Plum Viewing
Welcome to the latest edition of Plum Viewing, my weekly roundup of arts and culture to view online. Happy viewing!
Well, dear readers, welcome to 2021. I have missed you!!
I do hope everyone took time to relax, read, eat and be merry over the holidays (a tad too much of the latter for me and Mr Fairs but hey, this is a no judgment space).
I must start by saying that I truly thought we could leave the phrase, ‘it’s been a week’ in 2020. Alas, I don’t think we’re going to be that lucky. As no one comes to Plum Viewing to read about politics, I will begin our first edition of 2021 with a quote from the always on point Taffy Brodesser-Akner, staff writer for the NY Times and author of the amazing book Fleishman is in Trouble and of course, a consistent voice of reason on Twitter who tweeted on Wednesday, “art will save us”. So, here we go. This week’s picks to cheer us up.
Let’s start with something guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and get you moving (and let’s face it, after all the holiday chocolate, we ALL need to move!)
Swingin’ the Dream is a gorgeous collaboration between London’s Young Vic Theatre and New York’s Theatre for a New Audience. It’s described as “ a jazz-infused version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and it first opened in 1939 with a cast that included Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Benny Goodman. I mean. Can you even imagine?!
It starts on January 9 and once purchased your ticket is valid for seven days. Tickets are 10 GBP (approximately $15 Cdn) and can be found here. What a fabulous and fun start to 2021!!
Let’s continue the music theme with The Motown Project. Here, we’re blessed with the beautiful sounds of mezzo-soprano Alicia Hall Moran, who is gaining international recognition for her technical virtuosity and brilliant musical interpretations which cover classical, jazz, and Broadway. Fun fact: She was once the understudy to none other than the great dame herself, Ms. Audra McDonald. So, we’re in good hands here.
In The Motown Project, Alicia treats us to a reworking of the Motown songbook. Think of it as an aria fusing Sugar Pie Honey Bunch with Mozart. Or, here’s how a New York Times theatre critic described it, “think of it as Motown recordings as a Schubertian song cycle winding through the stages of a love affair — from declamation, assurance, doubt, disappointment, to anger. In a word, it’s brilliant.”
It starts streaming for free on Friday, January 8 until Jan 17. The running time is one hour and you can RSVP here.
Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre is back with its acoustic series, which this month features the time honoured play, It’s all true. Here’s the background: Set in 1937, it is based on the true story of theater legend Orson Welles’s attempt to get a controversial, pro-union play in front of an audience despite threats from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This was a time when many Americans were unemployed and steel workers were dying in violent protests; sentiment both for and against the labour movement is running high. Under pressure from conservative politicians, the WPA padlocks the theater that Welles has been using for his productions. His team, which is already split by artistic and political differences, need to find enough common ground to persevere. But, the question is, can they? First performed by Tarragon in 1999, it was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Awards in 2000. This acoustic production runs from January 14 to 28. Single tickets are $12.50 and can be purchased here.
It has been a while since any of us has been to see a live concert and sadly, it will likely be awhile before we get to enjoy one again. I, for one, will never again complain about Toronto’s Great Hall not having any seats (although, we can all agree, that’s wrong, but I digress!). So, leave it to Montreal’s second favourite son (lest we forget Mr. Cohen), Rufus Wainwright, to be our knight in shiny armour (or in Rufus style, I suspect a cape would be involved). Starting tonight, Rufus is hosting “A Rufus Retro Wainwright
Spective”, where he will perform many of his albums through the years, starting with Release the Stars, which is the first album he self produced. A ticket, which is $20, will give you access to the performance for one month. There are a number of shows running throughout January and you can browse the full schedule here. Merci, Rufus!!
Given the events of this week, I feel a need to revisit this event, which took place last year as part of the Munk Dialogues. Aired on November 18, it’s a conversation with Anne Applebaum, bestselling author and a staff writer with The Atlantic about her book, Twilight of Democracy, a startling look at the future of democracy in an era of populist politics and rising authoritarianism. I can not recommend this book enough. It is in equal measures alarming and thought provoking. She uses personal stories to show how things no one could have ever predicted can and in fact do become reality and she dispels myths like, “well, this could not happen to anyone I know.” It’s so worth both reading and discussing. And, on that note, if anyone is interested in a monthly book discussion (fiction and nonfiction) — dare we say, Plum Reading — do let me know!
Finally, did everyone have the opportunity to watch Against the Grain Theatre’s Messiah/Complex. It was, quite deservedly, the belle of the holiday ball, featured on BBC, the NY Times, CBC’s q, as well across Germany, France and Australia. The brainchild of artistic director and founder Joel Ivany, it was filmed against iconic Canadian landscapes, showcasing multilingual translations, and features a diverse cast of soloists and choirs representing every province and territory across Canada. It’s been extended until the end of January and if you haven’t already seen it, go watch it!! It is 80 minute very well spent!! Tickets are pay-what-you can and can be found here.
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.