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, we are approaching the end of rosé season and moving ourselves slowly to the reds (at least this is how I mark the changing of the seasons — and there is nothing wrong with that!!)
To help make our transition easier, this Sunday, Sept 13 we can treat ourselves to MCC Theater’s glorious annual gala, Miscast, which this year is going virtual and we can all enjoy it…for free! Here’s the premise: Imagine your favorite Broadway stars performing songs from roles they were NEVER born to play. That’s Miscast. Get ready to be entertained by a star-studded lineup of theatre artists, including Leslie Odom Jr. and Phillipa Soo from Hamilton and so many more. It will livestream at 8 pm ET and you can register here.
The life of the late U.S. Congressman John Lewis, who was an inspiration to so many, has been chronicled in a wonderful new documentary, John Lewis: Good Trouble. It’s being shown by not-for-profit organisations across the U.S. to celebrate his life and his legacy. Tickets are $12 and include the film rental, exclusive access to special features, including an interview between Congressman Lewis and Oprah Winfrey, and an invitation to a live streamed panel discussion on September 21 at 8 p.m. ET taking place at the New Jersey Centre Performing Arts Centre. This will be a special evening indeed.
The National Ballet of Canada kicked off its virtual season this week by announcing a series of three solo creations, created in isolation and filmed in partnership with Toronto’s Evergreen Bricks Works. Called Expansive Dances, the first aired Sept 10 and the next is scheduled for Sept 15. The series was created by choreographic associates Robert Binet, Guillaume Côté and Alysa Pires. It’s as beautiful as you would expect everything to be from the National Ballet. You can find a link to the series here.
The Irish Rep Theatre is an intimate, beautiful space that promotes itself as Irish Drama; New York Style, which captures it perfectly. Many of you lovely readers would have joined me in watching their gorgeous virtual performance of Conor McPherson’s The Weir, which was in equal parts haunting, quiet and deeply moving. Well, lucky for us, the Irish Rep has a full digital season which has just been launched. It starts on Thursday, Sept 17 with acclaimed Irish violinist Gregory Harrington, who takes over the Irish Rep stage to present an eclectic and intimate musical evening of unique interpretations of traditional and contemporary songs. The event is free with a suggested donation of $10. Pour yourself a glass of Jameson (no ice) and enjoy!!
Let’s end with a reader recommendation. On Sept 23, Samar Hejazi, a Toronto-based multi-disciplinary artist who mingles her technical background in architecture, graphic design with new media art, will premiere her latest textile installation, An Unravelling, at Toronto’s Plumb gallery.
Samar has used her art to question conceptual ideas of identity, culture, tradition, home, and humanness, and to make visible her own personal struggles, growth and explorations within them. I very much look forward to seeing this and learning more. You can register for her exhibition here.
Enjoy!!
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.