Plum Viewing
Welcome to the latest edition of Plum Viewing, my weekly roundup of arts and culture to view online.
Hello lovely readers. What a week I’ve had! I had the great pleasure of being a part of the Canadian Arts Summit, an annual gathering of Canada’s arts leaders. Such an inspiring group of executive directors, artistic directors and board chairs from across the country, each bringing their remarkable skills to shape the future of arts in Canada. To quote one of these leaders, the ridiculously talented Sasha Suda, CEO of the National Gallery of Canada, “I am so excited to be a part of this moment of change.” Me, too!
Dear readers, we are in very good hands!
So with that, here are this week’s picks, largely inspired by the talent across our great country.
Let’s start with Toronto’s Soulpepper led by the uber talented Weyni Mengesha, who I am happy to say was a speaker at this year’s Summit. Soulpepper recently launched Around the World in 80 Plays, eight audio dramas celebrating the global ‘canon’ with works from Russia, India, Argentina, Jamaica, Iran, Nigeria, Italy, and Canada, performed by Canada’s leading theatre artists. New content is released every week and you can get your passport here.
Okay, let’s move from here to the National Ballet of Canada’s digital Spotlight Series (you should breathe a sigh of relief that I didn’t use the dreaded ‘pivot’ word here — I could have, but I didn’t. And, you’re welcome!). The Ballet’s fearless leader, Barry Hughson, also joined us this week.
Running just 30 minutes, these performances are exquisite. And, this week we are treated to The Dreamers Ever Leave You and how’s this for Canadiana. Directed by Canada’s Ben Shirinian, choreographed by Toronto’s Robert Binet and inspired by the work of Canada’s Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris, who was himself inspired by Canada’s northern landscapes, it was first performed at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The only thing missing is Jon Mitchell (we could ONLY dream!). Break out the maple syrup and watch this gorgeous performance here.
Okay, let’s stay with dance and once again enjoy the talent of Sandra Laronde, executive and artistic director of Red Sky Performance (and another speaker this week — we were indeed blessed) with the Canadian premiere of Firestarter, The Story of Bangarra. Here’s how it’s described, “Against all odds and at great personal cost, three Aboriginal brothers turn a dance troupe into one of Australia’s leading performing arts companies and forge a language in dance that speaks to the burden of intergenerational trauma and the joyful reclamation of culture.”
Brought to us in association with Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, it’s available from April 29 — May 9, 2021. You can learn more here
Okay, let’s capitalize on our feelings of happiness and joy (or mine at least!) with this gem: Bring Me To Light. The golden ray of light that is Sutton Foster reminds us of the magic of musical theatre with favourites like Anyone Can Whistle, Camelot, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, Violet, The Wild Party, and more. And, joining Sutton are Raúl Esparza, Joaquina Kalukango, Kelli O’Hara, and Wren Rivera. This is truly one of the reasons we get up in the morning. It’s available on demand until May 31 and you can buy a ticket here. And, click here for a sneak peek of what to expect. I’m excited!!
Roulette, in Brooklyn, is one of the best places to hear music in New York. Honestly, I know that’s a bold statement but it’s true. And, because it is in New York, they are open to limited in-person audiences. Thankfully for us, though, they are also still live streaming their performances. This week, Karl Larson, pianist in the trio Bearthoven, makes his Roulette debut performing his first solo album Dark Days, which has been described as ‘marvelous’ and ‘powerful’. It airs for free on May 6 at 8 pm ET. You can find it here.
Okay, we can’t be all sunshine and roses (I am by definition an optimistic pessimist after all!). So, how about this for a reality check: Sexy Lamp, Katie Arnstein’s smart solo show about acting, sexism and the #MeToo movement. It takes its title from Kelly Sue DeConnick’s test to assess the value of female characters in a story — “if you can replace them with a lamp and the plot still functions, the drama fails the test.” Wow, now that is depressing….
The play is funny, frank and full of sharp insights into the ways actors are exploited — groomed, even — by the machinations of an entire industry. Staged at the UK’s Wolverhampton’s Arena theatre, it is on demand from May 1- 5 and you can get your ticket here.
And now back to sunshine, roses and Lin-Manuel Miranda to end! With news that NYC (my former and spiritual hometown) is planning to be fully open on July 1, let’s take a walk down the great white way. This never fails to make me smile, cry and of course, sing! Broadway Carpool Karaoke featuring James Corden, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Audra McDonald, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Jane Krakowski. Trust me. You can need to see this again!
See you next week my lovely readers!
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.