Carousel Theatre Presents: Aesop’s Fables

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Gwen

This afternoon (well yesterday now)  we went to see the opening of Carousel Theatre’s production of Aesop’s Fables.  Directed by Carole Higgins and starring Mishelle Cuttler, Kayvon Kelly, Melissa Oei and Mike Stack, Aesop’s Fables is a brilliant short play. From the moment the stage lights went up to the question and answer period at the end the audience was actively engaged in this lovely piece of work.

Mike Stack, Mishelle Cutter,Melissa Oei, Kayvon Kelly

In Aesop’s Fables we meet Harriet, Wolfie, “and I’m Syd” and Barry, the newcomer to the group, a rag tag bunch of players who travel by caravan and stop to make music and tell stories to audiences all over the place. Using their magic transforming caravan, they play musical instruments and imagination to tell stories and teach lessons to their young audiences. Adapting four of Aesop’s animal tales; The Tortoise and the Hare, The Boy Who cried Wolf, The Lion and the Mouse and The Wolf and the Jackdaw, the four use song, dance and the audience’s imagination to entertain and learn important life lessons.

Yay!  Carousel Theatre has done it again. Aesop’s Fables is another fabulous production from all accounts. The sets are bold and beautiful with a bright red and gold caravan that converts to a small stage and lanterns hanging everywhere. The lights enchant the forest surrounding the caravan and set the stage for the stories.The costumes are colourful and imaginative and the head pieces bring the characters in the stories to life while still giving us a clear view of the actors underneath. The actors have awesome chemistry with each other and bring the audience in as the fifth player, or maybe even as a flock.

 

Mishelle Cutter, Kayvon Kelly, Melissa Oei

Aesop was the perfect first live theatre experience for Quinlan. While he was a little apprehensive when the house light went down, as soon as the stage lights were on he was fully immersed in the play. Quinlan was happy to be part of the action when asked and transfixed the rest of the time. Aidan has seen a lot of plays over the last few years and this was one of his favourites. When the play ended he was shocked because it seemed so short as he was so engaged in the action and story ark. Aidan would have been thrilled to see these players do as many more stories as they cared to tell. If you asked him I am sure he would have been happy to jump up on the stage and help them. As it was it was hard enough to keep in his seat as he was so engrossed in the play.

As Aidan says in his soon to be released video review, go see Aesop’s Fables, it is awesome! It runs from February 17-26 at Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island. This is the first of Carousel Theatre’s productions that has opened up the weekday matinees usually reserved for school groups. Tickets are $15  for ages 3-17, $25 for students and seniors and $29 for adults. Call the Carousel box office at 604-685-6217 for more information.

All photographs are provided by Carousel Theatre and are taken by Tim Matheson.

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-02-19

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Gwen
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The Cat Came Back: Anticipation and Tickets Giveaway!

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Gwen

Update: Congratulations to Heather!

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We here at the Floyd household are big fans of Fred Penner and the Cat Came Back. The marriage of the two is one of our favourite songs.  I was happy to have Fred singing as we had kids. His songs are fun and not too preachy and the melodies and harmonies are interesting. He is a children’s entertainer that takes the adults into consideration. This is why we were thrilled to find out that Fred Penner has written a musical play based on his enduring “The Cat Came Back.”

The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company welcomes the story of Winnipeg’s most famous Cat to the Playhouse stage, in its first theatrical incarnation – The Cat Came Back, co-created by the formidable trio of Fred Penner, Jay Brazeau, and Kim Selody.

In this brand new, fanciful tale, inspired by the song Fred made famous, we meet a merry band of musicians who must deal with their grumpy neighbor Mr. Johnson and his mysterious cat. Together, they learn about the joys and challenges of friendship, and how we can take care of each other. Outstanding feline puppetry and masterful music make this a show you and your family won’t want to miss! As Jay Brazeau so eloquently puts it, “The Cat Came Back is like Kraft Dinner: I grew up with it; it makes me feel good inside, and every time I have it I feel like I am home again.”

From Vancouver Playhouse

Tickets, from $10, can be reserved online at vancouverplayhouse.com, by calling the Playhouse Box Office at 604 873 3311, or in person at the theatre box office Monday – Friday, 9:30am-5pm.

 

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As many of you know we are big theatre buffs in this family. Even though Anthony and I have been mainly to children’s theatre in the last few years we are thrilled to pass on our love of live theatre to our children. Knowing that this play was commisioned for Manitoba Theatre For Young People makes me even more happy to be able to offer two tickets to one of my readers for the March 31st, opening night performance at the Vancouver Playhouse. Leave a comment on this post letting me know what your favourite Fred Penner song is and you will be entered. Comments will be accepted until 26 February. The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to send me their mailing information before I choose another winner. Good Luck!

Posted in children, Contests, Family Time, Theatre, Vancouver | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-02-12

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Gwen
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