandwagon?

SF: We have a song in the show “Be My Friend” that is all to do with Facebook. So Facebook obviously is a pretty great tool to use to promote a show that has a song about Facebook in it. (laughs). It’s also just logical. Facebook is the most effective tool out there where you can promote shows and reach out to that kind of audience for free. Each of the performers has a profile, so Sara Edges, Gabi Edges, Eric Edges and Jordan Edges, and you can add us as friends on Facebook to get insider information about the show. We also have a Facebook Group which is called… “Edges: A Song Cycle by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.” You can also visit our website (http://www.edgestoronto.com), and part of what you’ll be privy to is promotional videos on youtube where we showcase songs and answer “Edgy Questions” and you can read blogs from each of the cast members there too.

AC: My last question is, beyond Edges, what show are you most excited to see coming up in Toronto?

SF: Scratch because it is so inspiring. The playwright (Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman) is the good friend of my best friend- they both went to NTS- and the fact that she’s a successful playwright and she’s only 23 and she’s opening the Factory Theatre’s season. That is such an accomplishment and as a young playwright myself, I feel like I owe it to myself to go and support such an unbelievable talent- the playwright and the star of the show, Charlotte. Also I can’t wait to see my friend Jake in Ross Petty’s pantomime. He’s playing Prince Charming in Cinderella. (laugh). And A New Brain. And Spring Awakening…

Sara Farb’s enthusiasm, passion for contemporary musical theatre, and the light that radiates from her heart brightened my gloomy, rainy Wednesday. I’m counting the days until Edges plays from October 20^th, 2008 to November 10^th on Sundays at 7pm and Mondays at 8pm at Revival Bar, 783 College Street (at Shaw). For more information visit their website http://www.edgestoronto.com and be their friend on the Facebook.