Fresh and vibrant. That’s the mantra as Edmonton Opera prepares to launch a flamboyant take on Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado.
There are no sacred cows left. And just as Gilbert and Sullivan took their rapier pen and skewered society’s traditional values, so is director Rob Herriot doing away with old kimonos and cherry blossoms.
In their stead he’s introduced an outrageous vision more in tune with Tokyo’s Harajuku district, a renowned capital for youth culture that espouses the contemporary anime look with bold, playful colours that suggest just a hint of the naughty.
Designer Deanna Finnman has introduced costumes adapted from the brightly adorned Ganguro girls, the leather clad rockabilly dancers in Yoyogi Park and Victorian doll-like Lolitas.
It’s in this contemporary world where the young Nanki-Poo falls in love with teenage Yum-Yum much to the dismay of his powerful father, the Mikado.
Complementing Herriot’s vision are the feature artists John Avey (Mikado), Andriana Chuchman (Yum-Yum), Scott Scully (Nanki-Poo) and Erin Lawson (Pitti-Sing).
The Edmonton Opera hosts The Mikado at the Jubilee Auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 4, Tuesday, Feb. 7, and Thursday, Feb. 9. Tickets are $35 to $175. Go online to www.ticketmaster.ca
Once again Blue Man Group is on tour with planned stops in Edmonton from March 27 to April 1.
It’s tough to describe three bald and blue characters who take the audience on a journey that is funny, intelligent and visually stunning. Accompanying them is a live band, whose tribal rhythms drive the show to its climax.
Blue Man Group is best known for theatrical shows that combine music, comedy and multi-media theatrics to produce a totally new form of entertainment.
Currently it has touring shows in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Vegas, Orlando, Berlin and Tokyo.
Tickets go on sale Monday, Feb. 6. Call toll-free at 1-855-985-5000 or online at www.ticketmaster.ca.
Firefly Theatre is about to debut its newest spectacle, Sky Life, this weekend at Metropolis, Edmonton’s newest winter festival.
Sky Life is an imaginary exploration of the mysterious night sky. Through a colourful fusion of circus, stilt walking and theatre, Firefly weaves a story of The Ugly Duckling with a mythical tale of the constellations. The show is about 35 minutes long.
The featured artists are Firefly founder Annie Dugan along with Margaret Field, Randall Fraser, Danny Gorham, Lyne Gosselin, Jon Paterson, Aytahnn Ross, Kristi Wade and Jane Walden.
The show runs on Sir Winston Churchill Square from Feb. 3 to 5 at 8 p.m. nightly with additional shows on Feb. 4 and 5 at 4 p.m. Admission is free.
