It’s that time of year again – time to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. So put your hands together and give a resounding cheer for the Arden Theatre’s Made in Canada season celebrating our nation’s 150th anniversary.
All the artists are Canadian and deftly tackle virtually every genre out there. Tickets are available at 780-459-1542 or at ticketmaster.ca.
• Right out of the gate on Sunday, Jan. 15, the Arden starts with the film Away From Her, a tender and poignant exploration of how Alzheimer’s disease intrudes in the life of an older couple. Directed by Sarah Polley, the Canadian movie stars a dynamic cast that includes Gordon Pinsent, Julie Christie and Olivia Dukakis.
• Barry Allen & The New Rebels hit the boards on Saturday, Jan. 21 reliving their rock’n roll roots as never before. Allen, an Edmonton singer-guitarist-producer and multiple award winner, enjoyed a No. 1 record, Lovedrops in 1967. It was reissued this year and is pivotal for the band’s re-entry into the music scene.
• Singing With Sylvia, the high queen of the munchkin crowd, returns on Wednesday, Jan. 25. The Saskatchewan-based (Sylvia) Chave sets in motion her colourful world of make-believe with toddler hits about blankie blues and stinky feet.
• For anyone tired of cold days and dark nights, the Marco Claveria Project promises to heat up Friday, Jan. 27. The Chilean-born Claveria, a 2015 World Music Awards Winner, fuses Afro-Peruvian, Brazilian, Cuban and Chilean music to create an electric, bootie-shaking beat.
• The Arden pays tribute to the New North Collective on Saturday, Jan. 28. The seven, mixed singer-musician ensemble from the Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories blends their backgrounds to create music that fuses folk, traditional, jazz, rock, spoken word and throat singing.
• From the moment Margaret Sinclair started dating Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau through to their marriage, birth of three children, divorce and bi-polar disorder, the public has always carefully scrutinized her. As the author of four books, Trudeau ventures to the Arden on Friday, Feb. 3 to discuss her best seller, Changing My Mind, and the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
• The masterful Jim Witter makes a stop on Saturday, Feb. 4 with The Long & Winding Road, a multi-media exploration of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s incredible songwriting relationship.
• Fans of classic country may want to consider Lisa Brokop: The Patsy Cline Project on Friday, Feb. 10. One of the most nominated and award-winning Canadian country vocalists, Brokop not only pays homage to Cline’s great hits, but also includes original material written specially for the project.
• After a decade of absence, The Bills return on Saturday, Feb. 11. The British Columbia fivesome are two-time Juno Award nominees with world-class credentials in folk, roots, jazz and world grooves. Their 2016 release, Trail of Tales, reflects the compositional talents of the quintet’s individual gifts.
• Anyone who enjoyed the classic tale The Pied Piper of Hamelin will get a kick out of Axis Theatre’s comedic mash-up of Hamelin: A New Fable on Sunday, Feb. 12. Stretching the boundaries of live theatre, the refreshed family fable melds mime, dance, puppetry, clown arts and acrobatics.
• Recognized internationally for her operatic career, Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman shifts gears with Songs of Freedom, a personal album that documents her roots and discovery of Cameroonian ancestry on Friday, Feb. 17.
• The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer, one of St. Albert’s most in-demand gigs, is back on Saturday, Feb. 18. Shawn ‘The Harpoonist’ Hall and Matthew ‘The Axe Murderer’ Rogers, known for their energetic live shows and commanding stage presence, are gearing up for the release of a 2017 album.
• In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Canada’s Ballet Jörgen makes its debut on the Arden stage with the timeless and classic Swan Lake on Friday, Feb. 24. Prepare to enjoy the fresh Canadian plot twists, a signature of the Ontario ballet troupe.
• Bach Tots presents Once Upon a Season, a mini-exploration about the change of the seasons on Wednesday, March 15. Bach Tots mixes ballet, physical theatre, urban dance, drama, music and circus for the five-and-under crowd.
• Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Juno Award winner Rose Cousins performs her folk-pop vocals on Friday, March 17. She will introduce her new album Natural Conclusion, a journey into sadness, pain and the desire for love.
• Rarely seen on western plains, NIYAZ performs on Saturday, March 18. The Montreal based duo of Azam Ali and Loga Ramin Torkian borrow medieval Sufi poetry and folk songs from Iran and Persian Gulf countries, and add acoustic instrumentation and electronic rhythms.
• Taking a break from live performance, the Paul Gross film Men With Brooms, a comedic take on curling and some not-quite-together guys, sweeps in on Sunday, March 19.
• Action-packed Delhi 2 Dublin is back raising the roof on Friday, March 31 with their loud exuberant, continent-crossing sounds. The Vancouver fivesome play their latest album, We’re All Desi, a swaggering homage to their fave Bollywood records.
• Quebec based Maz, arriving on Friday, March 31, melds traditional music and jazz with a combination of acoustic and electric to give the province’s traditional identity a new, modern edge.
• Fubar, the cult film and Fubar 2 hit the Arden screen on Sunday, April 2. In these two goofball classics, best buddies Terry and Dean go through life together shotgunning beers, forming bands, growing hockey hair, working at Fort Mac and sleeping with the same chick.
• Manitoba’s serendipitous Small Glories and Alberta roots songsmith John Wort Hannam play a double bill on Thursday, April 20. The Small Glories have released their debut album Wondrous Traveler while the Juno nominated Wort Hannam entertains with his most personal collection of songs to date, Love Lives On.
• Closing the season is The Jivin’ Belles, an Edmonton harmony swing group inspired by the Andrews Sisters harmonies. The show is June. 27.
