Stage Door News
Stage Door News
TORONTO (Nov. 18, 2013) — Amid a sea of traditional performances of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah this holiday season, one production stands out: Against the Grain Theatre’s innovative take on the classic oratorio, presented at Queen Street’s famed rock hall, The Opera House.
On Dec. 14 and 15, 2013 at 8 p.m., the young company that has won rave reviews for its bold approach presents AtG’s Messiah, a full performance of the piece that prompts everyone to hum the “Hallelujah Chorus” for the entire month of December.
The score remains intact, but forget about the usual gowns and leather-bound choral folders. AtG artistic director Joel Ivany teams up with dancer/choreographer Jennifer Nichols to give the piece a brand new form and movement, sure to be unlike anything Toronto audiences have seen before. An all-star lineup of fearless soloists includes soprano Jacqueline Woodley, mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó, tenor Isaiah Bell and baritone Geoffrey Sirett. AtG music director Christopher Mokrzewski conducts a 18-piece orchestra made up of some of Toronto’s hottest young musicians and a 14-member chorus, prepared by esteemed choral director Robert Cooper.
“Seasonal performances of Handel’s Messiah are beloved for good reason, but many have become predictable,” said Ivany. “The score is perfect, so our goal is to see if we can hear it in a new way by re-imagining it visually. By exploring the movements through physical expression with the soloists and chorus members, we can give the masterwork a whole new dimension. A risky endeavour? Absolutely! That’s what we live for.”
Tickets start at $40 and are available at www.againstthegraintheatre.com. As AtG audiences have come to expect and enjoy, this is a 19+ event with bar service.
For more information, please visit www.againstthegraintheatre.com.
LISTING INFORMATION
AtG’s Messiah
Dec. 14 and 15, 2013 at 8 p.m.
The Opera House, 735 Queen St. E.
Tickets: $40 and up
www.againstthegraintheatre.com
ABOUT AtG
Against the Grain is a cutting-edge Canadian theatre collective dedicated to presenting classical and contemporary musical repertoire in innovative ways and unconventional spaces. Comprising Joel Ivany, Christopher Mokrzewski, Caitlin Coull, Miriam Khalil, Lucia Cesaroni and Cecily Carver at its core, the wider but tightly-knit AtG community includes musicians, actors, dancers, visual artists, photographers and arts professionals. AtG’s 2012/2013 season included two sold-out concert performances of Kafka/Janáček/Kurtág and a wildly successful four-run production of Figaro’s Wedding (an English adaptation of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro).
Photo: Krisztina Szabó and Isaiah Bell. ©2013 Darryl Block.
2013-11-18
Toronto: Against the Grain Theatre presents a staged version of Handel's "Messiah" December 14 & 15