Obsessions Octet finishes tour
In 2017 Obsessions Octet toured London, Budapest and Poland. This year the ensemble is immersed in a four-city tour of Alberta finishing on May 25 and 26 at Yardbird Suite.Led by Juno nominated saxophonist and composer Kent Sangster, the octet is renowned across Canada for its spirited blend of classical, tango and jazz.
Obsessions will perform material from their three albums, Steppin’ Up, Obsession and Melodia in addition to new material.
Pianist Chris Andrew has composed Parisian Summer highlighted with a bright soprano saxophone solo, and big band composer Maria Schneider gifted the octet with Walking By Flashlight, a touching strings piece with sax solo.
The group is also resurrecting Alan Gilliland’s Morse, a Morse code inspired tune he wrote for the octet for its Carnegie Hall performance.
In addition to Sangster and Andrew, the band features Joanna Ciapka-Sangster, Clayton Leung/Yue Deng, Leanne Maitland and Jamie Cooper. St. Albert’s Ronda Metszies and John Taylor are also long time members.
“This concert will present the largest variety in our repertoire,” said Ciapka-Sangster.
Tickets range from $22 to $26. They are available at www.yardbirdsuite.com.
Bat Boy is back
Citadel Theatre’s Young Musical Company is livening up the season with the American rock musical about a half-boy, half-bat who grew up living in a cave.Bat Boy: The Musical, an off-Broadway cult hit, runs May 26 and 27 with 14 of the region’s aspiring triple threats.
Based on a story in The Weekly World News, the musical comedy/horror starts when a half-boy, half-bat is discovered near Hope Falls, Virginia. Unsure of how to proceed, the local sheriff takes him to the town veterinarian.
He is adopted and accepted by the family and taught to act like a normal boy, but when he tries to fit in with the townsfolk, they turn on him.
For every teen searching to find his/her place in the world, this two-act musical has become a social commentary on isolation and acceptance.
Jackie Pooke, assistant director/choreographer at St. Albert Children’s Theatre has mapped out the choreography for this engaging tale. She's jazzed it up in numbers such as Dance With Me and Show You A Thing Or Two.
“It’s very much a heavy music, heavy vocal show. The score is about 300 pages. It’s more of a rock opera in the way it tells the story,” said Pooke.
“Vocally there’s a huge talent. Matt Graham (music director), has done a great job of blending the voices. It’s one of those fringy type of off-the-cuff comedic, a little bit of horror, musicals.”
Tickets are available at www.citadeltheatre.com.
