Plum Viewing

Welcome to the latest edition of Plum Viewing, my weekly roundup of arts and culture to enjoy online.

Hello lovely readers. Let me start by apologizing for not sharing Plum Viewing last week and for not letting you know the week before. Mr. Fairs and I took (another) trip away to meet up with friends and visit a few old haunts. Our trip included a glorious stay at The Ivy, which was absolutely wonderful in every possible way. For everyone planning a visit to Toronto or a staycation, put this on your list!

Our trip was also a great reminder of the magic of real life interactions. It was SO great seeing dear friends in person. And, I’m thrilled that we’re seeing so many real life happenings in theatres and outside spaces across the country and the world. So, so fantastic!!

So, on that happy note, here are this week’s picks. Enjoy!

Let’s start with two living legends: Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. On Tuesday, August 3, New York’s Town Hall hosted Putting It Together: An Evening with James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim. The evening was a launch for Lapine’s new book in which he tells the story of Sunday in the Park with George, which was his first collaboration with Sondheim. The pair would go on to create Broadway classics like Into the Woods, Merrily We Roll Along, Passion and many more. Our moderator for the evening was none other than award winning actress Christine Baranski, with special guest stars of the original production of Sunday In The Park With George, Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. Wow!! Talk about too much talent in a room. Lucky for us, this glorious event is streamlining from August 5–12. Tickets are $25 and you can purchase yours here.

As part of its Music of My Life series, the Royal Conservatory of Music spoke with Wynton Marsalis, trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Listening to Marsalis talk about music, including how he toured across New Orleans with his beloved father, is captivating. He speaks with such passion and authority that the 45 minute conversation just flies by. It’s a lovely soundtrack as you type away at home. You can listen for free here.

Now I’m afraid I am going to take away our warm, comfortable blanket of jazz and Broadway now and introduce the North American premiere of The Cordelia Dream from acclaimed Irish playwright Marina Carr. Here’s the premise: “In a response to one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, King Lear, the play opens with the mysterious and tense confrontation of Woman and Man. When Woman, haunted by her dream of Cordelia and King Lear, confronts Man, their disturbed relationship is exposed. Fast forward five years, and she returns again for one final visit. Will the two be able to see eye to eye? Or will the meeting lead to mutually assured destruction?” Carr explores the complex nature of families and how we handle the darkness within. Ok, I’m spooked! Brought to us by the Irish Rep theatre, the performances are streamed free of charge with a recommended donation of $25. You can reserve your ticket here.

Let’s stay with Shakespeare and travel to Winnipeg (I bet I lost you here!). The Winnipeg theatre company Shakespeare In The Ruins (SIR) has just released its first digital production; a bilingual production of A Winter’s Tale, which is getting rave reviews. Filmed outside, it is available to stream until August 8 (so a trip to Winnipeg is not required but lovely to do nonetheless!) Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here.

After spending this much time with the Bard, it only makes sense that we now move to…what else but cabaret, of course. The fine folks at Feinstein’s/54 Below have welcomed its audience back indoors but they still are offering online performances (thank you!!) On Saturday, we can livestream the irrepressible André De Shields’s show “Black by Popular Demand: A Musical Meditation on How Not to Be Eaten by the Sphinx.” Readers might remember Mr. De Shields from his Tony winning performance in Hadestown, which is returning to Broadway on Sept 2. Yay!!

And, to end, a podcast recommendation. BBC’s Broadcasting House is a weekly one hour news show that includes everything you would expect from our friends across the pond. We have a round-up of the Sunday papers (still an institution in England), discussed by a group of personalities from all walks of life; a slow radio segment, which last week featured the sounds of two different men cutting their hedge (I kid you not!); and my personal favourite, Sounds from the Bandstand which features community choirs performing in local bandstands across the UK. Of course, we have all the usual things as well: news, politics and interviews. Our host is the wonderful Paddy O’Connell, who is witty, dry and self deprecating in a way that only brits can be. Last week featured a very “scientific” test to determine if seagulls are provoked by certain colours. No expense was shared as our presenter added food dye to three slices of white bread on a Devon beach and we all listened with bated breath for the result (spoiler alert: our flying friends are not fans of red). Honestly, I walk the streets of Montreal on Sunday mornings with the biggest smile on my face as I listen. Enjoy!!

See you next week my lovely readers!

And, an ask: While we’re enjoying these wonderful performances, let’s remember that for the arts organizations producing this incredible content, this is their livelihood; not a hobby. If we can, now is our time to continue to support our incredible arts community!

And, if you’d like to receive Plum Viewing weekly, send me a note at maggiefairs@gmail.com and I will add you to my mailing list.