Northern Light Theatre kicks off its season with Heroine, an unusual swashbuckling piece about two female pirates. It is 1720 and the true life unlikely pairing of Ann Bonny and Mary Read reveals two desperate women left to rot in a Jamaican jail under sentence of death.
Through this piece, playwright Karen Bassett questions what makes a heroine. Bonny and Read are in the Caribbean prison on charges of piracy, murder and impersonating a man.
But it is the dynamic of the women — one born into a family of plantation privilege and the other raised in poverty — that ultimately fuels a provocative, dynamic, action-packed script.
For artistic associate Ellen Chorley, choreographer Calvin Malaka’s stage fight scenes are some of the best she’s seen in a long time.
“In fights, women are usually the victims, not the aggressors. This time, there are two strong women that are equally matched. The fights are exciting because you don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s exciting to see two women fight, and it’s not over a man.”
Heroine is the first of NLT’s season featuring three all-female shows, and this production stars two of Edmonton’s shining lights, Lora Brovold and Natascha Girgis.
Heroine runs from Sept. 17 to Sept. 24 at NLT (#201, 8908 99 St.). Tickets are $25 adults, $20 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at the door, by calling NLT at 780-471-1586 or online at www.northernlighttheatre.com.
It is the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s 60th anniversary and the internationally acclaimed ensemble rolls out the 2011-2012 Robbins Pop Series with Wicked Divas.
New York Pops music director Steven Reineke guest leads the Pops concert with audience favourites from Chicago, Ragtime, Titanic and The Phantom of the Opera.
“Basically the focus is on strong ‘diva’ women through the years — Broadway, opera, popular music and film,” said Reineke in an interview. “For example, there are selections from Gypsy and Carmen as well as Liza Minnelli, Gloria Estefan, Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion.”
Casting an additional enchanting spell on the evening are stars Julia Murney and Stephanie J. Block of the Tony-award winning Broadway hit Wicked. Both stars played the witch Elphaba.
The Francis Winspear Centre is host to Wicked Divas tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $24 to $85 and can be purchased at 780-428-1414 or online at www.winspearcentre.com.
The Empress Hotel in Victoria is famous across Canada for its British afternoon tea. But in Edmonton, a new high tea has come to town.
Firefly Theatre is offering High Tea with aerial artists suspended from the rafters of the TransAlta Arts Barn. Just picture aerial artists as floating butlers serving champagne and sweets in a variety of aerial installations.
And jazz improviser/composer Thom Golub will accompany this chandelier-style event.
High Tea is on Sunday, Sept. 18, from 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $50 and are available at 780-420-1757 or online at www.tixonthesquare.ca.
Once again, Edmonton’s Leonard Cohen fans have a chance to celebrate some of the revered Canadian singer-songwriter’s songs ranging from the great hits to the more obscure works.
Taking place tonight at La CitĂ© francophone, Leonard Cohen Night 2011 features the headline talents of Alberta chanteuse Crystal Plamondon. Opening for her is Edmonton folk musician Ido van der Laan, Janaya Ellis of Souljah Fyah and Edmonton’s Poet Laureate, Anna Marie Sewell.
The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 and are available online at www.leonardcohennights.org or [email protected].
La Cité francophone is located at 8627 rue Marie Anne Gaboury.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the Gazette wrote a brief story that local rockers Tupelo Honey had entered a Battle of the Bands competition to win a berth performing on a cruise ship sailing in the Caribbean.
But they needed fans to hit a few keystrokes and vote for them. Patriotic fans eager to cast a vote for the favourite band were directed to a website but they couldn’t figure out how to do it.
It seems the initial supplied link to the website was incorrect. So if you’re into supporting this nationally acclaimed St. Albert band, just go online to: http://www.facebook.com/GetShipRocked?sk=app_205521576149308.
The deadline to vote is Friday, Sept. 23, at 3 p.m.
