Preview: [Title of Show] at the Lower Ossington Theatre

Playing for just a few more days is one of our favourite musicals ever conceived! [title of show] is playing at the new hot spot for musical theatre in the city - the fantastic Lower Ossington Theatre. Please check out the details below...

Show Description:

Young talent bring witty musical [title of show] to The Lower Ossington Theatre

Toronto, ON. February – The hilarious Obie Award-winning musical [title of show] comes to The Lower Ossington Theatre starting February 8th, 2013. An intelligent, quirky show described by The New York Times as “a postmodern homage to the grand tradition of backstage musicals,” this show-within-a-show features struggling writers Hunter and Jeff as they face the New York Musical Theatre Festival deadline and decide to take a risk and write an original musical in only three weeks. They quickly find that their conversation about what to write is more engaging than other story ideas. With the help of their friends, singers Heidi and Susan (with Larry on the keys), [title of show] becomes a production about its own creation as a group of friends write a musical about writing a musical for Broadway - starring themselves.

The cast of talented up-and-coming performers includes Forbes MacQuarrie as Hunter, Adam Norrad as his writing partner Jeff, Michelle Nash as Susan, and Bianca Heuvelmans as Heidi, with David Ruggiero as the pianist Larry.

Popular for its clever dialogue, for co-producer Adam Norrad (Jeff), it is the music which makes [title of show] such a stand-out. “I love the beautiful harmonies that we get to sing,” he says. “All of the music is very modern and refreshing – it’s the most fun music I have ever sung!”

[title of show] opens at The Lower Ossington Theatre on Friday, February 8, 2013, 8:00pm. Shows run Friday, Saturday and Sunday until February 16th...

8:00PM –Feb. 8, 10, 15 and 16 || 2:00PM – Feb. 9 & 16 || 4:00PM – Feb. 10 & 17

Tickets $49.00 (use code “title50” for 50% off regular ticket price.)

About Lower Ossington Theatre (The LOT): The Lower Ossington Theatre is an arts space located at 100A Ossington Avenue, between Dundas St. and Queen St. West. An integral part of the stylish Ossington Strip, the LOT is a popular destination known for both family shows and hit musicals.

http://www.lowerossingtontheatre.com/ || Lower Ossington Theatre || 100A Ossington Ave. || 416-915-6747

Web-esodes from [title of show]

In keeping with the original production, the cast of the Toronto premiere production of, [title of show] have crafted some web-esodes for YouTube. Check em out! And be sure to see [title of show] on now at the Yonge Centre for the Performing Arts

Review [title of show]

Right from the first notes, A, D, D, D, D, F#, A, of [title of show], it's clear you are going to be laughing. What is perhaps less clear from the "Untitled Opening Number" is just how moved you will be as well. Seeing Angelwalk Theatre's production of [title of show], on now at the Yonge Centre for the Performing Arts Studio Theatre, is an affirmation that Toronto is a world class theatre city. World class, not only because the production is good and the audience gets it, truly. This show is an affirmation that there are smart producers here who are following interesting contemporary musical theatre, and developing good productions for Toronto audiences.

Written by Hunter Bell, with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen, who also starred in the original production as themselves, and joined by Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackwell, [title of show] is small in scale, but very demanding. The cast of four, plus "Larry" who plays the keyboard and offers an occasional quip, have nowhere to hide. As Jeff and Hunter, Mark Allan and Justin Bott respectively, have incredible chemistry. An essential for the heroes of the [title of the show] story. Not only do they sound good singing together but you can genuinely believe in their friendship. With just, "four chairs and keyboard," campy music and silly fun, Jeff and Hunter could easily become caricatures in less capable hands. Instead you find yourself rooting for them and believing them, even when their inner divas seem poised to ruin it all.

Joining Bott and Allan as Heidi and Susan are Jayme Armstrong and Shelley Simester. Simester's Susan is spot on, funny and heartfelt. She has great comedic timing, and while she is true to the character she has clearly developed the role herself. Of all the characters in [title of show] Susan is perhaps the easiest to get wrong, or over do. No chance of that in this production.
The role of Heidi, allows Ms. Armstrong to show off her fantastic voice. She sings the stuffing out of, A Way Back to Then, the show stopping ballad. Although some of her acting choices were not as nuanced as others in the cast, she still brings a spark to the role. The Secondary Character, as the ladies jokingly refer to themselves definitely hold their own throughout. Overall the foursome have great energy onstage and you can tell they are having fun.

With only two weeks of rehearsal it is not a surprise that some moments in the show lacked polish, but frankly that is what makes [title of show] endearing rather than nauseating. There were a few botched lines and signs of vocal fatigue, but they did not detract from the experience. Director/Choreographer Tim French, has done an excellent job with his interpretation of the script. The choreography in particular is charming with out being too much. This is a show by and about theatre geeks, so a few jazz hands and shimmies are essential, but French keeps it from going overboard. When we met Mr. French he told us that his goal was to avoid simply re-staging the Broadway production, while maintain the shows original intention. We'd say he has succeeded.

[title of show] might seem a difficult choice for Angelwalk's second season debut, because the show is so decidedly about New York, and the fairly insular theatre community there. Inside jokes about obscure musicals and longtime Broadway personalities abound, but through it all [title of show] remains a show about making a show. It is the creative process, how you deal with success and failure and ultimately about commitment to work hard for your art. It is a fantastically witty show, and this production has really showcased [title of show]'s big heart. We look forward to seeing what Angelwalk Theatre comes up with next.

[title of show] runs at the Studio Theatre until October 10th. Don't miss this one! Click the header for more info. And to read other reviews of [title of show] click here.

Preview: [Title of Show]

Yesterday, EAP had the pleasure to interview the cast and creative for Angelwalk Theatre's production of [Title of Show]. We had planned to reproduce an edited version of that interview here, but technical difficulties intervened and the audio recording of the interview was lost. Thankfully the cast was video recording, so some of it may make it into one of their webisodes, for the show. Instead, we decided to write an extended preview piece about [Title of Show] and this production.

As EAP readers will know, we have been strong supporters of [Title of Show]. Our own Justin Haley saw one of the final Broadway performances, and remembers it as one of his most moving theatre experience. A show about creating a show, written by Hunter Bell with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen, [Title of Show] documents the process of writing and creating a musical. It is sharp, witty and really well written. But, it wasn't a likely Broadway bound work and didn't have a legacy run. It did however develop a cult following, both before and after Its time on the Great White Way. Therefore, it isn't a surprise that an up-and-coming, savvy production team has brought it to Toronto.

Starring Mark Allen as Jeff, Justin Bott as Hunter, Jayme Armstrong as Heidi, Shelley Simester as Susan and Musical Director Anthony Bastianon as Larry, this veteran cast really has their work cut out for them. Not only is the material dense and sophisticated but with a rehearsal time of only a few weeks there is a lot of pressure on these guys to deliver. When we sat down with them yesterday we wanted to find out how the process has been so far and what they are most excited about.

None of the cast members or director Tim French had seen [Title of Show] prior to getting involved with Angelwalk's production. Although some of them were familiar with the original cast recording. We asked them if that, or the fact that they were playing characters based on real people, was a challenge for them. And while they acknowledged that playing actual people was something they had considered, ultimately the characters had to be there own or the show wouldn't feel true. And as Jayme Armstrong pointed out the script is written in such a real way that it would be difficult not to play it naturally.

We had a good laugh with them about all of [Title of Show]'s obscure inside theatre jokes, asking them if they were familiar with all of the refrences. They told us that in many ways it would be impossible to know all of the refrences made in [Title of Show]. But that didn't worry them when it comes to the audiences' appreciation for the production. Mark pointed out the universal nature and relatability of the script, saying that even when the inside jokes don't land it is the heart of the piece that shines through. And Jayme added that ultimately the show is about the creative process, which is something theatre-goers will aprreciate. Theatre geeks will love it for all the refrences and inside jokes but the audience will love it because [Title of Show] exposes the world of theatre like never before. And it does so with great music, humor and pannache.

As for working together, the cast, directed by Tim French, seem to be gelling. Considering how small the theatre community is in Canada, it isn't a surprise that many of them have worked together before, and undoubtably have inside jokes of their own. But we were surprised by their responses when asked how working with such a small cast has affected the experience. For Shelley Simester it wasn't a big depature, "as a six foot tall woman," she doesn't usually get cast as the ingenue and has often worked with smaller casts. Music Director Anthony Bastianon, went even further saying that smaller productions are commonplace in the regional theatre world in Canada, for very practical reasons. Cost being first among them. But with a small cast comes certain challenges, Justin Bott pointed out that being one of four puts an enormous amount of pressure on each actor to really know the material and understand it well. And Jayme added that with a show of this size there just isn't the kind of down time in rehearsal for review. It is a heck of a lot of work for these guys just to get all of the script and music under their belts. Not to mention developing characters and chemistry with one another. But Mr. Bastianon is not worried about the music. He says these guys sound amazing together.

As for working at the Studio Theatre at the Yonge Centre for the Performing Arts, Director Tim French felt strongly that the space really suited this show. As he put it, "the audience is right there," and with a show as intimate as [Title of Show] that will only enhance the theatre-going expierence. And, he pointed out, the Studio space is much more in keeping with the original production done for the New York Musical Theatre Festival or NYMF, than say a 1,000 seat house on Broadway.

In closing, we asked Mr. French how he felt this production might be similar or different to the one originally produced in New York. He told us that he had purposeley avoided watching footage of any of the actual production that is online because he wanted Angelwalk's production to be entirely Its own. But, he said, "As a director my job is to understand the intentions of the writer(s) and be true to that," rather than to create a show that visually looks the same. "Ultimately," French said, "if we have done our jobs right, that is what will feel the same about this production and the original."

[Title of Show] runs from September 24, to October 13th at the Studio Theatre at the Yonge Centre for the Performing Arts. For tickets and more information regarding the Toronto Premiere of [Title of Show] please click the header!

LM & JH

[TITLE OF SHOW] coming to Toronto!

I was just online checking out the website for one of my favourite shows of all time - [Title of Show] and lo and behold I discovered that there is a production of it coming to Toronto!!!

I saw this show in New York a few years ago and fell in love with it. It was moving, funny (read: it was hilarious), it had heart, a great message, a wonderful cast and a score that really highlighted the shows overall charm. I urge all real theatre fans to check out this show and see for yourself just how powerful the piece really is. It is definitely a show for theatre buffs!

Click the header to get tickets from ticketmaster. It is playing up at the Young Centre in their studio space and is being presented by Angelwalk Theatre Company!

About Angelwalk:
" Angelwalk Theatre is a brand-new not-for-profit professional theatre company dedicated to producing artistically exciting theatrical works, with a special focus on musical theatre. The company is committed to providing opportunities for both emerging and established Canadian theatre professionals. Angelwalk Theatre will be residing in the Studio Theatre at the Toronto Centre for the Arts starting this fall and will present two shows annually. "

I say, Angelwalk sounds EXCELLENT!

JHaley

(Pic is of Susan Blackwell from the Broadway cast of [Title of Show].

Susan Blackwell workshop

Playbill.com is reporting that one of my favorite [tos]ers Susan Blackwell is giving a one day creativity workshop in New York in January. How I hope that fits into my schedule. I would die to meet her, especially since Justin already did. Check out the article here.

[Title Of Show] opening on Broadway July 17th. This show has already revolutionized how theatre is marketed, and it is sure to be a big Broadway hit... check out their website to see what I mean http://www.titleofshow.com/

-Liza Mattimore