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Third time’s a charm with Egoyan-COC Cosi fan tutte: starring Johannes Debus

Posted on October 11, 2026 by barczablog

I got lucky.

The Canadian Opera Company Cosi fan tutte that I saw Saturday October 10th is the best one yet.

This is the third time that the COC have staged the Atom Egoyan production of the Mozart opera “Così fan tutte, subtitled “The School for Lovers” Not only does it feature a stunning design featuring a big reproduction of a Frida Kahlo painting for the curtain, all sorts of colour from huge butterfly wings, and ships on top of heads, but it also features a fascinating concept drawn from that title.

The idea to present the opera showing an actual school for lovers, with Don Alfonso as the experienced teacher, is a metaphor. In director’s theatre sometimes the original opera’s plot collides with the idea superimposed over top by the director, disrupting or complicating the usual presentation.

Egoyan’s idea is wonderfully conducive to the story: except that in its first iteration it was more serious. The story features a bet between Alfonso & two young men who have been proudly extolling the virtues of their fiancees. That first time in 2014, with Sir Thomas Allen as the mature Don, I found the production stiff, slow, a bit full of itself, pompous and overly complex. I think that’s how it was directed, how Egoyan wanted it to work, seeking to inject depths into a comedy.

Tracy Dahl as Despina and Sir Thomas Allen as Don Alfonso in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Così fan tutte, 2014. Photo: Michael Cooper

There were some great moments in the singing & delightful images in the set & costumes by Debra Hanson. But speaking as someone who has known and loved this opera since childhood, it felt long and weighed down by its own pretentious concept. It felt like Ingmar Bergman or Woody Allen trying to do Cosi fan tutte, psychology & depth and yes a few moments where my jaw dropped, but unsure how to process it because of its collision with my previous experience of the opera.

In 2019 the COC revived it for the first time, five years after its first run with Russell Braun taking Allen’s role as the mature Don.

Tracy Dahl as Despina & Russell Braun as Don Alfonso, 2019 COC production of Cosi fan tutte (photo: Michael Cooper)

What a breath of fresh air that was, so different. The comedy was no longer being crushed under the weight of psycho-babble, and emerged especially as the cast interacted much more with Alfonso, possibly because they weren’t so much in awe of a singer who had been knighted. The original work began to assert itself, Mozart reminding us how the piece could be done. Maybe Egoyan liked that sense of awe, given that the school for lovers concept revolves around the headmaster? Braun took us closer to the original.

Another factor energizing that revival was Bernard Labadie, who conducted in 2019 with quicker tempi, breathing life into Mozart’s music. Having mentioned a conductor you may wonder when I am going to explain how i could put “starring Johannes Debus” into the headline, but I’ll get to that in a moment.

And so in 2026 in its third incarnation Cosi is truly alive. The design from Hanson and the concept from Egoyan are all still there, but the opera is back to its old self, a fast-paced comedy. While Egoyan’s name is on it and his program note appears dated 2026, I attribute the changes to the assistant directors, namely Marilyn Gronsdal (who also worked on the 2019 revival of Cosi). But it seems that the ponderous weight is lifting with each iteration, the pace quicker (thanks to the conductors), the tone lighter. Daniel Okulitch was our Don Alfonso, energizing the comedy even more than what I reported with Russell Braun, in the process taking the role and the work closer to how it was written.

Tracy Dahl was Despina once again, the star in 2019 and 2014. I remember observing –sadly– that my first laugh in 2014 came in her first scene. She is still the funniest one onstage, a bit older but also wiser, the one we are looking at and listening to.

Dorabella (Martina Myskohlid) & Fiordiligi (Lauren Fagan) listen to Despina (Tracy Dahl; photo: Michael Cooper)

I think she interpolated a high C into her scene where she’s electrocuted by her own therapeutic device! She was inventive, always fun to watch. I love her so much.

I’m excited, writing about this, wanting to report two or three things at once, in a show where after all, we had six soloists, a chorus and an orchestra all contributing to the magic. Ah but first, I must report that there was a bit of drama before the show as COC General Director Ian Derrer came out to announce that tenor Laurence Kilsby was indisposed due to illness.

One singer’s misfortune can be a blessing for someone else. While I am sympathetic, I am especially pleased when I get to see a Canadian take the role of an imported singer. Owen McCausland who had sung a small role the night before in la traviata, listed as understudy for Ferrando in the program, stepped in to sing the role.

I’m happy to report that Owen sang very well. His tenor voice has hinted in past appearances that he might have a future as a spinto or even dramatic tenor, but as Ferrando he held back, the stylish Mozartian throughout while saving himself intelligently. In a show where I heard at least two in the cast who were “pitchy” (a word I first heard on American Idol, to suggest someone who is either sharp or flat), Owen was never off pitch as far as I could hear. And he played the romantic comedy very convincingly. I wonder if the excitement surrounding his substitution energized everyone.

The comedy was inspired, all six of the principals had their moments to shine. The audience loved Joel Allison as Guglielmo, Lauren Fagan as Fiordiligi, especially Martina Myskohlid as a stunning Dorabella both in her vocalism & comic shenanigans.

Dorabella (Martina Myskohlid) and Fiordiligi (Lauren Fagan, photo: Michael Cooper)

Let me now get to Johannes Debus’s creative heroics. I am surprised that no review has mentioned his work, possibly because he’s in the orchestra pit at the piano, and not onstage. While I figured he could play I never suspected that he could offer such sparkling decorations to the performance, embellishing upon the interactions between the singers. My subscription seat is in the 2nd row, where I was craning my neck to try to see into the pit as I wondered: is he actually playing? Before long it was clear that yes he was playing as well as conducting.

Ah but Johannes plays much more than what’s written. I’ve heard harpsichordists sometimes undertake some recitatives this way. But he took it so much further. Not only is he elaborating, improvising, but he’s added commentary. There are places where he makes interesting additions to the music.

The famous trio “Soave sia il vento“, when Don Alfonso & the two young women wish the men well as they go off to war, includes introductory murmurings & accompaniment, gentle repeated eighth notes, that Johannes then excerpted at least a couple of times when we were hearing mentions made in the opera of the wandering lovers. He made that music almost like a leit-motiv to remind us of their departure & their journey (fake though it might be) in the minds of the women.

Similarly, the opening ensemble “La mia Fiordiligi” before the bet is made features the declaration of the young men, admiring their fiancees: a melody that is one of the clearest Mozart ever wrote. Late in the opera — when the shit has hit the fan– Johannes quotes the exuberant happy melody, as if to say “how’s that bet working out for you boys?” Johannes is adding a layer something like what Wagner does with his leit-motivs, as though they are a Greek chorus, commenting upon the action, yet the tone is quicksilver light, comical and oh so brief.

And all this was done while Johannes went from sitting at the piano to jumping up to conduct the orchestra: who sounded amazing.

And the COC chorus are also doing lots of heavy lifting, as in la traviata. In addition to their singing they’re regularly playing roles as “students” in Don Alfonso’s school for lovers.

In my experience, when a production is revived it may begin to diverge from the directorial concept and inevitably resist the rigorous concept as it goes back to the original work. Mozart and centuries of performance of Cosi fan tutte (admittedly more in the last century when the morality of the story wasn’t frowned upon any longer) weigh against a director, especially if Egoyan’s voice was only heard in a book of instructions being read by the revival director.

In Egoyan’s director’s note I am a bit perplexed by something he said, that seems a nice parallel to this whole question of a director and their influence:
“For those familiar with Così fan tutte, this
production may be surprising in two ways.
First, we are taking the alternative title of
the work and using it literally. It takes place
in “A School for Lovers,” with Don Alfonso
the teacher of this school in which he
demonstrates to his students the complexities
and perils of the laws of attraction.
The second surprise is that the sisters seem to
be in on Don Alfonso’s experiment from the
beginning. I was curious to explore what might
happen to the dynamics of the opera if there
were a parallel wager with the two women.“

He goes on, but I think this is enough. I watched the show, enjoying the cast, watching for any sign that the “sisters seem to be in on Don Alfonso’s experiment from the beginning.” When I watched in 2014 and 2019 I couldn’t be bothered with this, as there was no evidence for it. This time in 2026 I looked closely for any sign of recognition. When they were drinking? romancing? I watched them seeming to be genuinely upset at the end of the opera, when their lovers unmask, feelings they would not have shown such dismay had they been “in on Don Alfonso’s experiment“. I saw no sign of anything anywhere in the opera remotely corresponding to this. But I’m open to discovering how this would work, when the two young women behave throughout as though the wager is genuine and display surprise at the end.

Indeed I thought about how such a thing could be done if a director genuinely wanted to offer women images of empowerment, in an opera that still feels sexist to me, the way the men are let off the hook at the end. What if the disguises were to slip, if one of the moustaches were to slip off and the women were to see, and perhaps nod to one another, and play along. But there’s no sign of that.

In the end I think we come to the 2026 conclusion feeling the way Mozart –the would-be libertine–probably wanted us to feel. There’s a feeling of resignation when Don Alfonso sings the title of the opera, joined by the two young men, a slightly cynical conclusion. Wolfgang & Lorenzo Da Ponte his librettist (who may also have been a libertine) probably thought they were being generous in the way the women are let off the hook, never suspecting that centuries later it’s the men, not the women, who are seen as problematic in their behaviour.

There are three performances of Cosi fan tutte remaining this week, on October 14, 16 and 18. I wish I could go again: especially to hear what Johannes is doing. Please click on the video link below to hear what he has to say.

Bravo Johannes!

Posted in Reviews | Tagged American Idol, Atom Egoyan, Bernard Labadie, Canadian Opera Company, Cosi fan tutte, Daniel Okulitch, Debra Hanson, Frida Kahlo, Ian Derrer, Ingmar Bergman, Joel Allison, Johannes Debus, Lauren Fagan, Laurence Kilsby, Lorenzo Da Ponte, Marilyn Gronsdal, Martina Myskohlid, Owen McCausland, recitative, Russell Braun, Sir Thomas Allen, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Woody Allen | Leave a comment

Adanya Dunn rescuing Grande Duchesse for Toronto Operetta Theatre: an interview

Posted on October 9, 2026 by barczablog

Adanya Dunn is a singer I know from modern opera productions with companies such as Tapestry Opera, FAWN Chamber Creative or Against the Grain.

I heard that the singer who was supposed to sing the title role in Toronto Operetta Theatre’s production of Offenbach’s La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein had become ill and that Adanya is coming to the rescue of TOT, undertaking the role with relatively little time to prepare.

I had to find out more (and wow she found time to do the interview).

Barczablog: When you’re just relaxing and not working, what is your favourite thing to do?

Adanya Dunn: I love being in nature and sharing time with people whose company I enjoy – very intentional choices! In my downtime, I can usually be found being creative in other disciplines, whether that’s dance, visual art, writing, composing…

BB: Dogs or cats?

Adanya Dunn: I’m absolutely a cat person, though I do love all animals! 

BB: Paper scores or digital?

Adanya Dunn: A mix! When travelling or on the go, a digital score tends to be the most economical in terms of space and weight. But I also really value the tactile experience of a physical score, and particularly being able to see the larger musical picture laid out in front of me. So I still use both, depending on the circumstances.

BB: When did you hear about this gig as the Grande Duchesse,

Adanya Dunn: I found out on September 28, while I was actually performing another gig, that I would be jumping in as the Grand Duchess.

BB: And what does that mean compared to your usual preparation time?

Adanya Dunn: On the 29th I received everything, the score and dialogue, and I began rehearsals on the 30th. So I basically had one day to learn and familiarize myself with the opera. One day! I think that’s the fastest I’ve learned an opera, though not an entirely unusual situation within my wheelhouse.

Of course, there’s a big responsibility in performing the title role – and I wanted to be part of the team and help bring the project to life. I enjoy a challenge and stretching myself beyond what might be considered normal or ideal circumstances. Also, this is my first time performing with Toronto Operetta Theatre – so what a chance!

I also want to acknowledge that there’s a certain sensitivity around doing a jump-in.

BB: Really? could you explain?

Adanya Dunn: Because it usually means that someone else is no longer able to fulfill a commitment for any number of reasons. It’s also a very common part of our profession. I can think of times when I’ve been ill or circumstances have come up where a jump-in was necessary to replace me. That happens. It’s part of working in what I consider to be a somewhat precarious career, and I think it’s important to remember that we’re a network of people who can help and support one another when these situations arise.

The success of a jump-in is dependent on many factors beyond the person jumping in! The team at Toronto Operetta Theatre, including director Guillermo Silva-Marin, conductor Narmina Afandiyeva and stage manager Myra Malley, have been extremely accommodating, giving me additional coaching, making certain adaptations where appropriate, and simply giving me the time, space and support to prepare.

It takes a whole support structure to make something like this possible.

On my end, a lot of it comes down to trust, and to everything I’ve learned through doing things I had never done before. There’s only so much I can anticipate because every set of circumstances is different. I had never been in exactly this position before, but I knew that I could do it, and I trusted myself to respond to what was in front of me. 

BB: Please elaborate some more about how you prepare.

Adanya Dunn: There’s the immediate preparation, but there’s also everything that happened before I ever received the score.

I study regularly with my teacher Don Marrazzo, and I owe so much of my ability to do something like this to what we’ve built together, and to his guidance, care and support in developing my voice systematically and keeping me healthy and prepared.

Then there are the basic things I do myself: trying to keep myself in a good state mentally and physically, eating and sleeping well, continuing my own role study. It’s really about staying prepared for moments when they arise.

I’ve also always been a very quick study. I don’t know if that has any relationship to completing assignments the night before in high school and still somehow managing to pull out an A! But over time, I’ve developed a systematic way of learning things thoroughly both with a long runway and without!

I think the more I do, the easier it becomes to take on increasingly difficult or complex projects. That complexity might be musical, in pitch or rhythm, or it might be staging, choreography or simply time constraints. Working extensively in contemporary music makes learning more traditional repertoire feel easier; taking dance classes, performing and choreographing routines makes it easier for me to pick up staging and movement quickly. I compose, play piano, produce music, dance, paint and make visual art, and I find that these different practices are constantly informing one another. They contribute to having a flexible and adaptable mind and body. For me, performing and communicating stories is a very integrated experience.

BB: I saw you sing at TIFF in 2017 singing Vivier & Schönberg with Topher Mokrzewski, with Tapestry & Against the Grain & Fawn before that time. Rightly or wrongly I’ve associated you more in my head with contemporary music than operetta. Please tell me more about your history with contemporary classical compositions.

Adanya Dunn: I think working extensively in contemporary classical music has kept me on my toes and sharpened my ability to respond quickly. I’ve premiered around 200 new works and have spent a lot of time working directly with composers, librettists and directors, whether on pieces written for me or works that we’re developing and work-shopping together.

Last summer, I work-shopped two new operas and was part of Tapestry Opera’s LIBLAB and Opera Briefs, where the turnaround was incredibly quick, with a couple of newly composed pieces per day. In these situations, we’re constantly negotiating new material in our own voices and bodies, and the piece may continue to evolve throughout the process. We learn how to absorb complicated pitches, rhythms, text and theatrical ideas without necessarily having the luxury of months to sit with them.

That kind of work has made learning more traditional repertoire feel easier in many ways. The practices inform one another, just as my movement and dance practice feeds into how quickly I can absorb staging and choreography.

This also isn’t my first jump-in. I’ve been in for studio recordings, and on standby and prepared for other situations. Sometimes circumstances simply don’t allow us to learn something as far in advance or as thoroughly as we ideally would. All of those experiences build on one another.

BB: Could you talk about how it works in practice, whether it’s new music with Tapestry or Offenbach with TOT.

Adanya Dunn: This is really a condensed version of my normal learning process. Things I might usually spend weeks working through, I’m having to do in a day.

I always begin with the text. I speak through all the parts, reading it like a play and getting a sense of how the language moves. If I’m working in a language I don’t speak, that also involves translating and speaking everything aloud before I begin putting it together. In this case, we’re performing in English, and the natural rhythm of the text is often nicely reflected in the music, so the two begin to come together quite quickly.

Then I get onto my feet. I start acting things out, moving through the material and infusing it with character and my ideas about who this person is. Right away, I want to start bringing my whole self into the process. Even in a coaching, if I still need to be reading from the score, I’m finding ways to remain physically engaged and aware of the character and what I’m communicating, rather than treating the notes as something separate that I’ll somehow add the theatre onto later.

In ideal circumstances, I have more time to work a role into my voice. Different repertoire asks different things of me vocally, whether that’s a role that sits somewhat higher or lower, or simply balancing it alongside other repertoire I’m singing at the same time.

The Duchess sits in a great range for my voice and I’m relying on the years of vocal technique I’ve built with Don, which allows me to bring all of these elements together on a much more condensed timeline.

BB: Tell us a bit more about the Duchess & Offenbach.

Adanya Dunn: Something I’ve found interesting in approaching the Duchess is that it can be easy to hear music that is light, catchy and seemingly simple and think, Oh, this is easy, and just gloss through it.

A caricature of Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)

Adanya Dunn: But there are so many little chromaticisms and unexpected notes within the harmonies. Sometimes another note might technically “work,” but it isn’t what Offenbach wrote.

BB: OMG That is so impressive.

Adanya Dunn: For me, maintaining the integrity of the score is important because those notes were written that way for a reason.

At the same time, the piece needs a certain buoyancy. I don’t want the work of making it precise to weigh it down. Finding that balance has been really fun.

BB: Wow, I wish more people cared about such things. So who is she, and how will you portray your Duchess?

Adanya Dunn: The Grand Duchess is young, about 20 years old, and she has enjoyed a great deal of freedom. She has these men around her who have largely been governing the realm, and she takes a particular interest in her military – she wants to have fun! At the same time, there are societal pressures and responsibilities looming, marriage being one of the most obvious expectations placed upon her.

Our character work at Toronto Operetta Theatre is finding the complexity and nuance within her. We can see her social responsibility while also looking at the ways she wants to maintain, and perhaps in some ways re-claim, her own autonomy, wishes and desires to make change.

There is quite a lot of dialogue in the piece, and we’ve been having conversations in rehearsal about why the characters make particular decisions and even how individual lines can be inflected. The audience may never know every detail of the backstory or character work that we’ve explored, but they don’t necessarily need to. That work gives the choices we make a rooted and grounded place to come from, and that depth is still felt.

And then the music itself is so fun, catchy and glorious. This is also a piece that is rarely performed, so audiences have an opportunity to hear another side of Offenbach beyond the works they might already know. We’re performing it in an English translation by Geoffrey Dunn, no relation!

Guillermo has made various updates to both the libretto and dialogue, allowing us to consider how this work lives in the present. We’re not setting the operetta contemporarily, but we are performing it now, for an audience now. There’s an interesting distinction there. We can remain within the world of the piece while still being informed by our own context, and consider how these characters, their relationships and their choices might resonate today.

Audiences will be delighted by Toronto Operetta Theatre’s take on The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein. There are definitely some surprising twists and moments. The production remains very true to the original while also finding places where agency and free will can be exercised within the world of the operetta.

It’s also such a wonderful chance to hear Offenbach music that isn’t commonly performed. There may even be musical through-lines that audiences recognize from his other works, but here they get to experience this whole other piece, in English, with a wonderful cast.

Audiences might be pleasantly surprised by our Duchess. She may not be quite the same Duchess that people who know the operetta have encountered before. She’s a young woman with enormous responsibility who also has desires of her own, negotiating what is expected of her with what she actually wants. We get to explore that while still letting the piece be what it is: a comedic operetta that’s full of fun, with some unexpected twists and moments!

BB: Is comedy harder than tragedy?

Adanya Dunn: I don’t necessarily think one is harder than the other. They’re very different, and I feel that the director, the team and the particular production can inform the level of difficulty more than whether the material itself is comic or tragic.

With comedy, I think sincerity is incredibly important. There can be all these wild situations and circumstances that are almost beyond imaginable, while at the same time something within them is completely relatable. If the characters believe in what they’re doing and their choices come from somewhere grounded, that’s often where the humour lives. We don’t necessarily have to try to make something funny.

The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein gives us a lot to play with in that way. There’s physicality, movement and dancing, these wonderful larger-than-life circumstances, but we can still approach the characters as completely believable within that world. That combination is a lot of fun.

BB: Is there a teacher or an influence you’d care to name that you especially admire or wish to thank?

Adanya Dunn: Well… 6 years ago, I was a soprano!   Earlier, I mentioned my private teacher Don Marrazzo, and I cannot thank him enough – I wouldn’t be where I am today without him! When I moved to Amsterdam in 2018, we began working together on my technique, allowing my voice the space to develop and reveal where it wanted to go in that phase of my life. After a couple of years of that exploration, I “made the switch” from soprano to mezzo-soprano, a process Don guided with such care and curiosity. We continue to work together week by week. I love our sessions, and the constant learning and growing I experience as an artist and performer is something I cherish deeply. As a result of our work, I feel better able to express myself in a more truthful and authentic way, both on- and off-stage.

I’m also so thankful to my manager Morgan Reid and the team at Dean Artists Management to be on this journey together! And grateful for the support and guidance from a wonderful lineage of educators and coaches throughout all stages of my development.

*******

Adanya Dunn is the Grande Duchesse of Gerolstein, starring in the Toronto Operetta Theatre production October 14, 15, and 16 at the Jane Mallett Theatre.

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged Adanya Dunn, Brooke Mitchell, Don Marrazzo, FAWN Chamber Creative, Guillermo Silva-Marin, Jacques Offenbach, Jeffrey Liu, Narmina Afandiyeva, Stuart Graham, theatre, Toronto Operetta Theatre | Leave a comment

Multiple layers and questions raised by Prophetess at Tarragon

Posted on October 8, 2026 by barczablog

My first impression of Prophetess was one of pure delight, laughing with an enthusiastic Tarragon Theatre audience at the delightful clarity of playwright Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho) and the direction of Mike Payette.

Watching Margaret, a professor obsessed with etymology (the study of words), felt tremendously reassuring at a time when literacy & books seem to be under siege by the forces of change, modernity & AI. Margaret takes us back to a realm where words matter. This is but one way among several in which she can be understood as a Prophetess.

As an illustration we saw a professor lecturing about the history of profanity and the F word.

As Margaret (Karen Robinson) lectures the profanity is echoed in words projected on the set. (Photo: Jae Yang)

The dialogue sparkles, the actors articulate positions & enact political stances. In the first half of the play I was swallowed up by the intrigues, by political conflicts between the larger than life characters, having heard before that the playwright is thought to be gifted. And now I see why. He gave each actor a lot to play with and my goodness they were playing. Prophetess is a virtuoso vehicle.

Margaret (Karen Robinson) is a star turn, a generous gift from Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho), indeed every actor in this show can thank him for the meaty parts he’s created for them. A good professor especially a tenured one must be able to educate and stimulate their audience in a classroom. Lectures are theatrical, and can be fun. Margaret has a personality every bit as big as her classroom persona, a bit of a diva because she is accustomed to having people listen to her every word, and Karen takes the stage every moment.

Margaret (Karen Robinson) lecturing (Photo: Jae Yang)

Ann (Natasha Mumba) is a young colleague of Margaret, a recent arrival whose first encounter with Margaret will be important to the unfolding of the plot. The arc of her story might be as expected, the young one who goes from listening open-mouthed out of respectful admiration to speaking up, taking charge and acquiring more agency.

Margaret (Karen Robinson) and Ann (Natasha Mumba, Photo: Jae Yang)

Henry & Dicky are two vastly different roles both taken by Rick Roberts. In each guise he is defined by the women around him. We see sweet domesticated Henry at home with Margaret, almost too good to be true.

Henry (Rick Roberts) and Margaret (Karen Robinson, Photo: Jae Yang)

Dicky is perhaps as tricky as his name might suggest. Where Henry embodies an ideal partner, Dicky is another romantic variant, part of the political machinations driven by Elizabeth (Christine Horne), who knows how to smile and much more.

Elizabeth (Christine Horne, Photo: Jae Yang)

At home afterwards I was delighted to stumble upon the audience resource guide, fascinated by depths I had never suspected. Watching the play I had been dimly aware of possible subtexts. Speaking as one of the older persons watching last night, some of my laughter had me feeling out of step with a younger audience, that I may have been a bit triggered at times by plot elements that felt rather close to home.

I went to bed wondering if I had even understood what I’d seen.

I woke up confident that the play works whether one apprehends all the subtle allusions or not. I remembered something a professor said long ago when he spoke of nuances that went over our heads in watching a particular opera. He reassured me that while the musicologists who wanted to go deeper could enjoy the treasures they’d uncover in their digging, that this wasn’t essential to our enjoyment or understanding of the work, otherwise there would only be a tiny audience. The average person delights in the piece without excavating. I don’t think I appreciated those implications until now, recalling a play I enjoyed even as I’m sure I only understood it partially.

The set design by Jawon Kang & projections from Laura Warren underline the different moods of the locations where the story is unfolding, in Margaret’s lectures or in her home: making it easier for the text and the performances to work their magic on us. I was sucked in completely, the 90 minutes of the show flew by.

At its core Prophetess is a very simple story. As one of the older audience members my perspective could be different, as we get glimpses of mourning & madness that ring true for me as someone who has had more than his share of both in my immediate circle. Coming from such a young playwright as Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho) I am very much in awe of his insightful story-telling and his ear for dialogue. I’m looking forward to more great things from him in the future.

Prophetess runs at Tarragon Theatre until at least October 29th. I recommend you see it.

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, University life | Tagged books, Christine Horne, Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho), Karen Robinson, Mike Payette, Natasha Mumba, Prophetess, Rick Roberts, Tarragon Theatre, theatre | Leave a comment

Drama and lyricism from Scarborough Philharmonic Showpieces

Posted on October 4, 2026 by barczablog

Scarborough Philharmonic opened their 2026-27 season Friday October 2nd with something of a bombshell announcement.

SPO’s Artistic Director & Conductor Ronald Royer stood before us, disclosing that he’s fighting cancer. He confidently predicted he would beat it, returning fully next year, but for this concert & the next he would share some of his conducting duties.

He’s undergoing treatment, his hair is thinner, but Ron showed us he is still as energetic, as outgoing in his preamble at the microphone before the SPO plays, as capable of leading as ever.

I’m hopeful, especially watching Ron conduct and listening to the SPO’s excellent sound. Maybe I’m easily distracted but in short order the vibrant live music pushed aside any questions of health.

The concert was titled “Showpieces” at the Salvation Army Scarborough Citadel, Ron offering a bit of a lecture before we started, concerning the debate about program music vs absolute music, a debate that has never been settled except maybe in the competing popularity of different compositions.

We began with two movements from Kye Marshall’s five movement suite About the Trees. I remember Kye for her remarkable opera Pomegranate, presented by the Canadian Opera Company in 2019 and again in 2023.

Here’s an excerpt from Kye’s program note to About the Trees:

We are now discovering that trees are ‘social creatures’. Through root networks they share water and nutrients and send each other distress signals warning about impending drought and disease. Humans have relied on trees for many things including shelter and fuel and crucially creating the oxygen we need to survive. We also need to trees to build stringed instruments and bows! Canada has a wealth of trees which we often take for granted. Sadly our trees are under threat from the effects of rapid climate change and deforestation. This composition celebrates five of our magnificent Canadian trees and hopefully brings attention to their fragility in a changing world.

Here’s what Kye wrote about the two movements played by the SPO, namely “Pine Tree” and “Poplar”.

The White Pine is the most majestic of trees, growing to a height of 150 feet. It’s wood is highly valued and thus often harvested in it’s prime. This is ‘narrative ‘or program music movement- telling a story. It opens with a proud regal chorale which is interrupted by the timpani and bass drum representing both foresters and elements of climate degradation. Chaos ensues. Protesters try and stop the devastation but are unsuccessful. The movement ends with the opening chorale which is abruptly cut off.

The Poplar This fast growing tree is very useful for winter windbreaks and soil remediation making them a valuable species in forestry and environmental applications. Its graceful, upward-stretching branches and bright leaves seem to touch the sky, while its deep roots connecting it to the earth as may be heard in the orchestra. This tree has oval, heart-shaped leaves that grow close together, fluttering in the wind. One can hear the leaves dancing especially with the tambourine and marimba.

The brass chorale from SPO sounded especially regal, strongly diatonic in a clear representation of something standing up tall & strong. “Poplar”, the second piece, made a lively contrast, in the play of the short fluttering phrases suggesting leaves dancing in the wind.

Ron then led the SPO in a reading of Franz Liszt’s symphonic poem Les Preludes. It’s great to observe how over the past few years the ensemble gets better and better with every outing, the brass & woodwinds especially effective in handling Liszt’s powerful & dramatic themes.

Ron shared the workload with Michael Newnham, our guest conductor for the remainder of the program.

Michael Newnham, shown conducting Peterborough Symphony Orchestra

Michael’s first appearance ended the first half before intermission, an orchestral arrangement of Liszt’s popular 2nd Hungarian Rhapsody, well known at least through the realm of Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck & more.

Michael and the SPO ran the gamut from the slow sombre opening, building to several shattering climaxes, exploiting all the dramatic possibilities in this playful piece.

Getting another person to assist with the conducting may have been necessitated by doctor’s orders, but this is also a genuine opportunity. Guest music directors bring new perspectives, like a visiting professor bringing outside expertise that can help an orchestra learn new things. And the chance for Ron to listen to the SPO playing while led by Michael can also be a useful part of the discovery, insights both for the players and for their artistic director.

After intermission Michael conducted Dvořák’s cello concerto featuring soloist Cameron Crozman.

The concerto was another short visit to Eastern Europe, as the Czech flavoured cello concerto of Dvořák following the Hungarian Rhapsody of Liszt both include folk music elements.

But this time our focus was largely upon the soulful soloist Cameron, his powerful tone soaring over the orchestra. The audience’s enthusiastic reception to Cameron’s superb performance was rewarded by an encore, his solemn reading of the Sarabande from the 3rd of JS Bach’s unaccompanied cello suites.

Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra return November 7th with Viva España, when Ron Royer will be joined by guest conductor Christóbal Soler, mezzo-soprano Lorena Valero, performing Suites No. 1 and 2 from The Three-Cornered Hat by Manuel de Falla, Sinfonía Sevillana by Joaquín Turino and selections from Spanish zarzuelas. For tickets & information click here.

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Antonin Dvorak, Bugs Bunny, Cameron Crozman, Canadian Sinfonietta, Franz Liszt, JS Bach, Kye Marshall, Michael Newnham, Peterborough Symphony Orchestra, Pomegranate, Ronald Royer, Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra | Leave a comment

Provocative To a Flame for an audist world

Posted on October 1, 2026 by barczablog

I’ve learned a new word.

My new word is “audism“: discrimination or prejudice against deaf individuals.

So if someone practising racism is a racist (practicing discrimination around race), I would add the word audist. When I first tried to type “audist” spellcheck changed it to “audits”, perhaps because there are more bankers than activists for the Deaf. But our world is built for those who can hear while regularly discriminating against those who cannot hear well or who are deaf.

Forgive me for the homonym, but it’s the oddest thing that when I try to say “we live in an audist world” that I will likely be completely misunderstood, unheard by those who can hear. Please excuse me, I am taking my time writing this review, pondering things that I am trying to understand.

One doesn’t need to know sign language to be mesmerized by Erin Shields’s multi-media creation To a Flame (TAF) in the 1s1 Theatre and Nightwood Theatre co-production, in association with Modern Times Stage Company and Why Not Theatre, in the intimate Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre.

It’s bilingual in English and ASL.

Nickeshia Garrick, Dawn Jani Birley and Juliana Monk (photo: Elana Emer)

I came to it as a big fan of Dawn Jani Birley, drawn like a moth to her show TAF as I attempt to understand my experience of the work and its importance. My first encounter with Dawn’s work was back in 2019 watching & having my mind blown by Prince Hamlet, a bilingual adaptation of Shakespeare incorporating American sign language (ASL). I came away from that hungry for another comparable experience, without having really understood what I had seen. Perhaps I can learn from this? In 2019 my typical week had me seeing & reviewing multiple shows, perhaps leading to superficialities, generalizations made through haste & maybe some mistakes. Don’t get me wrong, I wrote rapturously about the show & don’t regret anything I said: yet I don’t think I really understood the depths of what Dawn was doing. I saw her as a brilliant practitioner, the superb adaptation, missing the activist layer.

TAF is nothing like Prince Hamlet except for the use of ASL & Dawn’s presence. But this time I am delighted to see that Nightwood Theatre shared a great deal about the creation & development of TAF in a study guide found on the Nightwood Theatre website. I wish more producers of original works made this kind of effort! It’s especially welcome watching this play employing ASL (a language that I don’t understand), telling a story about people trying to make sense of the world, a world that, as I suggested off the top, is audist, discriminating against those who cannot hear. The three women onstage in TAF face a fundamental existential predicament. It’s humbling to confront perceptual limitations, reminded of the challenges anyone faces. ASL feels like a magic trick especially when combined with so many other layers as in TAF.

I can’t help comparing the experience of TAF to Prince Hamlet, one of the most powerful adaptations of a familiar work that I’ve ever seen. Part of the power in Prince Hamlet comes from the adaptation of a familiar story, the recognition of parts while seeing some parts getting new treatment. I wonder if it were clearer that we’re seeing a version of the Poe story, if that might be useful to frame our experience, given that I only found this digging in the study guide later. But then again, my perspective may be narrow, not just as someone wanting to analyze & write about a show but also seeking enjoyment & pleasure when that may not be the chief objective of the creative team.

Obvious as it is to say: everyone will come out of this with a different set of takeaways, but TAF is in many ways like a Rorschach test, an existential ink blot, a mirror. I think about adding audism to my mental list of afflictions alongside sexism or racism, that just as there are persons who are sexist or racist in their prejudices or discrimination, one may similarly be an audist. This is especially likely when one has never examined one’s advantages, never noticed the privileges one takes for granted.

I’m especially mindful of my mother’s last years, as her hearing and eyesight faded dramatically while we (her children) did not always show patience when seeking to communicate with her, so busy with logistical issues of her meals & care that we were insensitive & impatient. I’d like to think that I was patient with her, that I didn’t snap at her or talk down to her. To treat a person who is hard of hearing as though you’re smarter and they’re inferior is to be an audist. At 100 years of age it was not an option to learn ASL, even if my mom had mastered several languages earlier in her life. I suspect I will not be the only one watching TAF while remembering family members and perhaps blushing at recollections of audist moments.

It has taken more than a decade so far. The study guide tells us that Erin Shields’s play TAF was originally inspired by The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe. I need to explain why I call it important. In my experience theatre and politics are mutually exclusive. The poetry ceases to be art when it preaches.

I’m not sure I really understood what I saw and heard tonight, that’s not meant to sound harsh or as a critique. There is a parallel between what the three characters experience as they seek to make sense of their world and my attempts to understand their gothic horror story as it unfolds. Don’t let that scare you off. Three women appear to be figuring out the confusing & challenging world about something going over my head. It’s stunning, beautiful, reminding me of one of the operas I saw in childhood before they invented surtitles. Just because I didn’t fully understand never stopped me from having a religious experience.

Maybe it sounds funny to say it’s operatic. I sat with the cello in front of me, played by Beth Silver. As a musician & composer I was perhaps paying more attention to this than the average person might do, watching the player, intrigued by their choices, and always fascinated at the richness of the mix of visual and auditory discourses.

Of course no way would the creatives ever call it operatic, not just because the word conjures images to scare people away. I use it not as someone who thinks “opera is boring” but as someone who loves opera, and sees opera as the prototype for cinema & theatre for at least the last 150 years, an ideal blend of multiple artforms hitting you in different channels, music, movement, words. I think it’s a useful analytical framework even if there’s no singing. You had a live cellist playing throughout, three actors speaking some doing ASL, with vibrant sound design, still & video images projected beside them.

In the talk-back afterwards, Nightwood Artistic Director Andrea Donaldson questioned playwright Erin Shields & English to ASL translator / actor Dawn Jani Birley.

Andrea Donaldson, Erin Shields and Dawn Jani Birley

Dawn spoke of the piece working in “Parallel languages”, as the play unfolds in both English and ASL. I felt guilty to be reminded of other sensory channels employed, not just the physical movement of the actors (at times just standing or lying onstage, sometimes dancing), the video and lighting design, but especially the sound design and the live music, the latter two being channels that aren’t available to Dawn. They may not use words but they’re also a kind of discourse, a sort of story-telling. It doesn’t seem fair. Of course the ASL goes over my head, so I should forget about guilt.

The aforementioned study guide tells us that Erin Shields’s play TAF was originally inspired by Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe. Speaking of opera, Claude Debussy took a crack at adapting the story, a tale of gothic horror with supernatural overtones. I was intrigued by the changes Shields & the team made in Poe’s story.

What I dimly recall from the story was the sense of dread and powerlessness, that’s normal in melodrama. While Poe isn’t exactly melodrama, that medium was big in the 19th century, a style that pervades other forms. I’m mindful because I mentioned melodrama a few days ago in my review of Verdi’s 1850s opera La traviata, an opera where no one has any real agency, where true love is defeated by an inexorable disease. While Poe’s original story has much of the same sort of passivity & helplessness as Verdi’s opera, a pessimism fit for Schopenhauer, the characters in Shields’ play give the story a feministic twist, as they refuse to be passive & helpless. While I won’t spoil the show by disclosing anything further, that aspect is significant and exciting.

The study guide mentions Butoh as a form and as an objective of the work. I was intrigued by this. My experiences of Butoh had been of something far slower & more meditative, both from Sankai Juku and from Lindsay Kemp many decades ago. If the methodology informed the work of choreographer & director Josette Bushell-Mingo, that’s great. All I know is that the bodies both in motion and when still were a joy to watch and to experience, like a living sculpture.

I wonder how others might relate to this dark tale. While the story has elements that are gut-wrenching, it is also empowering and beautiful. I found that discussing the show later, it’s hard to really communicate the experience, that a simple synopsis can’t capture the magic of the visuals, the movement or the music. I must admit though that for a piece of art that has a political position, it still manages to be art rather than a diatribe, no real argument to it. It speaks indirectly, implicitly rather than explicitly. There is no preaching, just making images that make you feel.

There are only three performances left in the run (one today October 2nd, two on October 3rd), but I am hopeful that the piece will be revived in another city, and hopefully brought back in Toronto the way Prince Hamlet was revived: a show I saw on its return, having missed it the first time.

There’s a lot of good work that went into the development of TAF, with set & costume design by Jung-Hye Kim, the lighting design by André du Toit and the gorgeous Projection Design by Laura Warren. I found myself pondering the title, and recalled the several times we see a digital animation projected that looks like moths, and then figured out aha that moths are drawn: to a flame. I am still pondering what that means as far as the story, even if I myself felt drawn inexorably to TAF.

As I keep thinking about it, I am hopeful I get another look. I want to see it again. I hope it’s revived.

Juliana Monk and Dawn Jani Birley (photo: Elana Emer)

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, My mother, Reviews | Tagged 1s1 Theatre, American Sign Language, André du Toit, ASL, audism, audist, Beth SIlver, Dawn Jani Birley, Edgar Allan Poe, Erin Shields, Josette Bushell-Mingo, Juliana Monk, Jung-Hye Kim, Laura Warren, Modern Times Stage Company, Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre, Nickeshia Garrick, Nightwood Theatre, Prince Hamlet, TAF, The Fall of the House of Usher, To a Flame, Why Not Theatre | Leave a comment

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho) talks about Prophetess: an interview

Posted on September 29, 2026 by barczablog

I am intrigued by Prophetess, a new play from Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho) to open October 7th at Tarragon Theatre, described this way on their website:

Margaret, the Chair of her English Department — and the Queen of Etymology — snaps awake, haunted by a nightmare of spiders. As she confides in her love, Henry, over breakfast, that very same spider from her dream manifests — speaking, growling, and cursing her. And so begins the first day of her term: overrun with eight-legged beasts, sparring words, a battle for the throne, a journey of joyous love, and insatiable prophecies.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s History Plays, Prophetess excavates etymology to ask: What does it mean to curse or bless oneself? What are the words we choose to define ourselves — and our future?

I wanted to know more about the play & its creator Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho) so I asked him some questions.

*******

BB – What is the best or worst thing about what you do?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): Working in the arts has been a dream (and rigorous work) for a long time, so I am so grateful to get to do this at all. I work as a playwright, performer, dramaturg, educator, and administrator, and each role asks for something different. The best part of this mix of roles, is that it is never boring… there is always some new artistic adventure. I love the challenge of learning, then doing something new. It’s a double edged thing, in that, the waves of adventure can sometimes flat line… there are real ups and downs in a career in the arts, and sometimes there’s a lack of control or agency, or doubt, or instability.

Another beautiful thing about working in the theatre, is the people. Theatre is such a collaborative form, that I find most theatre artists to be such open hearted, forward thinking, partners in crime.

BB – What ability or skill do you wish you had, that you don’t have?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): To be quicker on my feet.

BB –When you’re just relaxing and not working, what is your favourite thing to do?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): Cooking and eating. Spending time with my husband and my two cats. Slowing down and enjoying life against the speed of modern day living.

BB: What was your first performance that you remember?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): The Nutcracker. Some ballet company in Hong Kong. When I was six years old.

BB: When did you discover your true voice as an artist?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): I think I’m still on my way to discover that. I think it’ll take a life time, if I ever get there.

I’ll share a story of when I was nineteen. Theatre school was such a pivotal phase of discovering the beginnings of my “voice.” I studied acting in Montreal but wrote a lot (the clues were always there). There was a project around creating solo shows, and I was a keener, so I wrote two. Nina Lee Aquino (then, AD of Cahoots, before her time at Factory, and before the NAC) was an instructor at the school and I brazenly took her aside to read her this short work.

Nina Lee Aquino

Throughout this reading, I saw Nina looking around the room, and I thought to myself “oh no, I’ve lost her, I must be terribly boring.” Afterwards, when the read was finished, Nina said: “I was looking around the room at the pianos. These pianos are your set, your scene partners, your characters.” I loved that idea. From that moment on, Nina and I collaborated on this solo piece, with two pianos, that eventually became my debut play, trace, at Factory Theatre. Nina taught me that my voice contains music and language in the same breath. This is something I hold true to this day: words as music, or words and music, there’s always something of that in anything I create.

Since trace, I’ve written, staged, and published a few more plays, and I learn something new from writing each one. There’s always a moment of discovery, a true surprise, even to myself, and I find that that new addition reveals something new about “voice.”

It’ll take a lifetime.

BB: Dogs or cats?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): Both. We have cats. We’d love a dog.

BB: Aloud to an audience or reading to yourself?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): Aloud to an audience. Always.

BB: Live performance vs video/film

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): Both. I will always be a theatre animal, but I greatly admire the craft of performing or writing for screen.

BB: Theatre as lab experiment or theatre as sacred temple?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): Both. Theatre as a sacred temple of experimentation. Or theatre as an experimental temple. Or theatre as a warm blanket. Or theatre as a jolt of lightning. Or theatre as a circle of kindness. Or really, theatre is one of those beautiful art forms that shapeshifts and flows into whatever container you can imagine. Theatre as smores by a campfire.

BB: Do you have a favourite Shakespearean quote and favourite role?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): I do not have a favourite Shakespeare quote of the top of my mind. I do love Sonnet 18 very much, so I’ll say that.

My favourite Shakespeare role would be Ophelia, in Why Not Theatre’s Prince Hamlet.

Rehearsing Prince Hamlet (photo: Dahlia Katz)

BB: What influences do you have?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): So many. I feel like life offers influences at every turn: the everyday, to the extraordinary, to the people one meets, to the artists one idolizes. I feel like I’ve started many new plays on trains, because I hear some new wild idea out of some stranger’s mouth.

And then of course, more direct artistic influences (aka. mentors): Yael Farber, Nina Lee Aquino, Mike Payette, Sherry Bie, David Yee, Brian Quirt, and so many more.

So many writers I love reading: Sarah Kane, debbie tucker green, Wajdi Mouawad, Roberto Bolano, Paul Lynch, Hannah Moscovitch, John Mighton, Anusree Roy, Madeleine Thien, Han Kang… far too many others to name.

I also grew up a classical pianist, and as mentioned above, music is so important: Bach, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Rosalia, Aretha Franklin, Sigur Ros… so many more.

One of my greatest influences in even becoming an artist at all: Sandra Oh. I mustered up the courage to run away from home to become an artist, because of her (from her role in Double Happiness).

BB: What does your ideal teacher do ?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): Inspire curiosity so that the learner can learn to learn for themselves.

BB: Can we reconcile excellence and inclusiveness in our education?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): Yes. I don’t think it’s a matter of reconciling excellence and inclusion. That feels to me an antiquated way of considering arts education.

Excellence is subjective and shaped by many factors. An excellent “performer,” in Canada, would be held quite differently in Hong Kong, or Korea, or Mumbai.

Similarly, even within European arts/literary history, many of the inherited modern day “canonical,” writers, were deemed abominations, vagabonds, or uncouth when they first appeared, the furthest thing from “excellent.” Ibsen, and A Doll’s House. Sarah Kane and Blasted. Van Gogh. Then we can consider other artists, Canadian, or from elsewhere, who are now some of the most accomplished, decorated, and celebrated artists in their field… who also had to push up against antiquated standards of excellence: Judith Thomson and the Crackwalker (to give a Canadian example). Jean Genet. Paul Wong (another Canadian Example). The Blk Art Group. Jimi Hendrix. Miles Davis. The list goes on. So: arts education shouldn’t be about holding on to some firm definition of excellence, it should be to empower individual artists, from all walks of life, in their own authentic skin, to blaze excellence the way only they could, whatever identity they hold. To be inclusive of new forms of excellence, and to be open to it, and to champion it.

Now, on the other hand, take a look at the news, and you’ll see that arts institutions are falling like flies. Schools are closing, and the opportunities for young artists to learn is fraying. It will likely fall to practitioners to become more direct mentors, and organizations to offer greater professional development opportunities. The training will shift. It will still happen, but it will be different.

BB: Does Canadian nationalism (elbows up) help or contradict your activism, can we have solidarity across races- LGBTQ – nationalities – something else..?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): I am an immigrant and a settler, and very grateful to be Canadian. It is a very tough time. We are so steeped in it, that I see such varied reactions to the nationalism on display. I am still making sense of it.

In terms of solidarity: she may not be Canadian, but I am greatly inspired by Yuri Kochiyama’s legacy and work and words. Similarly with Grace Lee Boggs. We inherit the legacy and work of many who continue to fight for solidarity, across identities. Yes. It is possible. It is.

BB: Please tell us about writing Prophetess.

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): It started as a commission at Tarragon Theatre, where I work as the Associate AD as well. So it was a very unique experience. I’ve never had to write a play, with so much context: from marketing, to producing details, to budget conversations, etc. etc. That was, and continues to be, a huge learning.

At times, it’s too much information. It’s not helpful for the writing itself. But I would say, writing this from the vantage point of tech week, that I felt quite shielded, or that I was able to navigate being a playwright, while being a staff member of the company.

Also, my relationship with Tarragon started in 2018 or so, when I was a Playwright in Residence. I was invited into the company by Joanna Falck and Richard Rose, and for that, I am eternally grateful to the both of them.

When Mike Payette stepped into the company, we had some great chats, and he programmed one of my other plays, cockroach, as his season opener of his inaugural season. That was a huge honour. Mike was also the one to commission Prophetess, and the director, and the one who programmed it… so I have him to thank for a lot of this reality.

When it came to the act of writing. That is always a joy. It gives me such joy to write. I wrote the first draft of Prophetess over ten days, on a retreat with Playwrights Workshop Montreal, in Tadoussac. I was staying in Bill Glassco’s cottage. Bill is the founder of Tarragon. It felt so serendipitous to be there, away from Tarragon, while writing for Tarragon. A stroke of luck and fate.

After that initial first draft. We spent the last year workshopping it, where I would duck away from my admin job to keep honing the draft. I also went to the Banff Playwrights Lab, where I got to work intensively on the script with the guidance of Colleen Murphy, and that was such a dream.

It was an incredible masterclass in playwriting (thank you Colleen).

Then I prepared the draft for rehearsals, and here we are now, in tech week, about to open in two weeks time.

Time flies. This writing process has been a joy. It is has been up and down. Writing this. Staging this. Realizing this. It’s all a dream. I am appreciating every second, because I don’t know when I’ll get to do this again.

I realize I wrote about the development process very technically. The truth about the heart, and the core, and soul of the piece, that’s all it’s own process, and one I don’t have much control over. I write vomit drafts, and it spills out, and I don’t try to make sense of the vomit until it’s on stage.

BB: Please tell us about Tarragon’s production of Prophetess

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): This production is a dream. And a lot of hard work, all driven by love.

Starting with the cast. I love love love this whole cast. Karen Robinson, Christine Horne, Rick Roberts, and Natasha Mumba are all incredibly talented STARS of stage and screen. I want to write a little bit about each person because of how much I love them, and also for the fact that I really did tailor these characters to each artist, as best I could.

Karen Robinson is someone I’ve looked up to since theatre school. We took a class trip to the NAC to watch a production of Romeo and Juliet, and Karen played the Nurse. She is this incredible presence on stage, with such range: in her voice, emotions, and sense of comedy and drama. She is gravity. Then, like with Christine and Rick, I had the immense honour of being in Why Not Theatre’s production of Prince Hamlet, which is where I got to share the stage with Karen.

There was one moment on tour, where I think, I was out of my light, and Karen, without breaking character, gently guided me to my light, her hand and eyes full of care (professional and personal). I will never forget this moment.

I wrote Margaret for Karen, in hopes to tailor a character that is as full of range, comedy and drama, depth and gravity as she is. I am so grateful she said yes.

Christine Horne is yet another artist I looked up to in school. She is a star, and she floors me with every role I’ve seen her in. Even back in theatre school, I saw all the leading roles she played, and with such varied directors (especially this phase of Toronto theatre where there were a lot of European “auteurs” around… Graham, Jason Byrne, etc… and they all worked with Christine… because she’s the best). Then of course, she played Hamlet in Prince Hamlet.

Christine Horne in *Prince Hamlet* (photo: Bronwen Sharp)

To this day, in email correspondences, she’ll refer to me as Ophelia… the bond is forever!!! She also read some Juliet at my wedding, as a true guest of honour. I love her.

I wrote a monster of a role for Christine, because she is one of the nicest, most generous people I know. I wanted to see her dig and bite into a truly vicious character… for the fun of it. And to see her duke it out with Karen on stage again… it’s so much fun to watch.

Rick Roberts is the best. His nickname is Toronto Theatre’s Boyfriend, because it’s true. Everyone adores Rick. He is so immensely gifted as a performer, and also a total hoot in rehearsal… always cracking jokes, always taking care of others, or baking, or taking photos… he’s a magnet of wonderful positivity, while also being a monster of a performer. Like Karen and Christine, we shared many hours on tour in Prince Hamlet. We’ve crossed paths many times at Tarragon and beyond, and I always look forward to seeing Rick.

Also, Rick wrote an adaptation of Orestes at Tarragon, directed by Richard Rose, and I was a part of the cast. It ended up pivoting to a digital production, during the height of the pandemic, and it was an experience unlike any other. I am indebted to Rick and Richard for this awesome, experimental opportunity.

Natasha Mumba is someone I know who will win an Emmy or an Oscar one day. I remember thinking this when we went to theatre school together. I was a year ahead of her, and I remember watching her scene study of King Lear, when she was in first year, where she played Goneril. She did this one gesture, and I remember thinking, holy shit, she is amazing. Since graduation theatre school, she has quickly made her mark in the industry, on stage and on screen. Since being in theatre school together, I’ve always wanted to work with her.

Another fun fact about Natasha, is that we both share a core mentor in the incredible Nina Lee Aquino. There used to be this program at Factory Theatre called the Factory Mechanicals, that was an actor training program. There was also the Factory Engineers, which were folks Nina took on as her Assistant Artistic Director. Both Natasha and I went through that program, and we both currently work as Associate AD’s (Natasha at Obsidian). So, not only is Natasha a formidable performer, she is also a dramaturg, and a natural leader.

I’ve already shared lots of words about Mike, but this production is possible because of Mike.

Then the team at Tarragon is a dream. Again, getting to know everyone so deeply as a fellow staff member, has made creating this world, and realizing this play so beautiful. From the crafts people, to the marketing department, to the development team, to Heather, our incredible education and community outreach manager, or to Natasha Parson, the HEART of the theatre… the team at Tarragon is exceptional, and we take the business of sharing new plays seriously, and with a lot of joy.

This section is overlong. Thank you for this chance to share my love for this incredible team.

BB: Well I think it’s admirable & yes totally adorable that given the chance to talk about yourself, what did you do? You opt to talk at length about the team, other people you admire and who inspire you, who make theatre possible. It’s beautiful. What’s next for you this season?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): I return to supporting many other new works at Tarragon, being the production dramaturg on Call Me By My Cousin’s Name, by Anahita Dehbonehie, You’re Still Here by Katherine Gauthier, and Definition by Luke Reece. Also working on a piece with OtM, Musical Stage, and Crow’s for Sick Kids – it’s such a potent piece. And hopefully supporting other new works around the city, for example, Human Cargo’s Ghosts of Mariupol, by Christopher Morris at Crow’s. Lots of other fun adventures, I’m sure.

BB: You won the LAMBDA Award for Best LGBTQ+ Drama. Do you see yourself as an activist in your writing & performing?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): Yes. I do think every little decision we make plays into a large political conversation. Being an artist, and spending time creating, or sharing in conversation with society is a deeply political act. Look at all the Ed Sheeran hubhub right now. Being an artist is to be an activist, no matter what stance you take.

BB: Have you ever felt a challenge reconciling the business side with the art ?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): Yes. It is always a switch in my brain to compartmentalize the business and the art making. For this, I look to my mentor, Anusree Roy, who speaks very candidly about having to treat one’s work as business, as a “brand.” I am not a natural at it. I do not like to think about how much money a piece will make, or how successful a piece of art is, based on how much money it makes, or how commercial its reach is. It is a reality of being an artist in this day and age. I am no longer on social media because I have a very thin skin and I spiral into bad states with it. Leaving social media has done wonders for my mental health. But I know it also affects the business of sharing work in this day and age, especially my books.

There are many cultures of how to behave and treat one’s own art as a business. As Colleen Murphy shared with me, it is up to oneself to choose what culture they wish to participate in.

I am grateful to my formidable manager, Sean Gale-Miller at OAZ who helps me handle this with great humanity, tact, and strategy.

BB: Is there a teacher or an influence you’d care to name that you especially admire or wish to thank?

Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho): Yael Farber, Nina Lee Aquino, Colleen Murphy, Judith Thompson, Anusree Roy, Sherry Bie, Tedi Tafel, Jason Byrne, Ravi Jain, Christopher Morris, David Yee, Erika Batdorf, Keira Loughran, Jamie Robinson, Marlis Schweitzer, Paul Wong, Iris Turcott, Brian Quirt.

Many others. My career is only possible because of teachers and mentors.

BB: Thank you for sharing.

*****

Prophetess by Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho) premieres at Tarragon October 7th.

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews | Tagged Christine Horne, Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho), Joanna Falck, Karen Robinson, Mike Payette, Natasha Mumba, Nina Lee Aquino, Prince Hamlet, Prophetess, Richard Rose, Rick Roberts, Tarragon Theatre, theatre, trace, William Shakespeare | Leave a comment

Irresistible Traviata from Canadian Opera Company learning the lessons of Avis.

Posted on September 28, 2026 by barczablog

I feel fortunate that I had the privilege of seeing Verdi’s La Traviata today through the eyes of someone discovering the work for the first time, the Canadian Opera Company matinee at the Four Seasons Centre.

When I arrived Erika was already in her seat, chatting with Doug who was sitting beside us, and that’s how I know it was his first time seeing this work.

I feel sorry for the critics who will sometimes speak as though it’s drudgery to see one of the core operas that make up the standard repertoire. I never tire of these works, and feel especially lucky for the perspective I had today, watching the show and picking up on Doug’s response via my peripheral vision.

The reason these works are so frequently performed, so well-attended, so popular, is because they combine a simple story with music that captures the emotions of the story. While people sometimes take courses to learn about opera (I know because I used to teach them), the best operas work well because they need no explanation. They’re so well composed they work really well with just about any cast any set design any director.

I’m framing my experience via Doug because I had such a powerful experience, loving this cast so much that I want to recognize that at least some of my enjoyment came from getting to see it through his eyes and also via those of Erika, who also enjoyed it very much. While opera happens in your visceral response to a show it can be enlarged by the social aspect of the public performance, the way others are also swept into the experience.

I think the cast for this show was actually the #2 cast. I am a subscriber, so when I go later in October I’ll hear the #1 cast. I wanted to also hear this group, especially because in my experience, just like the ad for Avis Rent a car says, they try harder because they’re #2. I have seen it before, possibly because they have something to prove, possibly because there’s more pressure on the A cast. And it can be illuminating to see the different approaches casts may take.

Here’s how it looks in the program
(skipping the people who are in every performance):
Violetta Valéry
Kathryn Lewek
Andriana Chuchman
(Sept. 27, Oct. 2, 9)

Alfredo Germont
Long Long
Luke Norvell
(Sept. 27, Oct. 2, 9)

Giorgio Germont
Russell Braun
Reginald Smith, Jr.
(Sept. 27, Oct. 2, 9)

There are seven performances of Traviata remaining. Before today’s matinee, there were two others, so of the ten performances, there’s an alternate cast for the three principals (Violetta, Alfredo & Giorgio) on September 27, October 2nd and October 9th. This was their opening night (at 2:00 pm that is).

I may report on the other cast when I’ve seen it on the 17th, the closing performance.

Each of the three alternates offered something unique that I wanted to report.

Watching and listening to the vulnerability shown by Andriana Chuchman today, I was reminded of soprano Ileana Cotrubas, my favourite Violetta on record, who passed away just over a month ago. Let me digress for a moment to talk about the role of Violetta, doing my adult ed thing sort of like when I was talking to / talking at Doug, sitting beside me. Violetta is such a phenomenally difficult complex role, it’s been observed before that over the course of the work you might want a different singer in different acts, because they call forth a different sort of personality. For Act I especially in the bubbly extroversion of sempre libera, the ideal is vocal, someone like Joan Sutherland. For Act II it’s much more about vulnerable acting, both in her duet with Giorgio and the brief frantic face to face declaration of love to Alfredo (before she runs away, because of Giorgio’s request), where Cotrubas totally slays me. I can barely write about it without going a little wonky, and that’s what I heard from Andriana, where she mixes singing with speech, sounding a bit overwhelmed with emotion. OMG it works really well. For the last act when she’s faltering and dying perhaps one wants someone who can best do the desperation of oncoming death..? Callas in this act is the one I think of, although Cotrubas is also good. But you see what I’m getting at? Violetta is challenging vocally and dramatically. Maybe Andriana felt she had something to prove today, working hard. I was certainly blown away.

Luke Norvell is the Alfredo I have always wanted to see. I think the last one I saw at the COC had better high notes, the polished Matthew Polenzani, including a high C in the cabaletta to the big Act II aria. Opera can be a bit like a spectator sport, where we’re sitting there, hurling a bravo after the big aria to show our love & appreciation, and in the process really being fairly distant from the story. When I watch and do the traditional applause thing I am probably more alien in the Brechtian sense, distant and not seduced by the illusion. I am getting to Luke now. I have never previously seen an Alfredo that fully hung together for me. I watch the film for example –Stratas & Domingo in Zeffirelli’s 1982 film– and never really feel that I can reconcile the jerk who throws money he won playing cards at Violetta, with the one who falls for her at the beginning. Sure, that’s the way the role is written: but I want to like the character, and rarely do I like the Alfredo I see, with his fatuous displays of ego. Somehow this vulnerable portrayal from Luke, seeming so tentative in his approach rather than pushy or demanding, makes his freaking out over the money Violetta has spent on him in the 2nd act more believable and consistent to the character, and thereby helps me forgive & understand his over-reaction. The fact that Luke also sang really well helps a lot too. While he didn’t hit me with the aforementioned high C in “Oh mio rimorso”, an aria I have never particularly liked, that aria made a whole lot more sense suddenly. I felt that Luke’s portrayal hung together, Alfredo less as a series of high notes & dramatic takes than a relatable character, and yes, a likeable Alfredo. That makes the story much more enjoyable.

Tenor Luke Norvell (photo: Morgan Horell)

So that’s two excellent portrayals, and I haven’t got to my favourite yet.

Reginald Smith, Jr. is new to me, a singer who came out onstage as Giorgio Germont more or less in the usual way for the first few lines, loudly challenging Violetta on behalf of his daughter’s honour. And before too many pages had been turned, I saw a very different Giorgio. The character, broadly speaking, usually goes in two directions from what I’ve seen. Of the two directions, one of them is usually wrong, ambitious but wrong. While it may not be something sopranos love, the ideal in Verdi’s time, I believe, was melodramatic. A big loud strong baritone such as Quinn Kelsey would in effect take over the opera as far as agency, and he’s doing it right please note. This is what the role calls for, even if people may think the soprano & tenor are the stars. Maybe I’m clear about this because I’ve been staring at the score of this opera for such a long time. Remember that melodrama was a popular dramatic form in the 19th century and likely a huge influence on the dramaturgy of Verdi and the way his singers approached characterization. Agency doesn’t come into it, cannot come into it, not when forces beyond your control –such as storms, bankruptcy, war or a nasty villain like an incurable illness–are arrayed against you. Violetta is sick and is going to die. Her happiness was always going to be limited, and then Giorgio walks into her life and destroys everything by demanding that she give up the love of her life, Giorgio’s son Alfredo. However much actors try to inject agency into the story (either of the lovers) papa Giorgio is the one who rules the story, blindly messing everything up because he doesn’t realize how sick Violetta really is. So while Quinn’s Giorgio is powerful and a bit scary, and used to be the ideal for me, Reginald showed me something new. I have to remember, Giorgio too has no real agency. Tuberculosis is taking Violetta no matter what anyone does. Ahh but there’s no reason for Giorgio to be cruel. He is conservative, he is from the provinces so he’s limited in what he knows. But he can be a nice person, a kind loving parent. Reginald is breath-taking in a role I thought I understood inside out. I’ve been accompanying my brother in this music for maybe half a century (I’m 71, we first did the aria “di provenza” when I was maybe 14 or 15). The gentle way Reginald sang so much of the role, such as the second verse of the aria, then grabbing his son by the lapel, a firm but loving gesture…! I was stunned. His singing is beautiful, unexpectedly subtle. The big notes are there, but when he decides to sing softly he is uncanny, magical. And he’s a powerful actor with presence.

So having said that, I want to offer thanks to the other stars of the show.

Conductor Paolo Carignani gave us a tight reading of this familiar score, the orchestra sounding beautiful, the singers given lots of firm support yet without any sense of the coercion conductors sometimes impose on singers especially one with cadenzas & coloratura. The COC Chorus do a lot of heavy lifting in the two acts with big crowd scenes, even though they do not get credit as soloists. Sitting up close (where I love to sit) I was delighted by their ability to make the parties look like parties, in spite of the fact that they’re working hard.

Emma Pennell surprised me. I was already an admirer of that big voice, but I didn’t expect to be so captivated by the portrayal of Annina, Violetta’s maid, particularly in the last scene. Emma is a fine actor.

Violetta (Kathryn Lewek) and Annina (Emma Pennell; photo: Michael Cooper)

The COC’s production of La Traviata continues until October 17th at the Four Seasons Centre.

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Andriana Chuchman, Avis Rent a car, Canadian Opera Company, Emma Pennell, Four Seasons Centre, Franco Zeffirelli, Giuseppe Verdi, Ileana Cotrubas, Kathryn Lewek, La Traviata, Long Long, Luke Norvell, Matthew Polenzani, Paolo Carignani, Placido Domingo, Reginald Smith Jr, Russell Braun, Teresa Stratas | Leave a comment

Tafelmusik and Jakob Lehmann introduce us to Sophie Gail, Louise Farrenc and also Beethoven

Posted on September 26, 2026 by barczablog

The Tafelmusik concert I heard Friday night at Koerner Hall makes an interesting chaser to the Toronto Symphony Concert I saw Thursday, my previous lengthy rapturous review. Yes there’s a lot going on in Toronto, and these two concerts on consecutive nights were irresistible for more than one reason.

Thursday I saw the World Premiere of Linda Catlin Smith’s piece The Horizon. Friday I saw what was assumed to be at least one Canadian premiere of a two hundred year old piece, Sophie Gail’s Overture to La Sérénade (1818) neglected surely because of the gender of its composer, not the quality of the composition.

We also heard Louise Farranc’s Symphony #3 (1849), a work likely being heard for the first time in Toronto, possibly even another Canadian premiere.

Perhaps the world is changing, as there are more opportunities to hear music from women, whether the piece is new music or a rediscovered work previously neglected & forgotten.

What was different was not just the choice of music but the approach.

I went back to listen to Bruno Weil leading Tafelmusik in Beethoven’s 7th, which confirmed for me that this was different. Some of the difference may be skills of the orchestra, who are sounding ever better especially when it comes to the brass & woodwinds of a brash piece like the 7th. But I feel Weil’s reading pales beside what Jakob Lehmann showed us, a young conductor who seemed to light a fire under the orchestra, even as he led with discipline & firm control. Some of the loud dramatic exchanges in the first movement land with violence, but with a strong sense of intention & purpose. Our experience of Beethoven was beyond inspiring, not just because we couldn’t sit still, watching and listening. A familiar piece sounded brand new.

In passages where there’s a dialogue between voices, Jakob played up the drama, almost seeming to tell the orchestra “what do you say now” and turning to the answering group with an expression seeming to say “and how do you answer that”, clear gestures, remarkable energy in his body, and clarity above all. It was a bit like watching Jakob give a TED talk to the orchestra, who seemed to be inspired to play better than I have ever heard them play.

The audience seemed eager, ready to embrace what we heard, louder and more boisterous in response than any Tafelmusik audience I have ever seen. Full disclosure, I used to be very careful because literally every time I would go to Tafelmusik and bravo loudly some person in front turns to look at me with a look of scorn as if to say “shut up”. There’s a former Tafelmusik violinist with whom I dialogued awhile back who had the same experience, being shushed by a repressed person behind them. Ah but last night was different. I wasn’t the loudest, even if I did bravo a great deal. But Ann Cooper Gay beside me was every bit as enthusiastic, the chap beside her was also making a big response, as was a boisterous fellow in front of us. Maybe Tafelmusik should embrace the romantic rep, given the wild response we all made, responses to Beethoven and to Jakob.

Jakob Lehmann (photo by Sercan Sevindik)

Ann and I were trying to figure out how old Jakob might be. No I don’t mean to be age-ist or to discriminate. Far from it. But in the musical world age can be understood at least two ways. When you’re young there’s something special about a prodigy. I recall the aura with which we listened to Jan Lisiecki when he was younger, and maybe the same thing applied at one time to Yuja Wang. I wonder, is it an asset to be young when you come to conduct in a new country, perhaps with dazzling press & reviews to aid in making an impact? I think I’m more impressed if all this energy & creativity comes from a young conductor, and no I don’t need to know his credentials to see the chemistry. There’s no mistaking it, when you hear the music played so beautifully, so intelligibly, with so much clarity. He is very musical.

Jakob showed us something remarkable, both in the unknown works and the familiar one. He didn’t use a baton although I see a baton in some of his YouTube videos. The young conductor showed a lot of humility in what he said before the concert and in how he acted accepting applause generously with the orchestra and even holding up the score, to share credit with the deceased composers. He seems like a really nice person.

I was not surprised to discover that Jakob is a bit of a Rossini expert, listening to Sophie Gail’s Overture to La Sérénade. There were passages where the orchestra happily offered up a melody, that sounded decidedly bel canto. I didn’t feel we were hearing something new or radical, but something congenial, indeed something that the orchestra had understood, the way they played it with so much charm & charisma.

And when we came to Farranc’s Symphony, there was no sense that the newness of the work was in any way a challenge to the orchestra. The G-minor work started slowly, building great drama in the urgent unison string passages. There’s a lovely Adagio cantabile slow movement in E-flat, reminding me a bit of the Beethoven 4th (although the relationship there is not quite the same, as the symphony is in B-flat rather than G-minor, although they have the same key signature).

The scherzo is subtle as quicksilver, reminding me a bit of Mendelssohn & his faery music (thinking of Midsummernight’s Dream overture). There’s a trio with lovely winds accompanied by delicate pizzicato strings. For the concluding movement I was again thinking of Mendelssohn, the loudest passages always disciplined & never excessive.

I recall seeing somewhere that violist Patrick Jordan said on social media that he wished that he could hear this concert. I sense that this is very exciting for some of the orchestra’s players, that they’re pushing the envelope even if it’s far earlier than what we usually hear from the TSO.

Am I foolish to speculate as to why Farranc is not better known? nevermind about writing something like this in 1849, the last year of Frederic Chopin’s life, when the edgiest works of that time were for example, Richard Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman (1843) & Tannhäuser (1845), of course her gender is the key factor. Yes some women succeeded as composers, thinking for example of Pauline Viardot, but she also made a name as a soprano as well. That was also the pathway for Sophie Gail earlier in the 19th century.

And at least we can listen to them now. Better late than never.

I can’t help thinking about context for the two concerts, Friday’s with Tafelmusik and Thursday’s with Yuja Wang and the Toronto Symphony. They are more than orchestras, they’re institutions that mean so much more. They represent different lenses through which we understand music of the past. Sometimes their purview is very distinct, given that Tafelmusik are known as a baroque orchestra playing older repertoire on original instruments while the TSO are modern through and through, Gustavo Gimeno boldly leading them in recordings of Bartók or Stravinsky. The oldest items on their current concert date from the early 20th century from Prokofiev & Debussy. They seem to have a clear understanding of their identities, seizing upon their skills & strengths to pursue objectives as far as image & a brand.

But sometimes their programming overlaps, as when the TSO does Messiah on modern instruments with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir or when Tafelmusik venture past Mozart & Haydn into the 19th century: as they did Friday night, playing rare music from two women composers of the early romantic era, plus Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. Maybe this will continue to be a rarity, a venture by Tafelmusik out of their usual comfort zone.

I have been like a kid wanting to see Santa Claus but sensing that maybe the big guy in the red suit will never come, waiting for Tafelmusik to play and embrace romantic composers for literally decades. And so while I may have written a rapturous review of Yuja & the TSO, admittedly a superb concert, I am trying to figure out how to properly frame my report of the Tafelmusik concert I saw & heard at Koerner Hall.

This was Tafelmusik’s most exciting venture yet beyond the classical period. Last year they played Christopher Bagan’s re-orchestrated Pelléas et Mélisande for Opera Atelier, Debussy sounding very congenial under the baton of David Fallis, whom I saw last night at Koerner. David was also at the helm for Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz 14 years ago. As a lover of romantic composers such as Berlioz, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Schubert, let alone Wagner & Mahler, I feel like a recovering addict vouchsafed a cigarette every few years. And btw the TSO who could be playing Harold in Italy or Midsummernight’s Dream don’t cover this rep either. All we ever seem to get is Symphonie Fantastique, never anything else.

Yes I’m writing about a concert but I am also wishing for the future to hear Jakob return to Toronto to conduct Tafelmusik in something by a romantic, particularly if it’s Berlioz, my favourite composer. To be a Berlioz lover in this town is a bit like being a hockey fan, somewhere between hopeful and heart-broken knowing that there are happy people in other cities enjoying what we never seem to enjoy in Toronto. Yes I know it sounds pathetic.

I have to think there’s an audience for this music, given the way the audience greeted Tafelmusik on this occasion.

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Bruno Weil, David Fallis, Felix Mendelssohn, gender, Hector Berlioz, Jakob Lehmann, Jan Lisiecki, Koerner Hall, Linda Catlin Smith, Louise Farrenc, Ludwig van Beethoven, Patrick Jordan, Richard Wagner, Sophie Gail, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, women composers, Yuja Wang | 2 Comments

Yuja Wang plays Prokofiev: a study in contrasts to open the Toronto Symphony season

Posted on September 25, 2026 by barczablog

“Yuja Wang Plays Prokofiev” might be the title of the Toronto Symphony’s opening concert of the 2026-27 season Thursday September 24th, but we heard a great deal more last night.

Yuja also played four brilliant encores in a breath-taking display for a rapturous audience who didn’t want it to end. The applause erupted, and part of the drama was wondering: would she be willing to play more? And what would she play?

Yuja Wang among TSO players (Photo: Allan Cabral/Courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra)

She rewarded the applause first with Dave Brubeck – Blue Rondo à la Turk.

After lots more applause, we heard Arturo Marquez – Danzon No. 2 (for solo piano), as each piece was a shift, a change of mood.

More applause was rewarded by a stunning arrangement of Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 8, Op. 110 – Mvt. 2. Where the first was jazzy, the second with a Latin flavour, this time we heard a stunning display, something comparable to the concerto.

And for a fourth encore, we heard one of Mendelssohn’s Songs without words, a softer gentler pianism, that I thought might be meant as a hint to the audience to let the concert be finished. I’m overflowing with gratitude for her generosity, the encores almost like a whole other recital.

If the orchestra had not stood up, would she have played a fifth encore for us, her greedy fans? I wasn’t sure how to read that, except that Yuja seemed to genuinely be in a zone, her playing especially in the Mendelssohn, speaking softly across the space of Roy Thomson Hall, to an audience so silent as to seem reverent: that is until the next explosion of cheers.

Toronto Symphony gave us a concert in two parts that seems to embody something their Music Director Gustavo Gimeno said in a program note. “The creation of contrast is at the heart of what I believe about concert programming,” and that’s exactly what we heard to begin the fall season. The performances before intermission were in some respects the exact opposite to Yuja. I’ll come back to that in a moment.

Gustavo Gimeno, Yuja Wang & TSO players (Photo: Allan Cabral/Courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra)

Is Yuja the fittest virtuoso we’ve ever seen? Her bows upon entry are themselves a bit of a feat, speaking as someone who worries that she’s going to bump her head. The gesture is a sign of generosity & seems vulnerable rather than ostentatious.

But obviously she is in great physical condition. Aging artists worry about repetitive strain, fading eyesight, physical changes. Yuja seems to be an athlete, rather than a frail artist.

We may think of the virtuoso as a species of show-off, developing their skill to take it before an adoring public. Yet Yuja seems to be a in a genuine pursuit of art. I see humility not showmanship in this photo.

Photo shared by Michael Schefold in the Yuja Wang Archives on Facebook
And by the way, happy birthday Glenn Gould! Born September 25

I wish Yuja would go on Saturday Night Live as a musical guest, playing a solo piece like one of the encores we heard last night. There are lots of people who might become classical music lovers if they heard her play. I remember the way the three tenors popularized opera (especially Nessun dorma) when they had their special concert televised worldwide. Pavarotti also went on SNL long ago. Why not Yuja? Somebody needs to make it happen, she could open eyes & ears to a whole other musical world by going on a show with such a huge audience. Or am I wrong to think she would do that? Her devotion to music seems genuine.

I realize I said nothing about the concerto, one of the toughest one can hear.

Yuja Wang, Gustavo Gimeno conducts TSO(Photo: Allan Cabral/Courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra)

The first movement has that soft slow beginning before suddenly taking off to the races. The second movement is like a suite, a series of variations on a theme, sometimes with the pianist in a reflective space, sometimes with the orchestra offering the peace & tranquility of that gentle gavotte, a suggestion of something old even if nobody dances the gavotte anymore, least of all Russians or Soviets in the 1920s. In that last movement we’re again watching as much as listening, Yuja articulating with phenomenal clarity. I don’t think of Roy Thomson Hall as a place with perfect acoustics, although for such a big hall one hears quite well: but I mention that for Yuja’s performance it’s as though our ears are working better. People are quiet, attentive, respectful, no phones going off, no whispers. The piano sounds better than I’ve ever heard it in this space. Or perhaps it’s simply altered reality, as though I were on a drug, we were all hearing differently, leaning forward in our seats.

I’m going in multiple directions writing about this delightful concert, to be repeated Saturday night & Sunday afternoon. Given that I couldn’t see any empty seats anywhere, neither in the loft behind the stage nor in the sections around me, I’m sure tickets for the weekend concerts will be even harder to get. Yuja is a phenomenon whose stage presence is beyond mere skill. Today September 25th is Glenn Gould’s birthday, a reminder of another sort of virtuosity, devoted to performances without any public present: if we recall that Gould stopped playing for the public, only playing in a recording studio. Yuja seems to reconcile the impossible split between private intimate beauty of pianism with the flamboyance of public performance. I wonder what Glenn Gould might have said, had they met.

Let me talk about the other contrasting segment of the concert before intermission.

In some respects Gould might be closer in spirit to the first part of the concert. We heard two pieces played without interruption, becoming effectively one seamless unit. Before hearing the first of the three movements of Debussy’s La Mer, the TSO gave the world premiere of Linda Catlin Smith’s The Horizon.

I’m tempted to see the title of Linda’s piece two ways, especially when it’s played as a kind of prelude to the Debussy work.

The first one is the obvious literal meaning of the word. What is a picture of the sea without a horizon? And so Linda’s work makes sense in that context.

The program note invites us to see it another way, in the spirit of an audience’s horizon of expectation.

Linda wrote
“The “horizon” is not a real place, it’s an idea: hovering mutating elusive (Music too is elusive, always vanishing…)….The horizon is what lies ahead, but is never reached, a symbol for the “unattainable“. “

That word “symbol” caught my eye, possibly because I prefer to think of Debussy as a symbolist rather than an impressionist. While we are captivated by the suggestiveness of the orchestration in La Mer, it can’t be mistaken for what Monet was doing, attempts to capture a moment in splashes of colour that seemed almost random & accidental, a descriptor meant originally as an insult rather than a compliment. I prefer to align Debussy with Gaugin, Van Gogh & the post-impressionist painters, not least because of the chronology. Maurice Denis, Gaugin’s colleague, another of the Nabis painters, designed the cover of the programme for the premiere of Pelléas et Mélisande in 1893. The Debussy whose first of three Nocturnes, Nuages, might be the prototype for minimalist composers of the 20th century, would connect to what Linda is saying. The symbolists believed not in blatancy but in nuanced expression, hinting at something rather than saying it. While the word “minimalist” is a label that often takes us into the pattern music of a Philip Glass, it doesn’t feel wrong if we look instead at something like Nuages, rather than the busier late- 20th century sounds you get in something like Glass’s Koyaanisqatsi soundtrack.

That idea of a horizon applies to the way we listen. I feel Linda is writing something that is almost like meta-orchestration, a thoughtful piece to contemplate orchestral music while listening to some gently beautiful orchestral sounds. We are not hearing someone displaying ego in their writing. The orchestra or music might be more from the realm of symbol than reality. The composer’s persona is invisible. This is surely the softest & subtlest use of an 80-piece orchestra piece I’ve ever heard.

We went from the contemplative softness of The Horizon into La Mer without a segue, just Debussy’s quiet opening, where we’re in a realm of sound effects as much as music. Gustavo Gimeno brought us gently from the softness of Linda’s Horizon, to the soft dawning Debussy offers to open La Mer. There was a gradual build-up, the orchestra finally letting loose in the final powerful passages.

Gustavo Gimeno & TSO players (Photo: Allan Cabral/Courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra)

I want to briefly speak of the contrast I saw in the concert, between our focus upon a soloist and how we listen in Yuja’s half of the concert vs. the orchestral half. It’s worth thinking about why virtuosity is important. Beethoven, Liszt, Rachmaninoff & Prokofiev each in their way explore the possibilities of the piano, expanding an instrument’s expressive vocabulary. And meanwhile they draw in audiences with the showmanship and drama of a risky piece, as we wonder: can they play this tricky music? Sometimes the reason for the concert is to see the soloist, sometimes to hear the music. Fortunately in this concert with Yuja and the TSO, we had it both ways.

Yuka Wang plays Prokofiev will be repeated Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at Roy Thomson Hall.

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Claude Debussy, Glenn Gould, Gustavo Gimeno, impressionist, La Mer, Linda Catlin Smith, orchestra, Roy Thomson Hall, Sergei Prokofiev, Symbolist, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Yuja Wang | 2 Comments

Having it both ways with Measure for Measure at Crow’s Theatre

Posted on September 21, 2026 by barczablog

Measure for Measure is one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays”. It straddles genre boundaries, enigmatic & challenging, darkly funny. Yes it’s still considered a comedy even though we hear a lot about executions & life in prison, offering glimpses of a nasty world that’s scary, unfair, dangerous.

Christopher Manousos’ brilliant adaptation of M4M (as it’s often abbreviated) captures all those contradictions. The revival opened Saturday at Crow’s Theatre.

Christopher Manousos speaking before the performance. The microphone in the foreground is part of the minimalist set design

I watched five people making a live radio play. In radio you don’t see the actors, you hear them. But we got to se them: making sound effects, reading lines, interacting, using microphones. In the intimate space of Crow’s Studio Theatre that means we get to have it both ways.

(L to R) Katherine Gauthier, Sébastien Heins, Beck Lloyd, and Danté Prince in Measure for Measure (photo by Kendra Epik)

The set puts us into a studio: which for the purposes of the play means we could be anywhere. It’s a virtual world where the imagination is free to see whatever it wants. Our director and adaptor Christopher Manousos explained his thinking:
“The inspiration to set the play within a play inside a contemporary sound studio seemed to offer endless creative opportunities. To explore the tension between what is seen and what is heard, and to give the audience a contemporary point of entry into the play, where they get to watch one story while hearing another. It’s an opportunity to stretch their senses while leaning into the complexity of the original play.”

Beck Lloyd and Danté Prince in Measure for Measure (photo by Kendra Epik)

It feels very authentic in the way the usual balance shifts. In the Studio Theatre it’s as if we were groundlings in 1603, because we’re so intimately close, listening. And because of this adaptation, putting our radio players in modern attire, it disrupts our usual modern cinematic visual fetish, enticing us to listen, seeing the story through our minds’ eyes.

Jamie Cavanagh and Danté Prince in Measure for Measure (photo by Kendra Epik)

We enter the world of the story through our ears rather than our eyes.

We go back to the past riding Shakespeare’s language even as we see modern actors playing the parts.

Five actors –James Cavanagh, Katherine Gauthier, Beck Lloyd, Danté Prince and Sébastien Heins– portray the over twenty personages of the original. That’s a recipe for something wildly theatrical, engaging our imaginations. We see the sound effects employed and created onstage. We even get to see Danté go back and forth between two different portrayals, altering the voice while signalling to us with a visual cue like sunglasses on or off that they’re alternating between one personage and another.

I noticed too another way in which we get to have it both ways. If this were just a radio play, the physical appearance of the players wouldn’t matter. Young or old, tall or short, fit or chubby, so long as the voice is the right sound, domineering or submissive, spiritual, seductive, silly or strong they can look like any shape under the sun. But this is actually quite an attractive group of voice actors, their interactions irresistible to watch.

Of all Shakespeare’s comedies this one is especially apt for this sort of adaptation, a story involving questions of identity and authority, laws that are enforced differently depending on who you are. It’s handy that in a story concerned with the person under the clothes, that it’s so easy to do disguises and assumed identities in a radio play. I’ve always found the denouement of this comedy a bit troubling, the arbitrariness of the happy ending suggesting to me that we are only as safe as the whims of the tyrant in charge. And yes it’s never been more timely.

I enjoyed looking across the narrow playing space at the other half of the audience, watching the reactions & responses of fellow audience members, often laughing riotously, always engrossed and sometimes with mouths open in awe.

Manousos’s magnificent Measure for Measure must not be missed, at Crow’s Studio Theatre until October 11th (tickets & information).

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged Beck Lloyd, Christopher Manousos, comedy, Crow's Theatre, Danté Prince, genre, James Cavanagh, Katherine Gauthier, M4M, Measure for Measure, problem play, radio theatre, Sébastien Heins, voice, William Shakespeare | Leave a comment

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