Calgary/New York Trip Report - April 2019

Billy Elliot - Theatre Calgary

Turns out, there are a few theatres in Calgary, mostly in one complex. There were some plays on, but I only chance to see this regional production.

It was a professional production, running for about a month, apparently a popular group in the local area. I got the impression that a lot of the same actors appear in all the productions they run. That rather came across in the staging, as I didn't find everyone that well aged for the roles.

For a regional production, this was very good. Decent sets, different staging to the only other version I've seen (London and UK tour).

A few script changes. Wayne Sleep was replaced with someone I didn't recognise. There was a "that woman" when Billy and Michael were talking about Mrs Wilkinson. I'm sure there were others. The Margaret Thatcher scheme was people in orange wigs. And I'm sure the scene where the minors give Billy money was very different. I guess all to make this make sense for the Canadian audience.

Seats were comfortable, good view from the second row. But the stage sloped downwards from right to left, which was very disconcerting to watch. I suppose it would be less obvious from the back.

The main thing that put me off? Accents were all over the place. Some of the cast made a good go, others I had to guess where they were from. Tony was more Irish than anything. The children were probably the best, although not West End standard. Some talented dancers.

As I said, interesting to see a different production of this and it's always a great musical.

Tootsie

This was the surprise hit of the trip. Witty and I like the music.

I only vaguely remember the film but this is rewritten anyway. It's all staged around musical theatre actors, which works perfectly on broadway.

Santino Fontana is the highlight. He owns the stage and slips between his different roles with ease. Excellent voice.

I wasn't completely sold on the ending. It was a bit abrupt. But I would definitely go again.

Jersey Boys

One of my favourites, this has transferred incredibly well to New World Stages. Really interesting to see it in the intimate venue, with an excellent view a few rows from the front, compared to the large halls the UK tour has been playing.

The book is the same, but everything else has been reworked to fit in the smaller venue and bring the cast down to (if I remember correctly 10, 4 leads, 3 male performers, 3 female performers). I get the idea this is the more like the cruise ship staging. The small set items are pushed on and off. The band of five are at the back of the stage, mostly concealed apart from the drummer.

There are all kinds of tricks used to make this work with the smaller cast, including things like the band forming the post-slip Jersey Boys.

If you didn't know the show, you wouldn't always keep track of who is playing who, particularly as the ages aren't always appropriate. But I got the impression almost everyone in the audience knew and loved the show.

The cast are almost all pulled from other Jersey Boys productions, including the cruise ships, tours and on broadway. There were a few "first job" type cast members as well, but I guess that's the logistics of off-broadway.

Nicolas Dromand had just returned to the cast as Tommy DeVito and you could see his experience playing the role for a long time coming through.

This is a bit hidden away on New World Stages, but deserves to be a long runner for them.[/font]

Avenue Q

The final show in this quick round-up. One of my favourites and the one I wanted to see before it closes in May.

All the leads were on, including Veronica Kuehn, who has just returned to the show as Kate Monster to close things up, after a few years away.

Surprised as always to see several families bringing young children to the show (and returning after the interval).

This was performed with a lot more energy and flourishes than usual. The cast were still trying out new things as part of the staging. In particular, Nick Kohn, who's been on as Brian for years, seemed much more energetic than usual. He gave a great speech at the end for the last day collecting for Broadway Cares at the end, obviously emotional about the upcoming closure.

This is one I'll miss, but i wouldn't be surprised if they find a way to bring it back before too long, perhaps at a different small theatre.