Sweeney Update: Injuries

Well, it's here! Tomorrow is full dress rehearsal, Wednesday is preview, and Thursday is opening night! I haven't posted in a few days as we've been in rehearsal pretty much every evening for the past two weeks. Today we made use of the Thanksgiving Monday to have our cue-to-cue and do a run-through of the show. We are now in the Jericho Arts Centre, and on the beautiful sets, almost fully costumed.

I think the show is going to be great (not just because I'm in it!) and the buzz that is building is fabulous. We've sold out 70% of the first week, and almost 50% of the entire run, and that's before opening (and reviews). We're getting more and more comfortable with everything, although I have to say at the moment I am distinctly uncomfortable as one of the large industrial scaffolds that form part of our set ran over my foot today in the finale, and I'm pretty sure my big toe is broken. So instead of my usual post-rehearsal run to blow off excess energy, I had to come home, elevate and ice it. Owie. I am not looking forward to putting on my dance shoes tomorrow night for dress rehearsal - hopefully during the day I can get away with wearing comfortable shoes at work...

Get Thee To PechaKucha Night Vol. 13

So, much to my chagrin (because I have Sweeney rehearsal), tonight marks the return of PechaKucha Night to Vancouver. I attended the first few evenings before heading to London, where, sadly and peculiarly, there was no PechaKucha Night. I missed it so and am stoked that it's back.

Not sure what the hell I'm talking about? Well, PechaKucha (Japanese slang for "chit-chat") Night gives 20 presenters 6 minutes and 40 seconds to talk about 20 images (each shown for 20 seconds each) - about - whatever. What's inspiring them, what's enraging them...well, anything really. John Fluevog showed pictures of cool cars that inspired him. A textile designer showed pictures of a recent trip to Italy that were inspiring her. A photographer spoke about women he photographed in the DTES. I'm pretty sure you could get up at PKN and talk about your stamp collection and as long as your slides were cool and you could keep it up for 6 and a half minutes, you'd be warmly received. Passion is really the only unifying theme.

The strict time constraints mean speakers have to really focus on what message they are trying to convey, and allows people like me with wandering attention spans to stay interested and engaged (I can listen to pretty much anyone for 6 minutes). PKN happens all over the world. I like feeling like I'm plugged in to a bigger, more global conversation.

So, if you're around tonight, get on over to the Vogue for PechaKucha Night...and I'll see you at Vol. 14 for sure.

Sweeney Update: Pie Ballets and Parasols

Last night was one doozy of a rehearsal. We blocked the first half of Act Two and spent almost half the time just blocking "God That's Good." It really is a beast of a song, and it will probably be the most choreographed piece in the show, so it took us ages to get through it. In addition to Toby and Mrs. Lovett singing a (sort of) duet, you have several interludes between Sweeney and Mrs. L, and the chorus have meanwhile transformed into pie-craving zombies shrieking for "more hot pies" every few measures. Oi.

I really don't want to give too much away about what we're doing with this number, but Ryan's challenge here was to have an ensemble of 11 appear to be hordes of pie-niacs to demonstrate how successful Mrs. Lovett's meat pie shop has become since she started using...er...fresher ingredients. Our movement will be very stylized to hopefully give the impression of rotating customers - a pie eating factory if you will. And yes - there will a pie ballet. Ryan's words, not mine, but it makes me giggle every time I think about it. No, I will not elaborate. You'll just have to see the show.

We also blocked "By The Sea," Mrs. Lovett's "happily ever after" fantasy of her life with Todd someday, "if the business stays as good." We are paying homage to the almost comic-book like sequence in the Tim Burton movie in this number by creating, through tableau and movement, a kind of seaside reverie. Eric and Patrick will create the sea and sand using swatches of fabric. Kate, Lauren, Laura and myself are bathing beauties with parasols, strolling the esplanade, while Reg, Nick and Matt are...um..."the fishies splashin'." Every time the "fishies" entered I just about died laughing as they frolicked and splashed and jumped around in the "sea." How poor Alex sat there as surly Sweeney without even cracking a smile I'll never know, it was just too funny.

So, on we go tonight with our final (eep!) music rehearsal, and continuing to block Act 2. I am painfully aware that the lunatic/City on Fire sequence is approaching - the staging process for this will be time consuming, I'm sure. Did I mention it's two weeks until opening?!

Sweeney Update: Running Act One

Yesterday was the first of our marathon all-day rehearsals. We started with two hours of music, which included learning the "lunatic" sequence from Act Two, and running over "God That's Good" until I thought if I had to sing the line "More hot pies" one more time I might go insane. Vashti is a patient but firm musical director - she lets us make mistakes a limited number of times, but also demands that we get it right.

Schnitzel sort of lost its allure after last week's dinner, so on this dinner break some of the cast headed to Burgoo on Main. Then it was back to the Alpen Club to run Act One.

Ryan had begun the rehearsal by saying, "If you're worried that it's not coming together, don't worry - it will. Trust the process, because we do." Well, up until that point, I hadn't worried - we haven't been rehearsing for a full two weeks, after all - but then I started thinking about it, and realized that we're in the theater next week, and in front of an audience in two, and...well, yeah. I started worrying. So I had to admit that I was a little nervous about how the first Act One run-through, with no stops, would go. Would we crash and burn?

Well, we didn't. We got through, in about an hour and a half. Ideally we'd like Act One to come in under an hour and twenty, so that wasn't too bad for a first go. It was the first time many of us in the ensemble had seen some of the principals-only numbers, and it was great to watch. Krista Gibbard, who is playing Johanna, has a marvellous voice. She gave me shivers when she ran through "Green Finch and Linnet Bird." Chris Harvey has got the whole earnest-lover thing down pat as Anthony. Cathy soldiered through despite a pretty serious back injury and her comedic timing is just impeccable, even at this stage when we still have a ways to go in really being comfortable with the material. She really has a sense of Mrs. Lovett, and the right combination of light and dark - which I really appreciate as someone who has also lived this part. I realized watching as a spectator last night just how much Mrs. Lovett, rather than Sweeney, is really the centre of the show, around which all plots seem to revolve.

Yesterday was also the first day we got to see Eric Steel as Pirelli. He is hilarious. Flamboyant, theatrical, outrageous, with just a hint of viciousness underneath. "The Contest", in which Pirelli and Sweeney compete for the title of "King of the Barbers" will be excruciating and funny. Every time we rehearsed it Eric brought something new to the scene; he's obviously someone who thinks these things through ahead of the rehearsal process as he brought a lot of complicated stage business to the first run-through, but he also seemed to find new dimensions as we ran through the number. I'm sure by the time we get to performance his Pirelli will be absolutely a highlight of the show.

From an ensemble point of view, the biggest challenge of a run-through is not remembering what to do when you're on the stage, but remembering when you have to get there. Since our rehearsal process has been pretty disjointed, rehearsing numbers in isolation, this was the first time where we really had to remember the sequence of songs, where we had to be next, where our next entrance was in relation to our last exit, that kind of thing. There was alot of running to consult scripts the minute we were out of one scene to figure out when the next scene came.

So, so far so good. Tonight is another marathon rehearsal, blocking Act Two. I'm feeling fairly comfortable at this point, but that will probably all change tonight once I have to sing and move...

Sweeney Update: And That's Act One

Another Sunday, another rehearsal at the Alpen Club. This time, two and a half hours of music, with our musical director Vashti patiently bashing out notes and clapping out rhythms for us as we tried to work our way through the two big ensemble numbers, "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir" and "God That's Good" (umpteen bars of "Yums"). Both of these numbers involve simultaneous conversations between chorus members, happening one on top of the other. I've often wondered if an audience can really appreciate this without having seen the score, and follow as "Third Man" sings across the stage to "Second Woman," or if it just sounds like chaos. Performing it is like musical dominoes - if one cue is missed, the next one is missed, and so on - so we really have to count. You could see all of the ensemble members intently focused on their scores and bobbing their heads, tapping their feet, slapping their thighs.

We made good progress though, and had time to break for dinner. The Alpen Club has a very kitschy German restaurant downstairs so some of us headed down for schnitzel. Then we were back and joined by the principals to block the opening number and Pirelli. Director Ryan likes things to be "organic," which control-freak-me slightly panics about, but given that Sweeney is not the type of show where we're going to be tap dancing it's probably OK - the movement doesn't really need to be coordinated. I guess as long as we don't look like we're wandering around with no sense of purpose, it will be OK. In these numbers we are once again engaging the audience often, and really taking advantage of the intimate nature of Jericho as a venue to bring the audience into the action through eye contact and physical proximity.

It's really fun watching the principals grow into their roles. Alex, who is playing Sweeney, is probably the quietest of the cast members off-stage, and it was exciting tonight to see this mild mannered man turn into a murderer with rage boiling just beneath the surface as he made his initial entrance at the beginning of the show. Arne, a sweet sweet man who is playing the Judge, is sneering and stomping around the stage like a true villain, too. Ah, the magic of theatre.

So Act One is now blocked. Unbelievable but true. No rehearsals now for me until next Sunday as this week is all principals and small group rehearsals. I was heartbroken tonight when I didn't get cast in the quintet that sings "The Letter" in Act Two - it has always been my absolute favorite number in the show - it is absolutely haunting - and I was really, really excited at the prospect of having the chance to maybe get to perform it in this show. Well, that's showbiz. And at least I have the rest of the week off...maybe I'll be able to get laundry done this week...

Sweeney Update: Blocking Act One

Tonight we started blocking, beginning with "Poor Thing," the song in which Mrs. Lovett fills Sweeney Todd in on the dark fate of her upstairs neighbours. We, the ensemble, act out the history as Mrs. Lovett sings the narrative. We also blocked the "Ballad of Sweeney Todd", one of several versions of the song - this the one right after Sweeney discovers his old razors, which Mrs. Lovett has kept stashed away for him all these years.

I haven't done much ensemble work - the only other show where I was cast as ensemble was Tommy in 2002, and honestly, I find it more challenging than playing a principal. As a principal, you have some dialogue and can try to divine who your character is based on that dialogue. As a mostly silent ensemble member, you have to create that person yourself from scratch, and may play multiple people, depending on what the script requires. More imagination is called for.

We have a small ensemble - 4 men and 4 women - and we are essentially the narrators of Sweeney Todd, although we will also participate as spectators, witnesses to the madness. We will be on "stage" - well, actually, since we're doing this in the round, there isn't really a stage - we will be visible to the audience, I should say, for most of the show. When Todd is singing, we are maniacally, singularly focused on him, but when he is offstage, we will be engaging the audience directly, making eye contact, trying to unsettle them with uncomfortable stares, drawing them in to our circle. I think it will be really effective, and very different from the previous Sweeneys I've been in where the ensemble has essentially been the classic Greek chorus, who stand up and sing, then disappear into the woodwork.

Our promo postcards arrived today, and look fabulous, and we also got measured for costumes by our costume designer's two assistants. They have their work cut out for them, creating at least 20 period costumes in less than a month. At least one night is already halfway to being sold out, with a month to go, so if you're interested in going make sure you book your tickets here quick.

Sweeney Update: Rehearsals Begin

Last night was our first rehearsal for Sweeney Todd, and exactly one month from opening night. We worked on a number of ensemble pieces, including "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" and "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir." The first time the entire cast belted out "Swing your razor..." I must admit I got goosebumps...it never gets old, even on the third go-round. This show has been a part of my life for 12 years now...unbelievable. We also got a look at some of the set design and heard our director Ryan Mooney's vision for the show - this is going to be a visually arresting, sexy, bloody, spectacle of a production. I can't wait! Here are some of the fantastic promo shots taken by Devin Karringten:

Sweeney and Mrs. L.

The Judge, the Beadle, and the Beggarwoman.

The Lovers, Joanna and Anthony.
The show runs October 13 - 30th, at the Jericho Arts Centre. Tickets are available now at http://www.jerichoartscentre.com.


Sunday Nights in the Neighbourhood.

Earlier this summer I discovered Acme Cafe, a little gem that had just opened up on Abbott and Hastings, in the new Paris apartment block. Acme is retro without feeling kitschy, with formica and chrome booths and a round bar. The food is also retro without the kitsch - simple comfort food like meat loaf, mac n' cheese and crock pot suppers, fresh salads and amazing, amazing pies. My friends Gil and Sarah and I have been making a point of having dinner there at least once a week, and I often run into my pals Kate and Theo there too. It's nice to have a real local cafe where you can pop in for coffee and a piece of pie.

Tonight after a quiet dinner at Acme we headed to the Vancouver Police Museum on East Cordova to see a Vancouver Fringe show (well, two shows) entitled "After the End." As I blogged about earlier in the summer, the museum is in the old Coroners' Court and features the only "real" morgue open to the public in North America (or so we were told). "After the End" featured two ghost stories set in the Coroners' Court, in the 1950s and 1960s.

The atmosphere couldn't have been more appropriate as we entered the museum - it was dark and rainy, and the dimly lit museum felt decidedly eerie as we trooped into the space. We were greeted by two ghosts, a chatty host full of stories and jokes about the Coroners' Court, and a silent woman in a ripped dress with haunted eyes. Half of us were sent to follow her into the morgue. As she led us down the dark halls of the museum, we passed a man in a fedora and trench coat, sitting in a corner, oblivious to our presence, scribbling in a notebook. In the morgue, a body was covered in a sheet lying on one autopsy table, and a woman in a bloody dress, her face chalk white, sat on the other table, scrubbing futilely at the blood on her dress. The man in the fedora soon entered and a supernatural love triangle between Frank, the coroner whose patients speak to him, Bonnie, his latest patient, and Mary, his real-life wife, played out before us.

Before we could applaud the actors, who remained in character, the silent woman was back, and leading us into another room of the museum, where a man was passed out at a desk. We heard high heels clicking on the floor and a voice calling to him, whispering "Eddie," and Eddie awoke to see his long-dead wife, back to remind him of their wedding anniversary and to reveal at long last the mystery surrounding her death.

Both vignettes were well acted, just spooky enough without being over-the-top, and it was a great use of the space. That's what I expect from Fringe - something original, quirky, and untraditional. And there's something about being in a darkened museum that makes you wonder if you really are alone...

Bonnie is going to need more than a Tide to Go pen to get that stain out of her dress....

New favorite brunch: Cafe Medina


Met my old friend Amanda for brunch today at Cafe Medina on Beatty, which opened while I was in London and that I had yet to try, despite living a block away. It's one of those places that usually has a horde of people waiting outside, which I tend to try and avoid (I'm becoming my father, who can't even stand a five minute wait), but Amanda insisted it was worth it and as we hadn't seen each other in months, we had enough to chat about that the thirty (!) minute wait in the rain (!) went by rather quickly.

The place is small but cozy, with warm red exposed brick walls and shiny wood-formica tables and a (real) wooden bar dwarfed by a gargantuan espresso machine and waffle maker. Amanda and I started with great coffee - I had a lavender latte which was delicious - a little hard to explain how it tasted - coffee and flowers is an interesting mix. I have a feeling I'll be trying to recreate it at home for some time to come. Weirdly, it was served in a regular glass tumbler which was hard to pick up because it was so hot...Amanda's raspberry latte was served in a regular mug. We were confused.

We decided to each have one of the $3 waffles that are a big feature of Medina's menu - basic mini-belgian waffles which you can get with any variety of side accompaniments for $1 each. I chose raspberry caramel and Amanda chose traditional maple, although she said she usually goes for the lavender milk chocolate. The waffles were just the right size to be a satisfying sweet start to our brunch, dusted in powdered sugar, with a small dish of our "sweet" on the side. We then split a Paella - which I have to admit I wasn't really that interested in but agreed to split because Amanda wanted it - but it was absolutely delicious. It came served in a cast-iron skillet and featured an egg baked with curried orzo, chorizo sausage, red pepper, roasted corn, baby tomatoes and avocado. It was garnished with parmesan cheese and fresh watercress. It was fresh and light, despite the orzo and sausage, and was just the right amount for two to share. The avocado was warm but not mushy, the tomatoes added just a little tartness - we found we were scraping the skillet, it was so good.

I don't know that I'd want to want to go back with anything larger than a party of two, given how cramped the tables are, but the food was definitely worth the wait. It's rare to walk out of a brunch place without feeling so stuffed that you have to lie down, but we both felt we'd had just enough to feel satisfied - and at $30 for the two of us - well, my budget was satisfied too. And now I'm going to go and have a nap - not because I HAVE to, mind - but what else does one do on a rainy Sunday?

Cafe Medina: Don't be fooled - the place was packed.

You Win Some...

So this morning I received a Facebook message from a person I had never met before, congratulating me on winning Nk'Mip Wine Cellars' Facebook Fan contest, and could I please provide my address so they could send me my prize basket. I was slightly suspicious, but had entered a draw at Nk'Mip a few weeks ago, so I gave her my office address. The next thing I knew, they were publishing congratulations to me on Nk'Mip's webpage for winning an "Nk'Mip Resort Experience"! I never win anything! I loved our time in Osoyoos a few weeks ago, so the thought of going back brings much delight.

Of course, it's always something. When I got home, Currie had thrown up everywhere and had retreated to the closet, ill for the first time in weeks. It's like she does this at even the thought of me going away...