Lauren Gienow - Page 2

After a fully cancelled 2020 season and an out-door-under-a-tent 2021 season, the main stages at the Stratford Festival have finally seen some action this year. Over at the Festival Theatre, the Donna Feore choreographed and directed production of CHICAGO is a huge hit! Two major reasons for this are the phenomenal performances by the two leads. BWW had the opportunity to chat with Roxie and Velma themselves - Chelsea Preston and Jennifer Rider-Shaw, to find out what it has been like to finally do the show they had been waiting two years to mount.

If you live in Stratford, Ontario, you may have heard the buzz around town about a new play at the Stratford Festival’s Studio Theatre. Written by Jani Lauzon and Kaitlyn Riordan, 1939 had its world premiere last week and audiences sprung to their feet to show just how moved they were by this beautiful, powerful, and witty piece of new work.

Originally scheduled for the 2020 season, THE MISER, starring Colm Feore and directed by Antoni Cimolino, is currently playing at the Stratford Festival’s Festival Theatre stage. This Moliere comedy of manners fits right into current times, and this new adaptation by Ranjit Bolt is filled with pop culture references that elicit many a chuckle and belly laugh from the audience. The deliciously funny cast is in fine form and Feore appears to be having the time of his life.

Friday Sept. 9th marks the final 'Funny Forum Friday' - A comedy series programmed by Mark Selby, showcasing top comedy talent at the Tom Patterson Theatre's Lazaridis Hall. After a successful 4 weeks of some of the best comedians the world has to offer, the series is being closed out by the hilarious comedy sister duo, Flo & Joan, who will be coming to Stratford directly from the Edinburgh Comedy Festival. Opening for Flo & Joan is the hilarious Patrick Haye.

If you are a theatre-goer looking to venture outside your comfort zone, or if you often don’t feel seen or represented by the societal norms typically presented in modern theatre pieces – then Sunny Drake’s new play EVERY LITTLE NOOKIE might be exactly what you are looking for. That’s not to say that folks who don’t identify with either statement won’t also enjoy this play though. To read the production synopsis, you might expect an awkward comedy with hijinks galore, but what you will actually get (beyond it indeed being very funny), is a proudly queer play about human connection, found family, sexual awakenings, and very real and relatable struggles like co-parenting, illness and aging, and affordable housing. You will also witness delightful performances by this small yet mighty cast.

Previews have just begun at the Stratford Festival's Studio Theatre for the World Premiere of HAMLET-911 and BroadwayWorld had the opportunity to speak with one of the creative forces behind this innovative and exciting new production. BWW chatted with HAUI over zoom about art, the exploration the abstract over a narrative, process vs product, and what audiences can expect from the projections in this new production.

For the sixth time in the Stratford Festival’s history, a production of ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL is being mounted. It is fittingly being performed at the brand new Tom Patterson Theatre alongside RICHARD III. This is relevant because these were the two plays that launched the inaugural season of the Stratford Festival, 70 years ago. This current production delves into this head-scratcher of moral uncertainties with superb performances by all.

A beloved story has been adapted for the stage and for the whole family at the Stratford Festival this season and it had its world premiere last Thursday night. Playwright Jordi Mand's LITTLE WOMEN--based on the novels Little Women and Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott is being brought to life on stage by Director Esther Jun and a fabulous company. Though this is part of the Schulich Children’s Plays programming, there is a kind of combined accessibility and maturity to this production that will allow it to be enjoyed by everyone.

Lakota Knuckle, Breanna Willis, Devin Alexander, Kyla Musselman, Christine Desjardins, and Jordan Goodridge are the Swings for CHICAGO. Their job is to know every ensemble track and be ready to go on at a moment’s notice if an ensemble member is either out, or is going on as understudy for someone else. Recently, Broadway World had the opportunity to chat with all six Swings over Zoom to learn all about what it means to be the unsung (until now) heroes of theatre and how this unique season is providing even more unique challenges and opportunities.

A riveting production of Shakespeare's RICHARD III at the brand new (and gorgeous) Tom Patterson Theatre. Directed by Antoni Cimolino and starring Colm Feore, this production offers an impressive take on one of Shakespeare's greatest villains. With a skilled company and stunning design and effects, this production is certain to leave audiences talking about it long after the performers take their final bow.

Stratford Festival audiences have been waiting a while for some 'razzle dazzle' and we finally got it when, after being sidelined by the pandemic in 2020, CHICAGO had its much-anticipated opening at the Festival Theatre exactly 47 years to the day the original production opened on Broadway! This production, directed and choreographed by Donna Feore, was well worth the wait. With incredible music, innovative and ambitious design and choreography, and dazzling performances from the entire company, this show is sure to be a hit with audiences all season long.

The audience's enthusiasm for the much anticipated Stratford Festival production of HAMLET swas palpable. The opening applause may have been for a return to the Festival Theatre, but the thunderous ovation at the end was for this fresh and brilliant production led by the luminous Amaka Umeh.

The Stratford Festival’s production of the FINALLY THERE’S SUN Cabaret allows us to reflect on the challenges, triumphs, hope, and self discovery that accompanied the past year and a half. No two people had the exact same experience, but this cabaret manages to capture the commonalities between our experiences while also shedding light on the unique experiences that others may have had. This cabaret truly takes the audience on a journey through the good, bad, and the unimaginable while always maintaining a sense of beauty. The final numbers of the cabaret will lift your spirits and send you off into the world with a spring in your step and hope in your heart.

This season at the Stratford Festival, many of the events taking place as part of the Meighen Forum have gone digital, but there are still some live, in person forum events coming up and one of the most anticipated ones is right around the corner. #KanderAndEbb is a live, in-person showcase from creator and performer Ryan G. Hinds. It is advertised by the Festival as “a tour through the music of Broadway songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb, set against entertaining and touching real-life stories from the fan who managed to get semi-close to the legendary writers’ fabled world.” Broadwayworld had the opportunity to chat via zoom with Mark Selby, the Music Director and pianist of this cabaret. Having had the opportunity to perform this show with Mr. Hinds before, Mr. Selby has some inside scoop as to why this “magical” show put on by a “brilliant” showman should not be missed.

Director Kimberley Rampersad and a fine company bring Marcia Johnson's delightful and important story to life at the Stratford Festival. Fans of the Royal Family, fans of 'The Crown' and fans of good theatre will all enjoy this re-telling of a historical event from a perspective that has long been missing from the narrative.

After over a year and a half of wanting to once again have that experience of walking out of a theatre to the chatter of other patrons commenting on a play, it is ironic that the first time Stratford Festival audiences have the opportunity to do this, they do so in an almost stunned silence after watching a powerful and devastating production of Edward Albee's THREE TALL WOMEN. The small company is stellar in this existential exploration of living, dying, and everything in between. Memories of Martha Henry's performance will linger for days after the cast takes their final bow.

After a brief delay due to weather, the FREEDOM CABARET opened at the Stratford Festival on Saturday night and it had the audience captivated from start to finish. The show may not have begun until the lightning passed, but the mood under the canopy was certainly electric. This cabaret offers an exploration and celebration of Black music and its undeniable contribution to the very fabric of the music industry and to culture in general. In addition to performing, Beau Dixon is the Curator, Director, and Music Director of this superb cabaret and he has assembled some incredible talent. From the vocalists to musicians, everyone has their moment to shine. 

R&J, produced in collaboration with WhyNot Theatre, makes it clear that one does not need to experience theatre with all five senses in order to be moved. The audience point of entry to this production is shifted from visual to auditory, allowing for this production to be intended for blind, low vision, and sighted audiences alike.

Every year, the Stratford Festival mounts a production geared towards young people and I was thrilled to see that despite the unique season that COVID protocols have demanded, the Festival still made this a priority. What’s more, they have made a truly interesting and fun choice in I AM WILLIAM - A play by Rébecca Déraspe and Théâtre le Clou with the english translation by Leanna Brodie. Director Esther Jun, Choreographer Alyssa Martin, Dramaturge Kamana Ntibarikure, three musicians including Music Director Njo Kong Kie, and a fabulous four person company, delight audiences with a clever, funny, and thoughtful family-friendly production that is sure to have theatre-goers of all ages engaging in meaningful conversations one minute, while singing a catchy ‘horse’ song to themselves the next.

The fresh new PLAY ON! Cabaret at the Stratford Festival offers an impressive celebration of what popular music pulls from Shakespeare, what Shakespeare has to say about music, and what themes are frequently explored in both. Described as a “Shakespeare-inspired Mixtape,” this 90 minute cabaret produces diversified covers of songs by artists like Taylor Swift, Prince, and Rush while skillfully weaving in some of Shakespeare’s most celebrated words. Between the excellent music selections and arrangements, beautiful words, and tremendous performances from all four singers, The Festival Theatre Canopy has become home to a bonafide rock concert with the bard.