There’s no question Doris Day was a formidable talent. Relentlessly wholesome with all American-girl freckles and a pneumatically perky smile, Day was a huge movie star in her time (Pajama Game, . . .
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the music and entertainment industries, five musicians who are live streaming a Beatles tribute show at the Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre in Victoria, B.C., are using the power of technology to showcase their talents and connect with a global audience.
So how does a group of five local musicians each with his own strong opinions on the matter settle on a scant 23 songs for a run of eight upcoming concerts saluting John, Paul, George and Ringo? By treading lightly, it would appear. “We’re dealing with a band of seasoned professionals who are also friends,” said singer-pianist Brooke Maxwell. “None of us are younger than 49, so we’re crusty old bastards. But there’s not really a band leader, and we don’t really want to have a dictatorial leader. So we made it democratic.” Maxwell is joined in the group by Chris Frye, who will sing and handle electric and acoustic guitars for the run of livestream performances staged by Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre. They are joined by drummer Damian Graham, bassist Peter Dowse and violist Richard Moody, who will also sing. The friends play together in several incarnations around town, and are often associated with the musical hubs at Pagliacci’s restaurant and Hermann’s J
Blue Bridge brings a warm and uncomplicated retelling of A Christmas Carol to your sitting room
Photo provided.
After an eight-month hiatus and just in time for the holidays, Blue Bridge Repertory returns to the stage with a one-man, live-streamed performance of Charles Dickens’s festive classic,
A Christmas Carol. With its modest set pieces and conservative handling of the novel’s material, director Jacob Richmond’s production offers much-needed comfort in a time of isolation but lags behind more-innovative past adaptations.
Taking the stage in a stove-pipe hat, rich cravat, and frock coat, Stratford and Shaw festival veteran Sanjay Talwar embodies the overactive narrator of Dickens’s tale. Though he goes through all the motions, Talwar never fully steps out of this role and into character. The marvel here lies not, as it has in some of Richmond’s more recent productions, in the actor’s ability to swap appearances but in his command of tone. Talwar voices Scrooge wi