Arden Theatre mid-season roundup

The Arden Theatre has attracted top-tier talent routinely for more than three decades. But with scores of regional theatres competing for audiences, programmers face bigger challenges.

However, creativity is the middle name of any veteran programmer, and Caitlin North, the Arden’s professional programming presenter has booked one of her strongest lineups yet.

With 16 shows, the mix caters to just about every taste. Four shows are already sold-out: rock musician Matthew Good’s acoustic show, the Golden Girls puppetry show Thank You For Being a Friend, Irish super group Lúnasa and blues-gospel singer Ruthie Foster.

Although no tickets remain for Foster’s show at the Arden, North recommends fans contact the Dow Centennial Centre's Shell Theatre in Fort Saskatchewan where seats are still available for her May 2 concert.

Below is a roundup of Arden concerts with tickets still available.

January

When not recording or touring with his older brother, Joey Landreth goes full throttle on his solo project, Joey Landreth Trio.

“He’s a fantastic songwriter, a great guitarist and a wonderful singer. It’s hard to deny the quality of show he puts on, and he connects very well with the audience. And his music is accessible, but not what everyone else is doing,” said North.

St. Albert-based Altameda, one of the hottest regional pop-rock bands, is the opener.

“Altameda’s musicians were born and raised in St. Albert and they have lots of support from the community. In fact, some their families still live here. It’s kind of a nice split.

Cathy Jones and Bruce McCulloch – Tuesday, Jan. 22
Comedy

Just when life gets overly serious, a healthy dose of infectious laughter is just what the doctor ordered.

Cathy Jones from This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Kids in the Hall alumnus Bruce McCulloch have teamed up for a special double bill performance of their new touring show.

“Cathy is from that same generation of comics as Mary Walsh – that same kind of East Coast humour. Bruce’s comedy is pretty much like the Kids in the Hall stuff. He pushes a lot of boundaries and brings light to things people are not willing to talk about whether it’s family dysfunction or sexual orientation,” North noted.

Loudon Wainwright III – Friday, Jan. 25
Roots

In the last year, Loudon Wainwright III has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. In September 2018, he released his latest album, Years in the Making. It’s a 45-song compilation of off-beaten tracks, orphaned album cuts, and his folk years from the ’60s onward.

Wainwright also released a Netflix special titled Surviving Twin, a tribute to his father Loudon Wainwright Jr., a former LIFE Magazine columnist.

“He’s a genuinely funny and prolific storyteller. And he’s not afraid to be political and going by the state of the world, he may have a few things to say.”

February

Syrian clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh has such an utterly distinctive musical sound across multiple genres, it’s gained him international recognition and a Grammy Award.

Trained as a classical composer he was part of the Damascus Philharmonic, before fleeing Syria as the country exploded into civil war.

Based in New York, Azmeh continues to perform in great classical halls across the world and was part of Yo-Yo Mah’s Silk Road Ensemble.

“He’s also a great composer of jazz and world compositions and this is what he does with Kinan Azmeh’s CityBand,” North said.

Will Stroet presents Will’s Jams Live – Saturday, Feb. 16
Family/Music

This children’s show is having a slow start, however, organizers hope that as the Family Day Weekend approaches, more tickets will be snapped up.

North says this show will be more tech savvy than Will’s previous shows.

“They’ll be integrating different visuals for the screen at the back. The inspiration came when they toured China and they played in larger venues. It gave them the opportunity to create a more multi-media show.

Celtara – Tuesday, Feb. 19 at St. Albert Community Hall
Celtic/Roots

Tickets are selling quickly for this staple of the region’s Celtic music scene, especially after Celtara just released their third recording, Seven Long Years.

“A lot of people are coming to the day programming in the community hall. We’re getting a great representation for daytime programming and for many people it’s a good opportunity to see something in the middle of the day. The afternoon programming has taken a few years to catch on, but we were confident it would.”

March

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia returns with a black light puppetry version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

“We’re running two shows in one day and we’ll be close to sold out by March. In my book, you can’t go wrong with Mermaid Theatre. They do such a good job of turning classics into puppet theatre.

The 11 a.m. show is slated as “relaxed theatre,” a sensory friendly performance where different supports will be available such as noise cancelling devices and sunglasses. The 3 p.m. performance is a regular show.

Lorraine Klaasen – Wednesday, March 27
World

This concert is also one of the season’s slower sellers.

“Lorraine Klaasen is not a household name, but she is worth taking a risk. She brings out a different flavour. She’s originally from South Africa, but now lives in Montreal. Lorraine was heavily influenced by the legends and female singers in her homeland especially Miriam Makeba.”

Until her death in 2008, Makeba was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, United Nations goodwill ambassador and civil-rights activist.

“Lorraine Klaasen’s music is joyful and uplifting and it will get people dancing. And it is a good introduction to a different art form.”

Five Alarm Funk – Friday, March 29
Funk/R&B/Soul

Just Google Five Alarm Funk’s official website and you’ll see the Juno nominated band dripping with globs of sweat as they feverishly attack their instruments during a flashy concert.

This horn-powered, percussion-fuelled eight-piece also wants their fans to stand up, dance and join them in a sweat-a-thon.

“This is going to be our party show for the season. They generally don’t play theatres. They’re more of a club band. But they’re so much fun, so full of energy, you can expect the audience to get up and dance.”

April

Some people think getting old is a drag. Not Judy Collins. She still has the chops and belongs to a gold dust group of passionate road warriors such as Jerry Granelli, Loretta Lynn and Tony Bennett that continue making music into their eighties.

Throughout her five decades of work, she has recorded about 50 albums of eclectic material. At the Arden show, she will perform a solo show of varied selections from her vast catalogue.

David Francey – Thursday, April 11
Roots

When Scottish Canadian tunesmith David Francey presented his 1999 debut album, Torn Screen Door, the nation’s folk community immediately sat up and took notice.

Two decades later, the three-time Juno Award recipient continues to charm by spinning tall tales and singing rootsy songs.

“For a guy who generally gets up there with only a mike and an accompanying guitar player, he can really fill a room. He’s the Everyman artist.”

Francey is on a cross-country tour for his latest album release, The Broken Heart of Everything.

Colleen Brown Sings the Joni Mitchell Songbook – Saturday, April 13
Roots/Pop

To say Colleen Brown is a Joni Mitchell fan is the understatement of the year. Mitchell is one of Brown’s biggest influences and few artists are able to interpret the celebrated singer’s body of work with Brown’s confidence and understanding.

“Joni just turned 75 and you could call this a love letter to her. Colleen will be putting together a group of local artists as her backup band and they’ll be playing the songs.”