I found myself in a strange mood tonight as I headed down to Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. I’ve had a strange, oddly emotional, quasi exhilarating, mentally exhausting past few days, and then today I found out about Bea Arthur, and then realized that this would be the last Sharron’s Party that I would have the great fortune to attend. So, it is with bittersweetness that I begin this entry.

            I was grateful to Bryce Kulak who put on a wonderful pre-show show and kicked things off with his tune “You’re My Man,” which always gets me bopping like a six year old at a picnic. He then sang the beautiful “Tin Can Telephone” and then elicited the help of the illustrious Lily Ling with the Gershwin tune “Slap that Bass.” Bryce Kulak would have made a phenomenal Vaudevillian. Sometimes when I see him perform, I wish that we could revive Vaudeville, just because I think the antics he would get up to in such an ambiance would be Gee-Willikers, gosh darn swell! Know what else is Gosh Darn Swell? On Wednesday April 29^th, 2009 Bryce Kulak and Lily Ling will be performing Divine Dinner Music at Statler’s Piano Lounge on Church Street from 9:30-12:30am, where they will be performing “timeless classics and unknown gems.” It’s sure to be as close to Vaudeville as Church Street gets, my friends!

            One of the most endearing things about Sharron Matthews is how personable and genuinely lovely she is. Before she begins her Party, she makes sure to introduce herself to every new face she sees in the audience. She greets the familiar faces with her infectious smile and laughter, and there is always at least one special audience member who gets drawn into the show with particular emphasis.

            She has been doing Sharron’s Party for four and a half years, and tonight was her forty-fourth party. There are only TWO more Parties (one May 29^th and 30^th and one blow-out-one-night-only-gay-a-palooza June 20^th) before, like the Disney movies before her, Sharron Matthews puts Sharron’s Party in the vault.

            And I know I have written about Sharron’s Party a lot, and I won’t linger too long on how beautiful her voice is and how refreshing and hysterical her stories and her medleys are, because you can read about how fantastic she is elsewhere. What I would like to express to you is how inspiring and empowering Sharron Matthews is. She wears her heart on her sleeve and she speaks with such candid sincerity about her struggles and her triumphs, the embarrassing awkwardness of life that we can all relate to. When it comes from someone of such beauty and talent and success, it fills me with such a sense that I can accomplish great things too. She is a booster shot of motivation and encouragement and I know that she has given that boost to so many of Toronto’s youngest artists who are working and making their dreams come true in this city. For that, I feel that we should all be so, so, so grateful.

            The special guests for the evening were Gabi Epstein, who sang an incredible rendition of “Show Off” from The Drowsy Chaperone- Epstein always knows exactly how to tweak a song so that it suits her purpose perfectly. She then performed her and Lily Ling’s beautiful arrangement of “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” which is becoming one of my favourite songs. Then, I felt very blessed to have the opportunity to see Christopher “Big Girl” Wilson perform for the very first time. He is a whole high-kicking, fan-kicking ball of one-man-show vivacity. Wow. He sang a fantastic Barbra Streisand Broadway medley and then a gorgeous rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s “Losing My Mind” which almost had me in tears. He and Matthews then shared stories from the making of The Music Man movie with Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth which included Matthews calling Wilson “super stalker snow skates,” which basically speaks for itself.

            Only Sharron Matthews can perform Les Miserables in two minutes, include the line “on that neverending road to Calgary” and then sing the most extraordinarily gorgeous rendition of “Bring Him Home” that makes you wish that you’d invited Colm Wilkinson along to the Party with you. Sharron Matthews is Toronto’s theatrical gem. Catch her shows while you still can, and look forward with anticipation to her future projects because no one puts on a party quite like Sharron Matthews. She is simply the best.       

    Please also take a moment to vote for the First Annual TWISI awards and honor the theatre artists that you feel are the most deserving in this country. Make your voice heard. Cast your vote before June 21^st, 2009. Click here for more information.  

 

I had an extraordinary experience at Buddies in Bad Times theatre last night which I think epitomizes exactly why certain theatre artists in this city feel as though we are standing on the brink of something gigantic, exhilarating and imminent. Last night I experienced the last (for now) of Buddies’ Shameless Sundays series hosted by the unabashedly whimsical Ari Weinberg (and Greg Gibson on the keys! (he can play everything!)). The evening was billed as “an open mic piano bar with chutzpah” and indeed it turned out to be a night of some of Toronto’s most incredible talent coming together to share songs and stories, where everyone was encouraged to sing, drink and mingle. The audience was crammed into Tallulah’s Cabaret; I’m sure it was packed to capacity, and although the evening may have dragged a smidgen in bits between songs, Weinberg proved his ability to coolly and confidently attend to each small hitch that arose with the ultimate panache.

              I was pleased to see that many of the usual suspects showed up. Sharron Matthews captivated the entire room with her breathtaking rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Bryce Kulak and Michael Hughes treated everyone to “You’re My Man,” Sara Farb sang “My Brother Lived in San Francisco” utterly heartbreakingly, and Gabi Epstein belted out “My Simple Christmas Wish” (i.e. Rich, Famous and Powerful). I was also excited to get the chance to see some new (to me) talented folks perform (many whose illustrious names were known to me, but who I hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing before and a few who genuinely burst out of nowhere!).

            The night opened with the razor-sharp wit of Kritty Uranowski, who wrote an adorable song called “Adrian;” she is pure joy to watch. Alex Saslove (currently starring in Dog Sees God which everyone says is fantastic) sang a fantastic rendition of “I Just Want to Be a Star” from Nunsense. Tricia Lackey, who I saw play the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods at Sheridan College in 2004, sang “Any Moment/Moments in the Woods” and may be even more charming now. Then Anna Sudac burst out of the woodwork and blew everyone away with this awesome song she wrote (how are all these triple threat Sheridan kids songwriters too!?) called “Derailed” and then she did this amazing rap that truly cannot be recreated in words. She is one to watch for, folks, she has got her own thing going on and it’s totally cool.

            It was an assortment of local talent, a trend that Statler’s Piano Lounge and Buddies have been perpetuating for the past few months, and this time we were joined by some extremely talented performers visiting Toronto on tour with the Mirvish production of Spring Awakening. It was amazing to have a space where performers from different cities in different countries could come together and sing, drink and mingle on a completely equal playing field. I have been saying for years that Canadian performers, and Canadian theatre in general, is in no way inferior to the theatre produced anywhere else, and last night, seeing two theatre communities come together and blend so nicely, gave me a lovely sense of affirmation.

               Only at Shameless Sundays will Matt Doyle be introduced (by Ari, clearly) as having “the best ass on display in the city!” He treated us to a beautiful rendition of “These Arms of Mine” (with Freddy Hall on guitar). Hall also accompanied Sarah Hunt (making her guitar playing debut!) and Claire Sparks singing “Easy Silence” by the Dixie Chicks. Sparks then sang a mesmerizing rendition of “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” Julie Benko’s voice soared terrifically with her version of “Easy to be Hard” and Anthony Lee Medina showed off his lovely voice with “Lost in the Wilderness.” Andy Mientus led a joyful, hilarious, quasi-political sing along that celebrated the fact that we are all at least a “little bit” gay, and then he and Ben Moss performed a wonderful, if quirky, rendition of “The Dark I Know Well.” Julie Danielson, who plays the bass in Spring Awakening, sang a sweet rendition of “A Way Back to Then” and to top it all off, Christy Altomare sang one of her own songs entitled “The Motion of You” which showed off her sensual side.

            I stand in such awe of all the phenomenal young talents who pepper our city right now. When these sorts of evenings happen, I know that I am witnessing something truly momentous and I am hopeful that the convergence of the Toronto theatre community with members of theatre communities elsewhere will only continue as we keep rejoicing and singing loud and proud and boosting each other toward the stars.     

 

I have been to so many cabarets in the last few weeks, Kander and Ebb could have written a song about me. So, when Bryce Kulak, who I saw perform at Hugh’s Room, told me that he was doing a show as part of Statler’s Cabaret series on March 22^nd, I was excited to go, but wasn’t sure if I would blog about it- since I already expressed how talented he was once before (and I don’t want to start repeating myself!). However, then Bryce did something astute and put together an all-star evening of music entitled “The Big Idea” with special famous guests Patricia Zentilli, Michael Hughes, Colin Maier and Lily Ling.

            It is one thing for everyone to showcase their own individual talents (it is fantastic, no doubt!), but when the talent starts to overlap, and songwriters share their songs, and duets and harmonies burst forth, and collaborations emerge, this beautiful, clear picture of our vibrant, pulsing, community teeming with brilliance, goodness and modest touches of genius, floats above my head like a guiding star. At one point during the show, Bryce said that Statler’s is a gem, a little piece of New York, in Toronto, and that despite the economy, the talent here in Toronto right now is staggering and exhilarating. I couldn’t agree more, and with the “big ticket” shows dominating Broadway right now, it seems like the time is ripe for us to embrace the potential our city offers artists and the potential that Toronto has to someday become a world leader in the creation of beautiful, dynamic, artful, soulful theatrical endeavors. We sure as hell have the talent, and the potential here is so electrifying it continually pulsates excitedly in my veins as I type faster than I can think. The world is ours. We can do anything. I am all faith and pride.

            One of my favourite things about Bryce Kulak is that although he writes beautiful, tender, playful, breathtaking songs, and plays the piano and sings like a dream, he also knows how to put on a great show. He tells funny true stories (mostly about strangers in Edmonton who will never know their own infamy), he always has a witty quip, accompanied by a sincere grin, and he’s big with the innuendo. He began the evening with “Tin Can Telephone” (his voice is like homemade chocolate pudding), sang “Letters From Sadie” (watch his hands, if you can, in this one, it’s mesmerizing) “Old Buildings” and “Ballad of the Orphan Sock” before inviting Lily Ling (I keep waiting for one of her bounces to send her afloat into the air) to accompany him while he introduced us all to some songs that I can guarantee no one had ever heard before. The highlight was “The Drum Major,” a song from 1907 that Kulak performed jauntily to hysterical perfection.

            One of my other favourite things about Bryce Kulak is his deep affinity with the world around him. He sees things like buildings, and socks, and tin cans, and he knows how to make us empathize so strongly with them. He sees the loveliness and the poetry in things. He will also go out and find music hall songs that no one has heard since 1914- he will find the delight in them and share them with you.

            We were then treated to a beautiful interlude of classical music, the gorgeous Rachmaninoff Vocalise, by Lily Ling and Colin Maier (who can play every instrument in the world, and act, and sing, and he’s an acrobat- it’s incredible). The talent in the room at Statler’s was overwhelming by its sheer volume, but even more incredible was the range of it. I was so excited that “The Big Idea” was able to showcase so many different facets of performers and music. At times there was so much going on, I didn’t know where to look or who to applaud for.

            The ever-dazzling Patricia Zentilli, clad in OshKosh overalls, b’gosh, debuted Kulak’s new song “Drudgery,” a poignant tale about how soul-sucking working as a barista can be for an artist struggling to support him or herself. She then sang a gorgeous rendition of my favourite of Kulak’s songs “Paper and String,” which I think may be one of the loveliest pieces of music ever written. I know that is a gigantic statement to make- but I think this song absolutely warrants consideration. Go buy his album “Tin Can Telephone” right this moment on ITunes and see for yourself!

            As though hearing Patricia Zentilli sing my favourite Bryce Kulak song wasn’t blissful enough, then Michael Hughes and Bryce sang my second favourite song, “You’re My Man,” as a duet, while Colin played an assortment of instruments in succession, including the banjo! Their voices work gorgeously together, the possibilities are endless.

            The evening ended with “Pelican”, a song from Kulak’s debut album “Welcome” which is charming with insightful silliness reminiscent of Dr. Seuss or Lewis Carroll and a haunting rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” I strongly urge you to pick up Kulak’s albums and to visit his website for more information, but I must stress that there is nothing like seeing him perform in person. It is also a sheer pleasure, and added bonus, when he is joined by his famous friends. If you missed “The Big Idea”- you’re in luck! “The Big Idea Brunch Cabaret” is happening on Sunday March 29^th, 2009 from 1:00-2:00pm at Local 4 Restaurant on 4 Dundonald Street (one block North of Wellesley Subway Station), Toronto. You should go! See ya there!

                   
               I witnessed a very proud moment for the Canadian musical theatre community at Hugh’s Room last Tuesday Night during Jane Harbury’s “Discovery” series. Bryce Kulak and Allie Hughes are both actor/singer/musician/songwriters, whose combined talents are so astronomical it is literally mind-blowing to see them in the same room. They rocked the entire evening hardcore, proving that the future of Toronto independent/cabaret music, theatre and musical theatre is in very capable hands.

 Hugh’s Room is a great little space, sort of strangely located at 2261 Dundas St West, just south of Bloor Street West. It’s small and elegant and serves food (and desserts!) and drinks (and martinis!) and has a great stage perfect for showcasing upcoming singers and songwriters. I hope there will be another opportunity for Hughes and Kulak to perform back-to-back there in the near future. You can check out the venue at www.hughsroom.com. There is always something musical going on there.

Bryce Kulak is from Edmonton, Alberta where he, according to his website, grew up on the stage and playing classical piano. He has performed with symphony orchestras and in theatrical world premieres. Most recently in Toronto he was seen playing the piano in November Theatre’s production of The Black Rider. On Tuesday he sang four songs from his album Tin Can Telephone; (“Letters from Sadie,” “Old Buildings,” “Sad Victoria,” and “Tin Can Telephone”), as well as a newer song “You’re My Man,” all with his one-man-band Colin Maier, who can play any instrument ever invented (and perhaps some that haven’t been invented yet!). As a performer, Kulak is charming and funny, and he immediately captivates and connects with his audience. Watching him play his own songs on the piano, while singing with his gorgeous and particularly expressive voice, is such a treat and delight. He radiates joy, and it is contagious.

His music has been described as “songs that will weave themselves into your warmest sweaters,” which I think is probably the most accurate description of Tin Can Telephone. You feel compelled to snuggle deep into the quirky characters and situations Kulak has presented you with, and to empathize with that selfish fish, doomed apartment building and lost sock. Each song sounds like it could come from its own distinct musical (or classic kids’ book), since the stories are so specific and character driven. The creative potential here is limitless. The worlds Kulak have created are at once all distinct, and yet ultimately connected, and he could expand on any one song to create something entirely different, but equally beautiful and captivating.

Kulak writes the sort of songs that I think many people don’t expect to come from a Canadian. They have a jazzy, but ultimately contemporary feel to them, they are such fun, accessible, and yet ultimately poignant. My favourite of the bunch is “Paper and String,” a gorgeous ballad about love’s penchant for wine for breakfast, picnics, whispered secrets, and the urge we get to wrap the people we love up in paper and string and hold them in our hearts forever.

Bryce Kulak has two albums available for sale. Welcome and Tin Can Telephone are both available on Itunes and at CD Baby. You should get them now. If you need more convincing, you can read more on his website: www.brycekulak.com and you should go right now and download his new song “You’re My Man” from CBC Radio 1, it’s free (http://www.cbc.ca/go/). I bet you’ll listen to it on a loop too.

Allie Hughes then rocked out with her band. Like Kulak, Hughes also played the piano while singing her own original songs. She is also a trained musical theatre actor, having graduated from Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. As a performer, she is infused with tons of energy, which makes her fun and captivating to watch. At one point, she stood up and started to dance- as much as her piano playing would allow. She has no pretense. She doesn’t try to be anyone except the artist that she is. And while that is extremely refreshing to see, it is also very clear that Allie Hughes is a strong enough performer that she doesn’t need to pretend to be anyone beyond Allie Hughes to bring the house down. She sang six songs from her debut album: “Elevator,” “Black Cloud,” “How ‘Bout Cha Go Away,” “Irish Colcannon,” “Gorilla Sounds,” and “Cabaret Song,” and one newer song dedicated to a friend who was in the audience. She was forced at the end of the night to give an impromptu encore when the audience refused to stop applauding or to leave. It was truly an awesome moment.

            Hughes’ music has been compared to Sarah Slean and Regina Spektor, and I think that’s probably the easiest way to describe it. There are always unexpected moments, however, for at one point during “How ‘Bout Cha Go Away” her voice goes from akin to Regina Spektor to perfect and gorgeous Kristin Chenoweth-esque resonance within a few moments. The power of Hughes’ music, for me, is in her lyrics. She seems to be able to express and capture collective thoughts and experiences that aren’t often given voice in such a poetic way. Hughes is a poet. Even without the music, her songs would still be poignant and beautiful. With the music, these songs are gifts: up-lifting, self-affirming, empowering and just ‘angsty’ enough to give them adequate punch. Her voice suits the music perfectly. The best example is the way her voice captures the moment in “Black Cloud” as she sings, “…And I’m hard to keep from screaming/ And I’m the black cloud/ And I take on all the darkness of our home/ So you can be/ happy...” Ka-pow!

            My favourite of Hughes’ songs is “Elevator,” which I think beautifully captures the experience of trying to strike the balance between friendship and falling in love. I think she is beloved by her fans especially for the lyrics to “Gorilla Sounds” which include, “You think you’re so hot. You think you’re so slick. You know what I think, boy? I think you’re a dick.” She’s smart. She’s sassy. She has an infectious, genuine smile that holds a glimmer of mischief. You’ll get intrigued.

She’s the type of artist that as soon as you discover her, you’ll want to share her music with all of your friends. So, go do it now! Go to this website: (http://www.myspace.com/alliehughes) and listen to all the songs she’s posted on there. You will be frantically searching for a venue where you too can hear her live (and where you can buy her album!). And you’re in luck! She is playing at the Drake Hotel (1150 Queen Street West) on Monday February 16^th, Monday February 23^rd, and Monday March 2^nd all at 10:00pm. No cover.

            You can also see her in Acting Up Stage theatre company’s production of William Finn’s musical A New Brain at the Berkeley Street Theatre (Downstairs) February 12^th to March 1^st, 2009. For more information visit www.anewbrain.ca.  

November Theatre’s production of The Black Rider is the most creative and innovative piece of theatre that I have seen in Toronto. I moved to Toronto because it is the “hub of Canadian culture,” where a theatre student expects to be introduced to (if not inundated with) the avant-garde. Except, The Black Rider is only riding on through Toronto at the tail end of a journey that began ten years ago. Once again, I bring you a tale that starts in Edmonton and demonstrates vividly the inspiring and amazing “we can do anything!” attitude that seems to run so rampant in Alberta. An attitude I wish the Albertans could bottle and disseminate to the rest of the country, who I think could use a little dose of optimism.

 In 1998 Michael Scholar, Jr. produced the World English Premiere of Tom Waits, Robert Wilson and William S. Burroughs’ rock opera The Black Rider at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival. The next year, he was invited to bring the show to the New York Fringe Festival where it became the highest selling show in festival history (beating out a then unknown Urinetown). In 2000 the show toured to the Winnipeg Fringe Festival and back to the Edmonton Fringe Festival, and then in 2004-2005 the show appeared in Mainstage seasons of theatres across Western Canada: Theatre Network (Edmonton), Yukon Arts Centre (Whitehorse), Persephone Theatre (Saskatoon), Calgary Opera and Ground Zero (Calgary), PuSh Festival (Vancouver) and Intrepid Theatre (Victoria). The production and its talented artists have won numerous awards and made Canadian theatre history in becoming the one show to have ever won the “Best Production” award at the Jessie Awards (Vancouver), the Betty Mitchell Awards (Calgary) and the Sterling Awards (Edmonton). The final run of The Black Rider plays at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto until November 16^th, 2008.

Robert Wilson urges audiences beholding his work to “listen to the pictures” and that is exactly what is so striking about The Black Rider. It is a true example of the ideal Gesamtkunstwerk, the “total or complete artwork.” It uses elements of opera, musical theatre, American avant-garde theatre, ballet, folktale, poetry, fairytale, clowning, and moments reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons, to create a stunning picture to be interpreted from varying perspectives. The most impressive part about this production is that it’s one thing to study the work of Robert Wilson, and to research the fascinating and innovative work that has been created in Europe and in New York since 1960, but it’s an entirely different thing to be able to take this knowledge and to apply it to a production and to create something that is so magnificent, creative, bold and beautiful… not to mention successful.

Ron Jenkins’ direction is absolutely perfect. It is stunning. It is awing. It is rich and intricate and every movement each actor makes is precise, deliberate and detailed. The story is told, as Wilson would want it, with pictures, and the pictures are complex and contradictory and perhaps more vivid and poignant than any words could be. There are moments where your jaw will drop in wonder. Marie Nychka’s choreography is beautiful and at times dazzling and emerges from the direction with perfect ease.

Tom Waits’ incredible music is delivered with skill and spirit by three amazing musicians, Duane Elias (Chapman stick/ bass/ percussion), Bryce Kulak (piano) and Corinne Kessel, (trombone/ clarinet/ accordion/ percussion), who was also the musical director. It is truly amazing to know that an entire orchestra’s worth of talent and beauty is being created by just three people!

Of course, there would be no show without the six extraordinary actors who bring Jenkins’ direction of such a rich, strange piece to life with so much talent and incredible skill. Mackenzie Gray goes almost beyond the bounds of comedy with Robert, the vulgar hunter Bertram wants to marry Kattchen. His Duke is ominous and haunting and his Georg Schmid is filled with fascination. Colleen Winton uses her body and voice beautifully to create a rich portrait of Anne, a character so familiar in fairytales, a mother and wife who loves them both, but whose power has been entirely usurped and dominated by her husband’s will. Ashley Wright has a beautifully commanding voice as Bertram, every word he says sounds like poetry, and he emanates stage presence and charm, even as he condemns his daughter to a tragic fate by insisting she marry a hunter. Rachael Johnston is a tour de force in this show, with talents that defy my description. Her singing voice is absolutely fantastic and versatile, her physical work is stunning, and she has a moment as Angel of Foof that will leave you breathless with laughter and incredibility. Kevin Corey uses nuanced clown work, and fantastic physical skill to create loveable Wilhelm, damned to be the devil’s page in the name of love. Corey is at once funny and poignant, tragic and childlike. His final song will break your heart. And Michael Scholar, Jr. is sheer brilliance as Peg Leg, the Devil. His movements and facial expressions are so simple and specific they are worth a thousand words. His singing voice is fantastic and overall he creates a delicious, creepy, sexy, ominous, delightful, terrifying Satan package whose energy is the heartbeat of this amazing show.

It seems apt that The Black Rider is sold out for its final five performances. I wish that I had been able to see the show before tonight, but obviously (and thankfully) with so much talent and creativity on display, the show didn’t need my blog for publicity. I do have a hope that the incredible performers from the West will continue to tour their work to Toronto. I also hope that performers here will take inspiration from their Western contemporaries to believe that they can produce the shows that they want, and they can create work that is exciting and dynamic and new and different and avant-garde and that it can be a success. I urge you all to follow your hearts and to invest in the projects of your dreams. You’ll be so glad and proud that you did. And so will I.