Toronto’s Against the Grain Theatre has unveiled a 2013-14 season consisting of two works: Handel’s oratorio Messiah in December and Claude Debussy’s great opera Pelléas et Mélisande in June.
The company has done a remarkable job with everything it has touched over the past three seasons, taking all the usual expectations associated with musical theatre and reworking them in fundamental ways.
It’s most recent show, Figaro’s Wedding, recast Mozart’s crowd-pleasing opera as a real ceremony and reception in the Toronto of 2013 in a hip event space that’s rented out for real nuptials.
So it will be interesting to see what the company does with Messiah, which was never meant to be staged, but performed in concert.
Stage director Joel Ivany is teaming up with choreographer Jennifer Nichols to stage Messiah at the Opera House — not the fancy Jack Diamond-designed space at Queen and University, but the grotty stop for indie rockers at Queen and Broadview, across the street from Jilly’s strip club.
The gang has hired a costumer (Erika Connor) as well as some excellent soloists: soprano Jacqueline Woodley, mezzo Kridztina Szabó, tenor Isaiah Bell and baritone Geoffrey Sirett. Company music director Christopher Mokrzewski will conduct the works, which will include the heretofore unheard and unseen AtG Orchestra and AtG Chorus.
Performances are scheduled for Dec. 14 & 15 at 8 p.m.
The June production of Pellás reunites the creative team of the superb production of Turn of the Screw from two seasons ago: Ivany with set designer Camellia Koo and lighting designer Jason Hand. The cast looks solid, but there are no details yet about the venue or the sort of production this is going to be.
You can find the details about everything Against the Grain is and does here.
John Terauds