Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto January 17, 2013- Opening on Valentine's Day, exactly one year to the day Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie (CLC) re-opened The Citadel, its Regent Park home, CLC proudly presents a remount of its acclaimed From the House of Mirth, directed and choreographed by James Kudelka, from February 14-24, 2013.
"... a seamless fusion of dance and opera that in its very structure mirrors the place of a woman in pre-suffragette New York society." John Terauds, Musical Toronto, May 10, 2012
Following last year's completely sold-out run, the production returns to The Citadel for a 10-day engagement.
Inspired by Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, the novel tells of Lily Bart's tragic descent from the glittering social circle of 1890s New York to poverty and a solitary death; her dreams of marriage - whether for wealth or love - shattered by convention and by her own conflicted desires. Kudelka has created a vocabulary of movement, music and theatre that can evoke the story's moral issues, while illustrating the heroine's inner life and her relationships to the men who help her, make demands on her and would save her.
"This is a complex endeavour and the work's multidisciplinary coherence is a real achievement."
Kathleen Smith, The Globe and Mail, May 10, 2012
Telling the story "not as a ballet," says Kudelka, "not as an opera, and not as a sung play," each of the art forms picks up the thread in turn. When the dance can no longer support the complexity of the drama, other devices take over the storytelling. When images need to be captured in a moment or themes presented in all their subtlety, Kudelka's refined yet passionate choreography takes the focus. When emotions swell to the breaking point, the live music fills the space and carries us along on its own intricate journey.
"As for the singers and dancers, led by Laurence Lemieux as Lily, they blend their talents seamlessly in a wonderful ensemble performance." Michael Crabb, Toronto Star, May 10, 2012
The singers and dancers - all returning from last season - appear together on stage. Only the male characters, however (Scott Belluz, countertenor; Graham Thomson, tenor; Alex Dobson, bass-baritone and Geoffrey Sirett, baritone) cue the story through song; the female characters are silent, performed by four of Canada's finest dancers: Victoria Bertram, Laurence Lemieux, Claudia Moore and Christianne Ullmark. They are accompanied by a 5-piece chamber orchestra: Maika'i Nash on piano and Jeanie Chung on harmonium are new this year; Sanya Eng on harp, Parmela Attariwala on violin and Carina Reeves on cello return. Nash is also the Music Director.
"This is such a wonderful, innovative show that it's a tragedy that Coleman Lemieux's new digs, The Citadel, on Parliament St. can only seat 60 people." John Terauds, Musical Toronto
James Kudelka is widely acknowledged as one of North America's most innovative choreographers. His mastery of both classical ballet and modern/contemporary dance has earned him commissions from companies as stylistically diverse as American Ballet Theatre, Chicago's Hubbard Street Dance and Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal. Kudelka's work covers an impressive range, from virtuoso pas de deux, through large-scale and always arresting adaptations of such classics as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Cinderella, to boldly innovative creative collaborations with dancers, designers and musicians. After nine distinguished years as artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada (1996-2005), Kudelka continues to undertake collaborative projects that engage and challenge him as a choreographer. In 2008, Kudelka became CLC's Resident Choreographer.
Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie, founded in 2000 by Bill Coleman and Laurence Lemieux, creates both intimate, small-scale performances and spectacular stage shows featuring some of Canada's greatest dancers, as well as now-legendary site-specific events in both urban and rural settings.
Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie presents From the House of Mirth
A Music/Dance/Theatre Collaboration
Directed and Choreographed by James Kudelka
Original Music Composed by Rodney Sharman
Libretto by Alex Poch-Goldin
Musical direction by Maika'i Nash
Set Design by David Gaucher, Costume Design by Jim Searle and Chris Tyrell for Hoax Couture
Lighting Design by Simon Rossiter, Stage Management by Gillian Lewis
February 14-24, 2013 at The Citadel, 304 Parliament Street, Toronto
Performance Schedule:
Tues-Sat at 8pm; Sat & Sun at 4pm with added shows Sun Feb. 17 at 8pm & Wed. Feb. 20 at 3pm
Tickets: $50 except Wed. February 20 at 3pm is PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN
Box Office: 416-364-8011 or online at colemanlemieux.com
2013-01-17
Toronto: Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie presents “From the House of Mirth” February 14-24