Review: HEY VIOLA! Brings Forth the Important Story Behind the Woman on Canada's Ten-Dollar Bill

This month, HEY VIOLA! Viola Desmond: The Soundtrack of a Life plays from October 15 - 25 at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster. After interviewing star, Krystle Dos Santos in September, it was a pleasure to see her take the stage playing Canadian Hero: Viola Desmond in the show. Viola Desmond was a Canadian civil rights activist and entrepreneur. In 1946, Desmond fought against racial segregation as she refused to leave the "Whites only" section of a movie theatre in Nova Scotia. Desmond was arrested and charged with tax evasion. Her experience was publicized and sparked a movement amongst Canadians against racial discrimination. Viola Desmond is currently featured on the Canadian ten-dollar bill and her story will remain important to Canadian history, as racial injustices are still an ongoing issue we face today.

HEY VIOLA! was created by Vancouver based blues, jazz, and soul singer Krystle Dos Santos and award winning producer/writer Tracey Power. Featuring Dos Santos as Viola Desmond, this show tells Desmond's story accompanied by songs she would have heard throughout her lifeline such as "Dream A Little Dream," "On the Sunny Side Of The Street," "Sinnerman," and "Mississippi Goddam." The show is an autobiographical story time with concert elements in a cabaret setting. It's very unique and something that I haven't experienced before amongst the various theatre shows I've attended in the past.

The show is very stripped down with only Dos Santos (Viola Desmond) on stage with 3 accompanying musicians. The show featured Steve Charles (Music Director, Guitar & Bass), Mary Ancheta (Piano), and Chris Davis (Drums & Trumpet). The stage and seating is set up cabaret style. The stage is set up to give the feel of a bar called "Smalls Paradise" with table seating for the audience in front to complement the overall vibe of the show. I thought this was a very unique aspect of the production. Although the show is static with no changes in setting, this is made up for in the spoken scene transitions and music of the show. As we move through Viola Desmond's life story starting from her early childhood memories and family life to her experience with racial discrimination at the movie theatre, we encounter many points of high emotion in the story. At these points, we transition into singing songs from Viola Desmond's life. I found that these transitions were perfectly placed and excellently executed. At times Dos Santos would initiate the transition, whilst the musicians initiated the rest. The variety of the transitions was very impressive and added a dynamic element to the production.

Krystle Dos Santos is the main reason why anyone should come see this show. Her performance was so raw, genuine, and emotional. Dos Santos really embraced her character and she had me captivated the entire time. The way she told Desmond's story was so natural, it felt like I was listening to Viola Desmond herself. As Dos Santos mentioned to me in her interview, part of her role in the creative process was to choose the songs that would be used in the show. I really appreciated the song choices and felt that they did a good job of moving the show forward rather than holding it back. Sometimes slower songs can stretch out points in a show and can cause a loss of interest; however, this was not the case with this production. I liked how the songs became more powerful as the show progressed, which reflected how Desmond's life story became more intense with time. What I really loved about Dos Santos' performance was the depth of her voice. She really showcased her singing abilities in HEY VIOLA! and it did not go unnoticed. I really like the vibe of "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" and the soulfulness of the song "Sinnerman."

Overall, I give HEY VIOLA! a very positive review. I feel that not many people are aware of Viola Desmond's story despite her picture being on the Canadian ten-dollar bill. I think it is very important that we learn more about her story so that we can learn from the past to make our future better for upcoming generations.

HEY VIOLA! Viola Desmond: The Soundtrack of a Life will be playing at the Anvil Centre from October 15th to 25th, 2020. Tickets are $50 (plus service charges) and are available at anvilcentre.com.

Photo Credit: Emily Cooper

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