Plum Viewing
Welcome to the latest edition of Plum Viewing, my weekly roundup of arts and culture to view online. Happy viewing!
Well, dear Plum readers, we have made it to December. Given how crazy this year has been, I feel as though this achievement, in and of itself deserves a medal or at the very least a cocktail! Here are a few suggestions to start your weekend off properly: Sazerac (thanks, Julia for this suggestion!), Paloma (one of my favs) and the Sidecar (a fav of my sister-in-law).
So,what to watch as we enjoy our cocktail of choice? Well, how about Gregory Harrington on stage at the Irish Rep Theatre. Gregory is an acclaimed Irish violinist whose eclectic style offers unique interpretations of traditional and contemporary songs (including some Celtic favourites). Plum readers might remember that this concert first premiered in September but lucky for us, it is being shown again. I strongly suspect this will be tonight’s soundtrack for Friday night cocktails and a cheese board with Mr. Fairs. And, why not?! It’s streaming for free with a suggested donation of $10. You can access the concert here.
Let’s go back to another favourite, the Stratford Festival. On December 10 at 6:30 pm ET, they are hosting a watch party for Des McAnuff’s 2008 production of Caesar and Cleopatra, starring Christopher Plummer (who is now 90 years old!) as Caesar and Nikki M. James as Cleopatra. Christopher Plummer and Stratford work together like your favourite 7 year old cheddar and a top quality Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s just a beautiful pairing! This production is part of Stratford @Home, their new online subscription service. It would make a wonderful holiday gift — just saying :) You can learn more and subscribe here.
As part of Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre’s acoustic season, this week they are bringing us Sibs. This play, which was first produced in 2000, is focused on adult siblings dealing with their parents’ estate. So, really nothing could go wrong here?!
It was written by Diane Flacks, Richard Greenblatt and directed by the uber talented and Plum favourite Alisa Palmer. Tickets are $12.50 and can be purchased here. Once purchased, the link is available for 24 hours.
Crystal Pite is an internationally renowned choreographer who was just awarded the Order of Canada. Earlier this year, she teamed up with theatre artist Jonathon Young and Canadian Stage to bring us Revisor, a dance-theatre hybrid that The Guardian described as memorizing. Here’s the premise: Revisor is a riff on Nikolai Gogol’s 1836 play The Government Inspector, a farce about corruption and misinformation in the Russian empire. If this sounds heavy, fear not. This production is upbeat, energetic and completely original. While we don’t have a recording from Canadian Stage, our friends across the pond at the BBC were smart enough to capture it and we can enjoy this recording on CBC Gem. The Commonwealth in action :)
Okay, let’s end with a little bit of joy and wonderment that can only be performed by our very own, Cirque du Soleil. Here’s Kurious, Cabinet of Curiosities, a 60-minute special guaranteed to delight all of us.
Enjoy!!
And, and 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.