What pleasures and outright joy, laughter and nostalgia we have had during this last season of the Spiegeltent at the Shaw. Who knew what to expect three years ago when the tent arrived from Belgium?
In retrospect, we have been transported this year from the 405 BC Greek world of Aristophanes’s “The Frogs,” to the cabarets of Paris, to covert 1920s speakeasies, to the timeless enchantment of participating in dance. We have learned more of the relationship between those giants of jazz, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, accompanied by Canada’s own Oscar Peterson.
Actors and directors have opened up and revealed their own inspirations, vulnerabilities, failures and triumphs experienced during new and ongoing careers.
Audiences have been encouraged to sing along, sway to the music, tap hands and feet and get up on the floor. It has been participatory, uplifting and satisfying.
For “La Vie En Rose,” a convincing cast directed by Jay Turvey with music direction by Paul Sportelli, whooshed us into Paris nostalgia as they sang and danced to Edith Piaf’s “Padam…padam.”
It was a retro bonjour La France with Yves Montand’s “Sous le ciel de Paris” and songs made famous by Maurice Chevalier, Charles Trenet, Joséphine Baker, Charles Aznavour and the legendary Edith Piaf who fiercely claimed “Non, Je ne regrette rien” of her turbulent loves and life.
Who can forget her emotionally wrenching “Hymne à l’amour” sung in memory of her lover, Marcel Cerdan, killed in a plane crash en route to be with her.
“Ella and Louis,” researched, written and performed by Alana Bridgewater and Jeremiah Sparks and directed by Kimberley Rampersad, has given us insight into their long friendship and working relationship, which peaked in their recordings of the mid-1950s.
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong both overcame extraordinarily difficult economic, family, social and health circumstances to succeed in their tenacious quest to create and perform the extraordinary music that brought them together.
Jeremiah Sparks transformed to Louis’ raspy growl, trumpet playing and by turns, tough and sweet approaches to Alana’s Ella. For 10 years, he said, “Naw, she’s not ready yet.” Then, she was, and easily went along with his choice of tunes and keys.
Alana’s voice lacked the purity, tone and range of Ella but in character portrayal and her rendition of songs such as “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” a game Fitzgerald learned in her Yonkers orphanage, we caught the essence of the real-life Ella. Michael Shand was a special gift as he admirably provided the Oscar Peterson accompaniment on the keyboard.
Other musical offerings were presented in “What’s In Your Songbook,” hosted by Associate Music Director, Ryan de Souza.
Two ensemble members performed songs from their auditions and told of personal history gaffes and triumphs. Celeste Catena and Cheryl Mullings kept us surprised with their versatility and choices, some very unexpected, such as Mullings’s “I Need to Pee.”
“Speakeasies,” on July 19, was a superb experience of musicianship. David Occhippinti, a renowned guitarist and composer on the Canadian music scene, brilliantly played and educated with charismatic wit and wry smile.
Michael Davidson explained and astonished us with his four-mallet skill on the Vibraphone. Shaw orchestra players Ross MacIntyre on bass and Tom Jestadt on drums added to a terrific performance.
One of the big surprises was “The Frogs” written by Aristophanes. It was a wild adaptation by Burt Shevelove for the cutting-edge Talk Is Free Theatre company based in Barrie, Ontario.
Instead of the argument of who was the better playwright in ancient Greek times, Aeschylus or Euripides, this version of ancient comedy was spun as a competition between Shaw and Shakespeare. Totally crazy and wonderful.
The gospel choir, led by Jeremiah Sparks, was even more uplifting due to the startling arrival of two dozen American ladies clad in white dresses, black fascinators and sparkly stilettos and jewellery. They travel annually to a city of choice for four days of entertainment and this year chose Niagara on the Lake.
Finally, and added to the many pleasures of the above, has been “May I Have the Pleasure?” created by Alexis Milligan.
This is a lovely opportunity to learn the social graces of how to ask and accept being asked to dance, by company members Sharry Flett, Jason Cadieux, Allison MacCaughey and Taran Kim.
At each performance, the audience is invited to get up to learn two different styles of dance, such as waltz and bachata, salsa and Lindy Hop or whatever has been chosen.
The social history and manners of dance are woven into the experience. Sharry’s final observation was how wonderful it was to see so many happy, smiling faces.
Please, bring back the Spiegeltent in whatever future form it may take and do plan more of these innovative, imaginative offerings. Let’s have more opportunities to tap, swing and lift our spirits.
Penny-Lynn Cookson is an arts and culture historian, writer and lecturer living in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
