ArtwordBlog

The Canadian Stage revival of Fire is an entertaining show in its own terms. It features Ted Dykstra doing a spirited Jerry Lee Lewis knockoff, and Rick Roberts as a rough approximation of Jimmy Swaggart, pitting two engaging musical styles against one another – rockabilly and southern gospel. The vocals are strong, the backup musicians are slick and versatile. One moment, “Good Golly Miss Molly”, the next “Life is Like a Mountain Railroad” – pretty nice. The audience clearly preferred the rockabilly, possibly because the gospel numbers tended toward the sweet and tender – though southern gospel can be pretty hot too.

So what’s my problem? More »

As a boy, Allen Kaeja worked in his father’s business: an abattoir. Forty-some years later, co-artistic director (with partner Karen Kaeja) of Kaeja d’Dance, he reaches back to these experiences in the full-length dance creation, Abattoir. (March 25, 27-29, 2008, at Premiere Dance Theatre. See listing in ArtwordList. )

Abbatoir is a hybrid, incorporating a text written by Jason Sherman and spoken by actor Aaron Willis, who dances along with the company quite convincingly (avoiding the more demanding lifts and leaps). More »