february 2014 odeum magazine

February 2014

THEATRE • DANCE • MUSIC • COMEDY • EXPERIENCE IT LIVE!

Cuban Soul Comes to Brampton

Tiempo Libre

BLOOD BROTHERS

Canadian Rock Icon

LoyaLty • PriviLege • Sacrifice

KIM MITCHELL

The Magazine of the Rose Theatre Brampton

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SLEUTH By Anthony Shaffer • Directed by Robert WoodcockStudio Two7:30 PM • July 25-26, 29-31 • August 1-2, 5-92:00 PM • July 26 • August 2, 9Tickets: $32

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drinking alone By Norm Foster • Directed by Danny HarveyStudio Two7:30 PM • August 15-16, 19-232:00 PM • August 16, 23Tickets: $32

billy bishop goes to war By John Gray • Directed by Danny HarveyStudio Two7:30 PM • July 4-5, 8-12, 15-192:00 PM • July 5, 12Tickets: $32

you’re a good man,charlie brown By Clark Gesner • Directed by Robert WoodcockMain Stage7:30 PM • August 20-232:00 PM • August 23Tickets: $37

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In gratitude for the purchase of specialized equipment

5 Services & Policies

6 Scene @ The Rose

9 In the Gallery

30 Sponsor & Donor Recognition

every month

features

10

20

22

10 KIM MITCHELLRecent Music and Favourite Hits

12 THE COMEDY CLUB Cool Chicks, Hot Laughs

14 BLOOD BROTHERSA Musical Directed by Danny Harvey

16 BARBRA LICAA Celebration of Love

18 CLASSIC ALBUMS LIVEPink Floyd’s The Wall

20 THE INTERGALACTIC NEMESISBook 2: Robot Planet Rising

22 MATT ANDERSENSoul in Spades

24 TIEMPO LIBREA Fusion of Cuban Son and Latin Jazz

26 MARK MASRIBack by Popular Demand

The Magazine of the Rose Theatre Brampton

contents

4 odeum february 2014

mAR 9SING-A-LONG-A GREASE

mAR 6SLEEPING BEAUTY

mAR 7-8MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL

mAR 14CeLTIC CROSSROADS

mAR 28THe PeKING ACROBATS

mAIN STAGe

13 • 14 SEASON

9 0 5 . 874 . 2 8 0 0r o s e t h e a t r e . c a

ROSETHEATREPRESENTS

mARCH

BRAmPTON PeRfORmING ARTS COmPANIeS

At the Rose Theatre:

mAR 29 The Rose Orchestra Gypsy Violin

mAR 30 Brampton Concert Band & The Jazz mechanicsAn Afternoon at the Proms

At Lester B. Pearson Theatre:

mAR 13-16 Peel Panto Players The Wizard of Oz

STUDIO TWO

MAR 20 • THe COmeDY CLUBThose Guys on TV with Graham Chittenden

MAR 1 • LITTLe SPROUTS SeRIeSMusic With Brian

LiveeXPerieNce IT

mAR 20THE JOY LUCK CLUB

5rosetheatre.ca

POLICIeSSeRVICeS &

Cellphones/pagers Please keep electronic devices turned off during the performance. The light from texting is also distracting for other patrons and performers.

FragrancesDue to allergies and sensitivities, please refrain from wearing perfumes, colognes, or other scented products.

Cameras/RecordingCameras and recording devices are not allowed in the theatre unless otherwise specified in the pre-show announcement by the presenter.

Food & DrinkOnly bottled water is allowed inside the theatre. Try to unwrap candies or lozenges prior to the performance as the crinkling paper can be distracting.

Arriving LateLatecomers will be seated at the discretion of Front of House during an appropriate break in the performance.

Babes in ArmsAre not permitted in the theatre, except for certain age-appropriate shows indicated; however, each person – including children – requires a ticket.

For the Benefit of All Patrons, Please Take Note ...

Our Service Commitment If there is anything we can do to make

your experience more enjoyable, please do not hesitate to ask

one of our volunteer ushers or staff members for assistance.

Bar ServiceMost events at The Rose will include bar service.

When this is the case, the bar will be open one hour before showtime and during intermission.

Pre-Order Service Avoid long lineups at the bar by taking advantage

of our pre-order drink service. Purchase drinks before the show.

Hearing AssistanceDevices may be obtained from the Box Office,

free of charge.

Coat Check There is a complimentary coat check

located next to the entrance for Studio Two.

Free ParkingThe following operation of the Market Square

parking garage is in effect for allscheduled Rose Theatre shows.

During the week, the gates lift at 6:30 pm and remain up until 7:00 am the next day.

On weekends, the gates will remain up from Friday at 6:30 pm to Monday at 7:00 am.


The Lester B. Pearson Theatre was filled with Christmas joy with the classic retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

A Christmas Carol photos by Sylvia Eng

New Year’s Eve photos by Darien Boodan and Maeve Kern

The cast joins in the singing of traditional Victorian carols

Scrooge gets a late-night visit from Marley (Matt Willis)

Sweeney MacArthur as the miserly Scrooge

7rosetheatre.ca

The Trews rocked the main stage for a chilly New Year’s Eve in downtown Brampton

Revellers stayed warm roasting marshmallows over the open fire

HAPPY 2014!

SPIN July 4 at 8PM on the Main Stage

Rose Theatre Box Offices1 Theatre Lane, Brampton

Mon. to Sat.: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Sun.: Closed if no event

905.874.2800www.rosetheatre.ca

Lester B. Pearson TheatreMain Floor, Civic Centre,150 Central Park Drive,

Brampton

Hours are subject to change; please call ahead

or check the times online.

o·de·um 1. A small building of ancient Greece

and Rome used for public performances of music and poetry.

2. A contemporary theatre or concert hall.

Odeum is the monthly magazine of the Rose Theatre Brampton

EditorSasha Romasco

[email protected]

Art Direction & DesignTina Mulliss

[email protected]

ContributorsLachman Balani, Nita Balani,

Marcy Cornblum, Jon Eben Field, Ashley Goodfellow, Bill King,

Nick Krewen

To advertisewith The Rose contact:

Gaye Storozuk Coordinator,

Advertising & [email protected]

905.793.6347

Taylor Swift Tribute Artist Hayley Brawer entertained on

the Family Stage

Upload a Pict @RoseTheatreBram

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IN THE GALLERYMichael Mardus Photography February 3-21, 2014A Simple Statement I remember wanting a camera for Christmas when I was around 12. I addressed the letter to Santa Claus, though at that point I doubted his existence. I was very disappointed when I got a cheap, tinny, no-control-over-anything camera. Where was my Hasselblad - the Rolls-Royce of cameras at the time?

Well, I never did get a Hasselblad, for the same reason I never got a Rolls-Royce.

I moved on professionally and have spent the last 15 years teaching, but I never lost my love of photography. I’ve been taking pictures for over 50 years and have done my time in the darkroom.

It was my discovery of Photoshop and digital editing that got my creative juices flowing. I knew I could do things with the computer that I could never have done in the darkroom.

When taking pictures I often have no destination in mind, though I gravitate towards flowers, trees and other things that don’t require a release form. Sometimes I don’t know what I’ve got until I see it on my monitor; my creative Muse kicks in and finds something in that image that neither I nor my camera ever saw. Sometimes it’s a ho-hum picture until it meets up with its complementary partner or two and something new and interesting makes its appearance.

One never knows what my muse will find.

M. Mardus1. Sunflower, 2. Grace, 3. Nostalgia, 4. Rain Drops

1

2

3 4


ON THE MAIN STAGE FEBRUARY 7 AT 8PM

Kim mitchell remains one of Canada’s most beloved rock icons. Throughout a history that dates back to the mid-70s with eclectic Toronto rock group Max Webster and a solo career that sold over a million albums and netted him three Juno Awards, Mitchell has always remained a top concert draw in his native land. And for the past eight years, the Sarnia-born guitar ace has been commandeering the afternoon drive slot on Toronto classic rock station Q107. “It’s been going really well and keeping me off the streets,” he deadpans. “It’s creative, and you’re kind of in sales. But you are performing, and that’s what I like about it.” At 61, Mitchell finds his calendar full. When he’s not working at the station and dealing with life’s daily routines, he’s spending many of his weekends touring Canada and the US. And he is both humble and grateful. “It’s been good times,” says Mitchell, who has released 15 albums both as a solo artist and with Max Webster. “When I look back on it, I felt like a lucky guy – I got to play guitar, see some of the world, and what more could you ask for? “I still feel that way today. I’m now 61 and I still get to go up onstage and play music and a certain amount of people come and dig it. The band is inspiring to play with. I’m not going to jump around like an idiot anymore but I can relate to Phil Collins, who said he isn’t going to play anymore. It takes me twice as long just to get out of the house now.” This writer’s affiliation with Mitchell began back in the ’70s when I attended one of Max Webster’s frequent gigs at Uncle Sam’s and the Montrose Hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was a different era; Mitchell and the band would play four sets a night and acts would often stick around a venue for three-night stands, if not week-long residencies. “I remember that place because one night I woke up in January and there’s literally a snowdrift at the foot of my bed because the windows were so horrible. And I remember looking at it and thinking, ‘This is just a big rock ’n’ roll moment,’” Mitchell laughs. Max Webster boasted a number of intriguing qualities – the searing solos of Mitchell’s unique expressionism thanks to the lyric-only contributions of Pye Dubois’ odd time signatures – and it was enough to propel each of their studio albums (Max Webster, High Class In Borrowed Shoes, Mutiny, A Million Vacations and Universal Juveniles) to gold and platinum sales. Signed to Anthem, Rush’s record label, Max Webster worked its way through high schools and taverns to better venues, and often opened for Rush internationally and played to huge crowds as the warm-up for Genesis and Black Sabbath. But there was never enough money, the road took its toll and Mitchell decided at the end of a Memphis gig in 1981 that he was throwing in the towel on the band.

Performance Sponsored by:

by Nick Krewen

KIM MITCHELLFaithfully Doing HisRock ‘n’ Roll Duty


“I was kind of creatively burned out and a little tired of being Rush’s little brother opening band,” Mitchell admits. “I guess in today’s market, one would be thankful to be out on the road. And maybe I just wanted things to happen a little quicker. But I thought, if I’m not digging this, maybe there’s something else.” When he regrouped in 1981, Mitchell began releasing a long string of hits that included anthems like “Go For Soda,” “That’s A Man,” “Lager And Ale,” “Patio Lanterns,” “Easy To Tame,” “Rock n Roll Duty” and “I Am A Wild Party” from multi-platinum albums Akimbo Alogo, Shakin’ Like A Human Being and Rockland. A star concert attraction, Mitchell still holds the record for the largest collective attendance at Canada’s Wonderland’s largely inactive Kingswood music venue, playing to over 100,000. “We played three or four years, but the second year was two nights. They don’t have shows there anymore but that was a real high point in my life. I still remember, as clear as a bell, walking from the house to the dressing room. I remember it as if it just happened three weeks ago because I remember feeling terrified and excited at the same time, and it was wonderful feeling that way.” At least one of his band members – bass player Peter Fredette – remains from those days, and the rest of his band – drummer Chris Sutherland and ex-Honeymoon Suite keyboardist Ray Coburn – are equally stellar. Promising to perform material from “Max Webster, solo stuff, recent stuff and sometimes I throw in something that isn’t even on a record,” Mitchell says he really enjoys playing intimate theatres like The Rose. “When you play festivals in the summertime, you have 50 minutes and you’re doing big rock,” he explains. “But one of my favourite things is to get into these theatres and let it breathe a bit. And I don’t mean get self-indulgent in an old-man kind of way. Dynamics are in your favour a little more.” And whether it’s the music or the delivery, “dynamic” describes Kim Mitchell to a tee.

Faithfully Doing HisRock ‘n’ Roll Duty

Ladies, never mind Valentine’s Day. It’s February 13 you should be circling on your calendar. That’s the day you are going to want to round up your friends, put on your favourite jeans and head out for a night of non-stop laughs at the comedy show Cool Chicks, Hot Laughs. Men are welcome too — if they can handle it. The show, presented as part of the Rose Theatre’s Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club, features a lineup of female comedians that will have guests rolling in the aisles. One of the ladies taking the stage is Michelle Shaughnessy, a comic gaining recognition for her “uncomplicated style” in a field that is generally dominated by men. Shaughnessy began to earn her performance stripes as a teenager, encouraged to step up to the mic by her mother. And, like most mothers, as the saying goes, hers knew best. Shaughnessy has made quite a mark on the Canadian comedy scene. She started in comedy clubs and quickly rose to headliner status, which helped her land appearances on Comedy Network, W Network and recently on CBC. She’s cracked jokes on TV and on radio, and has in recent years been performing in comedy festivals across Canada. “My comedy is my experience,” she said of her material. “I talk about real life. I have a lot of moments that most people have only one of.” And it’s her honest brand of comedy that put her onstage for the sold-out Pantages Playhouse Theatre’s CBC comedy special, which will air on TV in 2014. “When you find what you’re meant to do ... you just can’t stop,” she said. Joining Shaughnessy for the Cool Chicks, Hot Laughs event is Christina Walkinshaw. Known for her hilarious take on “anything you’ve done in your 20s — or wanted to,” Walkinshaw has been featured on TV, radio, and even in a published work — her jokes appeared in the coffee-table book She’s So Funny, alongside jokes by fellow funny females Ellen DeGeneres and Wanda Sykes. Walkinshaw performs across the country and has starred in her own Comedy Now special that airs on CBC. XM Radio also picked Walkinshaw as the top contender in Laugh Attack’s Best Jab At Canada contest.

Cool Chicks headline Comedy Show


IN STUDIO TWO FEBRUARY 13 AT 8PM

by Ashley Goodfellow

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rhc peel sponsorship-ad1112.indd 1 15/11/12 4:22 PM

A musical Directed by Danny Harvey

LOYALTYPRIVILEGESACRIFICE

H O N O U R

HONESTYFAMILYLOVERAGE

POVERTYSUPERSTITION

TRAGEDY14 odeum JaNuary 2014

ON THE MAIN STAGE FEBRUARY 12-16

analyze and form a character whose life is so different and whose choices are beyond anything I’ve ever had to make,” Galer says. At the helm of the production is Brampton native Danny Harvey (12 Angry Men, Little Shop of Horrors) whose goal is

to keep audiences engrossed and engaged. When Harvey attends a show, even one that

he has directed, he watches from the audience’s point of view. “At the end

of the day, the play is for them,” he says. MacArthur echoes the sentiment. “Just before the curtain goes up there is an adrenaline rush I liken to skydiving then, as you perform, you hear an audience pay attention or experience the

same emotions you’re emulating and the bond is so addictive.”

As for his directing style, Harvey considers himself an actor’s director. “I

believe the show is in their hands. I am there to guide a vision and make sure we are

accomplishing the same goal. The show has to be about heart and love and the things that bring us as a people closer together. I want the audience to leave invigorated, challenged and touched.”

Love. Loyalty. Privilege. Sacrifice. These are just a few elements of a story that has been in continuous production for the past 20 years and received standing ovations around the world. Blood Brothers, a musical with lyrics and book by award-winning playwright Willy Russell (Shirley Valentine, Educating Rita, Our Day Out), is an updated version of the 1844 Alexandre Dumas novella The Corsican Brothers. The story centres on fraternal twins separated at birth and who grow up on opposite ends of the social spectrum. Unaware of their relationship, the boys develop an unexpected friendship and a vicious love triangle turns them into enemies. The story ends in tragedy. The show is brought to life here at The Rose by director Danny Harvey and a stellar cast including Sweeney MacArthur. MacArthur is no stranger to Rose Theatre audiences. This season, the multi-talented actor appeared as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and as Father Flynn in Doubt: A Parable. For his turn in Blood Brothers’ compelling and emotional journey, MacArthur takes on the role of The Narrator, breaking the fourth wall and helping the audience navigate the time sequence and impending disaster. His performance is highlighted by the memorable songs “Shoes Upon the Table” and “The Devil’s Got Your Number.” The cast is rounded out with familiar faces Mark Llewellyn, Scott Carmichael and Will Lamond, and newcomers Kristin Galer and Colin LaPage. Kristin Galer portrays Mrs. Johnstone, a mother of seven living in poverty. When she discovers she is pregnant with twins and can’t afford to keep both of them, she makes the agonizing decision to give one away. Galer, who has performed in musicals across Canada, welcomes the challenge of playing the strong mother who, despite the worst of times, is able to propel herself forward to a better tomorrow for herself and her children. “I find it fascinating to


by Marcy Cornblum

I find it fascinating to analyze and form a

character whose life is so different and whose choices

are beyond anything I’ve ever had to make.

- Kristin Galer

H O N O U R

HONESTYFAMILYLOVERAGE

POVERTYSUPERSTITION

TRAGEDY


IN STUDIO TWO FEBRUARY 14 AT 8PM

Barbra Lica has a voice that leaves an everlasting mark on the soul. She comes at this having a mother who is a professional singer, with roots in Romanian culture. Early on, Lica was encouraged to embrace all there was to love about music and, by age six, began skimming through her dad’s record collection and found she could easily imitate a few significant voices of the jazz era, namely, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee. “My dad had a Best of Verve CD boxed set and he’d set up a glass-door case in my room with a turntable on the top shelf, a tape player in the middle and a shiny new CD player at the bottom. There were also two giant speakers to the side of it, the same height as the case. I remember slipping in one CD and having Ella and Louis sing “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” at full speaker blast. I was hooked. It was basically those five CDs on loop until I heard about the Spice Girls a few years later but, to be fair, it was also around the time I got a collection of Ella Sings Irving Berlin and there was no clear winner.”

by Bill King


She also became acutely aware of the Canadian jazz scene and became a fan, then disciple, of singer Molly Johnson. “When I was in high school, I received a Molly Johnson CD called Another Day and not only did I fall instantly in love, but it was so exciting to finally like a jazz singer who was both alive and local. I know every song on that album by heart. I wanted to be Molly Johnson and there’s a good chance that if somebody offers an identity switch right now, I’ll accept.” Lica even reserved time to get an education and a certified diploma to mount on the wall. “I went to the University of Toronto Faculty of Music for jazz voice studies. In keeping with my fear of professional musicianship, I also did a backup degree in human biology. Singing in the lab didn’t go over so well either.” Singing would come naturally, along with the desire to perform live. “I’ve been singing everywhere I go for a very long time but I fought against doing it professionally for the majority of my life. I was afraid of trying to monetize something I love doing so much or figuring out its worth in the first place. I’m still afraid of all that, but I worked an office job once and my boss caught me standing on top of my desk singing “La Vie En Rose” at the top of my lungs. Eventually you grow up and singing everywhere you go stops being appropriate unless it’s what you actually do for a living.” What has Lica planned for the Rose Theatre? “The evening’s going to be a celebration of love, and not just any kind of love … I mean the permanent, once-upon-a-star, mushy stuff that doesn’t seem to exist in the age of Twitter and cellphone upgrades. I’m picking through all the old American and French songbooks and swishing them together with a few of my own tunes until we can all agree as a room that love is forever and the media can stuff it. “We have Mark Kelso on drums, Paul Novotny on bass, John Johnson on woodwinds and Tom Szczesniak on piano and accordion. I basically picked guys I feel really comfortable playing with … except for Tom. I’ve never performed with Tom before but he overdubbed a couple tunes on my record and I think he’s the bee’s knees. Plus, he plays accordion and how do you do French love songs without an accordion?” Musicians have as diverse tastes in music as the public and usually carry a smartphone file loaded with sounds of interest. “I’m really digging newgrass music these days. It’s like bluegrass but, um, new. Chris Thile and The Punch Brothers – [I] can’t get enough! “At home, I have every genre of music imaginable, from Bach to Bill Frisell to System of a Down. I even keep my old educational cartoon songs in rotation. The Animaniacs taught me all the presidents of the USA from Washington to Clinton and that’s a lesson you want to brush up on from time to time – you never know when it will come in handy.” What’s the perfect day in Lica’s world? “The perfect day in my life involves someplace very, very warm. I’m super-fit, because that’s how fantasies work, and I have a killer bikini with a giant sunhat. I also have a bunch of very attractive men delivering an assortment of baked goods and kittens.”


WE DON’T NEED



To refresh our memories and to educate the uninitiated, The Wall isn’t your everyday rock album. It’s a rock opera, a concept album in the same vein as The Who’s Tommy (1969) and David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972). The Wall deals largely with themes of abandonment and personal isolation and was spawned from bassist and lyricist Roger Waters’ frustration with the spectators’ perceived boorishness during Pink Floyd’s 1977 In the Flesh tour. The album centres on a character Pink, modelled after Waters and the band’s original leader Syd Barrett. The saga is about Pink’s life experiences beginning with losing his father in World War ll and continuing through the torment and ridicule of school years, an overprotective mother and an ill-fated marriage. He becomes a rock star and succumbs to the attached lifestyle trappings of infidelity, drug use and violence. All of these traumatic stages represent allegorical “bricks in the wall” and contribute to his eventual self-imposed ostracism from society. Tormented with guilt, he places himself on trial and his inner self orders him to tear down the wall, coming back full circle. So get your fill of meat and pudding and get “comfortably numb” as the fabulous musicians of Classic Albums Live perform this marvel of a double album, note for note, cut for cut.

by Lachman Balani

“It is always a delight to perform at the Rose Theatre. Brampton was one of the first towns to enthusiastically embrace and give us the opportunity to perform at its theatre, way back when we were just starting off,” says Steve Butler, agent and former drummer for Classic Albums Live. “Our very first gig was performing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon at the Phoenix theatre downtown [Toronto], which is more a concert club than a theatre. We then decided that, to sustain a long-term future, it would make more sense to perform in theatres rather than clubs and, hey, Brampton came right out and gave us the thumbs-up! “Since a lot of communities accepted our concept of reproducing classic rock albums exactly like they are performed by the stars, we added more and more groups like The Rolling Stones, Prince, Queen, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and more. The whole concept caught on and soon we were playing all over the country and then we made inroads into the US, where we perform on a regular basis in many cities. “The greatest moment for me was when we got a gig at B.B. King’s club in New York City! And now we get another great moment – to bring to life one of Pink Floyd’s greatest works, The Wall, right in downtown Brampton!”

Classic Albums Live Relive Floyd’s

THE WALL!



Whether you’re coming in blind or coming back for more, one thing is certain — The Intergalactic Nemesis, Book II: Robot Planet Rising will blow you away ... maybe even as far as the planet Robonovia. It’s the second instalment of the out-rageously popular live-action graphic novel The Intergalactic Nemesis, but the show’s creator and writer Jason Neu-lander says no previous intergalactic experience is necessary. “You definitely do not have to see the first one to enjoy this. It’s a stand-alone piece,” he said. If you are returning for Book II, you will see some of the same characters and some of the story’s elements return, but Neulander guarantees it is a much different experience. It’s like The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars, although the experience here is completely unique. The format for the show lies somewhere between classic radio storytelling and live graphic novel. Actors voice all the characters, while artwork from the original comic book story is projected panel-by-panel on a video screen. Another performer creates all the sound effects and a keyboardist gives the audience a live score. Throw in a suspenseful plot thick with mystery, adventure and robots in outer space and you have a show like no other. Neulander created the performance in this mind-stretching format to help “activate people’s imaginations.” When you put it all together, it transcends the ordinary.

by Ashley Goodfellow


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The story goes something like this. It’s 1933 and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Molly Sloan and her assistant are on Robonovia when the robot emissary disappears into deep space and it’s up to them to rescue him. Meanwhile, Molly’s former fiancé is asked to investigate her disappearance from Earth. Neulander describes the first act as “film noir mystery” with four storylines that seemingly do not relate. The second act, which he describes as more of an adventure story, brings those stories together for a final, mind-blowing conclusion. “It’s still very funny but much different from Book I, which was more of a traditional, episodic, linear structure,” said Neulander. “It’s a little bit darker, a little more complicated and has some new characters. But it’s also much deeper and much richer, and the audience really gets caught up in the stakes of the whole thing.” Inspired by the storytelling format of Game of Thrones, Neulander said that for Book II he wanted to create an atmosphere where the audience at times has more information than the individual characters. “The result is a very dramatic irony,” he said. “I think it’s really satisfying, and so far the audience seems really happy with how it came out.” This second instalment hit theatres in June 2012 and has been receiving positive reviews. Viewers are also excited about the robot element of Book II, which delves into robot society and brings it to life through a variety of inventive sound effects. “We have some really fun electronic gadgets making sounds and a whole slew of new and totally goofy sound effects,” said Neulander. He’s certain the anticipation for the upcoming show will have audiences “excited, but not quite sure what they are getting.” He expects viewers to leave with “huge grins.” The team will stick around after the show to chat and do signings and he looks forward to meeting new and returning fans from the Brampton area. “We’re really excited to be back (in Brampton),” said Neulander. “It’s always great to go back to a venue that you had a great time at.”


A Man, the Voice, and his Guitarmatt Andersen has won legions of fans the old-fashioned way – with a guitar, a deep soulful voice and a powerful command of the nuances of performance. He has also played hundreds of concerts from coast to coast and overseas. Wherever he goes, he gives everything that he has because, as he says, “I’m really lucky in that I get an honest high off getting to play music.” Andersen’s joy in music is clear when he starts moving to the rhythm and his long hair is tossed into the air. And for him it’s just natural. “At home, music was a release, a jubilation,” he says. Perth-Andover is the small rural community in northern New Brunswick that Andersen called home. Growing up, music was a way of life. Andersen described how his grandfather played fiddle and his mother played piano. There was always music when the family got together. This sonic background seeped into Andersen as he progressed from tuba to trumpet to bass guitar to acoustic guitar. The guitar worked for Andersen because he wanted to be able to easily jam with others. In the Maritimes, Andersen says, “Music was for everybody in the room. I try to keep that vibe when I’m playing a show.” After winning for best solo performer at the Memphis Blues Challenge in 2010, Andersen continued touring extensively (around 200 shows per year). When he won several Maple Blues Awards and a Euro Blues Award in 2013, Andersen began working on his new album, Weightless, which features only original songs. Co-writing with Joel Plaskett, David Myles, Dave Gunning and others allowed Andersen to create depth and variety in the record. He consciously sought out new sounds. “I wanted to make sure I didn’t sound like myself too much. Sometimes people don’t change or grow from album to album.” The songs on Weightless continue to showcase Andersen’s guitar skills and his beautiful voice, but they also extend the range and emotional scope of his repertoire. Andersen admits, “I tend to write in 6/8 time, kinda those old Otis Redding vibes.” So working in the studio with a band forced Andersen to spread his wings and reach out for a different feeling on this album. There are songs influenced by reggae, soul, country ballads, rockabilly, spirituals and, of course, blues. The playing, singing and rhythmic grooves on this record demonstrate how opening up to new influences can help musical pieces take flight.


by Jon Eben Field

MattAndersen


A Man, the Voice, and his Guitar

Andersen’s voice beckons us to look into music’s past by conjuring up soul icons like Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye, blues fathers like Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy, and rock legends like Robert Plant and Janis Joplin. He can sing loud, hard and deep or he can bring his voice sweet, low and gentle with a sense of tremendous ease. As he says, “Early on, I realized that my voice was a big asset and I worked on that a lot.” He is careful not to overdo it but, “It is nice to have it in your back pocket when you need it and make it have that impact.” Onstage, Andersen’s guitar seems almost miniature next to his large hands and imposing figure, but his hands move fiercely and quickly on the fretboard to create complex rhythms and melodies. He points out that he “learned a lot of guitar stuff onstage from watching the old blues guys. They did the melody and bass lines at the same time.” This tutelage has wrought impressive returns in his finger work. Andersen says he doesn’t want there to be separation between him and the audience. “I don’t want to be a big rock star. I just want to be somebody who’s a bit better than your uncle!” As he laughs, I reflect on the humility that naturally emerges from Matt Andersen and what it must take to sit down night after night and sing with as much engagement and soul as he does. Perhaps it comes from knowing, as Andersen does, that “It’s just me and a guitar when I sit down to play these tunes.”

Music was for everybody in the room. I try to keep that vibe

when I’m playing a show..

-Matt Andersen



When the members of multiple-Grammy-nominated band Tiempo Libre were growing up in Cuba in the 1990s, listening to American music was forbidden. The “Special Period” occurred when Russia withdrew from trade relations with Cuba, causing the island country to experience severe goods shortages. As a result, Cuba opened its borders to a broader range of tourism but, at the same time, the government tried to tightly control foreign influence. Even listening to an American radio broadcast was illegal. The possibility of jail time, however, did not deter the teenage members of Tiempo Libre (Free Time) from climbing onto the roofs of their homes with homemade antennas constructed from tinfoil and scrap metal with the hopes of catching rhythms and sounds from Miami radio stations. Jorge Gomez, the group’s musical director, says that it was incredible to “hear all those rhythms, all those lyrics and beats. It was so new for us.” Tiempo Libre’s latest album, My Secret Radio, pays homage to those star-filled nights of wonder where they caught the inebriating rhythms, solos and songs of American pop, jazz and funk music. Every note on the album, though, is pure timba music. Timba is a living musical form with deep roots in Cuban son and Latin jazz that continues to evolve and adapt in relation to contemporary funk, pop, hip hop and jazz. The fusion of musical forms comes naturally to the musicians in Tiempo Libre because of their broad musical backgrounds. Gomez describes the band as a second family in which “Timba is a conversation between the band members.” Tiempo Libre’s lively musical dialogue has developed over the years but there is still a sense of youthful competition. “Everyone wants to play better than the other guys while at the same time respecting the music and keeping balance.” Maintaining balance while pushing the limits of a musical form requires a keen sense of the dynamics of the sound generated through musical dialogue. For Gomez, when the music is really happening, “You are transported to

by Jon Eben Field

Tiempo Libreand the forbidden Airwaves


another world. You see musicians with closed eyes because they are so deep in the music that they don’t care what happens around them.” Growing up in Havana, the members met at a conservatory for classical music training. During the day, they practised and performed Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn while at night they memorized and wrote down the melodies and solos of musicians like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis to practise the next day. These young men took the extraordinary musicianship of their classical training, their understanding of traditional Cuban son and Latin jazz, and a desire to get audiences dancing, to create a band that has become known as ambassadors for timba music. Tiempo Libre has a barnburner of a song called “Aceite” (“Oil”) that is a tribute to how Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo’s collaboration created a new style of music called Latin jazz. As Gomez says, “Something so organic and beautiful comes from mixing Cuban rhythms and American jazz.” The driving percussion and syncopated horns create a rush throughout the song as the musicians strut their best instrumental chops. Gomez points out how every timba band has an instrumental song “when the musicians play for the musicians only, and not the dancers.” Tiempo Libre will have you dancing in the aisles but the rhythms, melodies and syncopation used by these musicians run very deep. They offer the best in music: extraordinary instrumentation, danceable rhythms and enchanting singalong melodies and lyrics. When asked what audiences can expect of a Tiempo Libre concert, Gomez replied, “Well, first, it’s not going to be a concert. It’s going to be a Cuban party. We are going to play music and people are going to be dancing and singing.” There will be bolero, cha-cha-cha, son, jazz and even J.S. Bach in Cuban rhythms. Yes, that’s right, Bach. His advice for audience members: “You have to be prepared to feel like a Cuban and be like a Cuban. You are going to be in the middle of a huge party.”

... it’s not going to be a concert. It’s going to be a Cuban party.

We are going to play music and people are going to be

dancing and singing.-Jorge Gomez



MesmerizingBrampton

MARK MASRI


He says the upcoming untitled album “… will be different from my others. It will [include] more English songs this time – more original works and universal experiences that we all go through. “I am a songwriter, producer and arranger and I’ve been influenced by a number of different genres throughout my life. Gospel, pop, rock, R & B and soul all define who I am as a musician today.”

Canadian vocal star mark masri is set to captivate Rose Theatre audiences yet again. With his heartthrob looks, killer smile and, above all else, powerful vocals, the charismatic Masri wins new fans each time he steps on the stage. He began singing in church at the tender age of five. Church audiences provided the comfort, encouragement and safety that Masri says allowed him “To sing from the soul and grow and develop the confidence to move into other musical styles and languages.” In his mid-teens to 20s he began to feel that his voice was meant to be shared with the masses. “[I] took the plunge and put my music to test in front of strangers,” recalls Masri. And we’re so glad he did! His self-titled debut in 2000 earned him a Juno nomination for Best Gospel Recording. He subsequently moved to pop and international recordings, releasing La Voce in 2010, Intimo in 2011 and a favourably received Christmas album. Masri’s multicultural upbringing is evident on all his albums, which feature songs in six languages. Raised by a Lebanese father and Scottish/Dutch mother in Scarborough, Ontario, Masri was greatly influenced by his diverse community. “In school I was surrounded by friends from all different regions – West Indies, South Asia, East Asia and a multitude of communities. So hanging out with them meant that I was introduced to a wide array of foods, flavours, music, rhythms and the sounds of different languages.” He says that at a very early age he loved listening to the various languages. “Languages are similar to music – they both emulate sounds and are like musical memories. You can hear something and listen to it as a musical interpretation even though you cannot understand what they are saying – it communicates a universal emotion or feeling or mood to you.” A new album is in the works for this spring. When asked if we would see more Italian and Spanish songs to make the fans swoon, he laughs. “I am happy if my fans are happy and satisfied. My songs are sensual and about love but also about themes that we can all relate to.”

by Nita Balani

I am a songwriter, producer and arranger and I’ve been influenced by a number of

different genres throughout my life. -Mark Masri

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FRIENDS OF THE ROSEEva Andrews • Erika Boelling • Tamara Brickman • Nancy Coste • Leslie Davidson

Gregory & Jean De Reske • Barbara East • Harry Mays & Carole Edgar Gail Fielder • Marion Gilmour • Karin A. Henderson • William & Margaret Johnston

Martin & Sally-Ann Kerman • William & Jean Lawrence • Donald & Anne Marion • Laura Maselli Councillor John Sanderson • Rick & Eileen Soo • Henry & Lucy Verschuren

Don & Heidi Wilker • Florence Wilkinson • Jim & Beverly Wilkinson

THaNk yOu!

LEGaCy DONORHer Worship Mayor Susan Fennell

OFFICIaL VEHICLE SPONSORPolicaro Automotive Family

aRTS aDVENTuRES EDuCaTION SPONSORLowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse

OFFICIaL DESIGN SPONSORDr. C. Sterling-Case, Sterling Dentistry

SPONSORSATN - Asian Television Network • Brampton Downtown Development Corporation

Brampton Guardian • Jazz FM 91 • Langlois Financial Services Inc. Prouse Dash & Crouch LLP • Reliance Home Comfort • The New AM 740 & The New Classical 96.3

DRESS CIRCLE DONORSLois Rice • Gottfried & Brigitte Schwarzer • TransCanada Corporation

aFFILIaTE DONORSCharles & Lenore Armstrong • Justice Nancy Kastner & Bob Pesant

Martin & Barbara McCreath • Anelio & Antonietta Sincovich

aSSOCIaTE DONORSGerry & Anne Bell • Dale & Paul Caverly • Jan De Grijs • Gordon Edgar • Bryan & Barb Held

George Elmer Henry • Jim & Joanne Horne • Ursula Hopkins • Stan O’Neil Berry & Chong Psychologists • Jean & Marie Steffler

Klaus & Ingrid Sander • The Stephens Family • Ward Funeral Home

SuPPORTING LEVEL DONORSNoel & Pamela Folkard • Harry & Karen Lockwood • Grete McQuaid

Ruth Murray & Rollie Phillips • Francis Sim • Louise Swinton & Richard Moreal Victor & Stephanie Szumlanski

RoSE THEATRE APPLAuDS ouR7TH ANNIvERSARy SPONSORS & DONORS


Rose Theatre Donations

Rose Theatre’s presentations and programs provide a great opportunity for sponsorships that contain strong value-added benefits for corporate partners of various levels.

The greatest value of the arts is the ability to build bridges across generations and cultures. You have the opportunity to enrich your life, both personally and professionally, by contributing to the impact of arts in your community.

Photo Credit: Ken Hay

Help Us Keep Raising The Curtain. Call us today to discuss your Sponsorship or Donation Opportunities.

Gaye StorozukCoordinator, Advertising & [email protected]

Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to the Rose Theatre Brampton. Your donation brings world-class entertainment to our stage and it also enriches the whole community. We need your support to remain the vibrant community resource so many have come to depend on.

There is no Business like Show Business for Your Business‘‘

‘‘

The Rose is pleased to welcome our Official Vehicle Sponsor Policaro Automotive Family

L-R, from Policaro: Francesco Policaro and Anthony Poole

When you give to The Rose, we give back!Official tax receipt

for the maximum allowable amount

under Canada Revenue Agency

guidelines

Home Delivery of Odeum Magazine

Name Recognition in Odeum Magazine

Advanced ticket purchase opportunity for the Rose Theatre

Presents Season

Commemorative Pin

Permanent recognition on a

Sponsor/Donor Anniversary Plaque

Invitation to attend our Season Opening

Celebration

Rose Donor$50-$99

Benefits of Donating to the Rose Theatre

Friends ofThe Rose

$100-$249

SupportingLevel

$250-$499

AssociateLevel

$500-$999*

*Call for more information on the benefits of gifts above $1000.

A contribution that will honour the theatre lover in your life for years to come.

Reserve your seat now.

Premium Seats: $1000Orchestra & Mezzanine Seats: $800

Balcony Seats: $500

Every seat dedication includes a tax receipt, commemorative pin, and brass plaque

on the seat of your choice.

CALL THE BOX OFFICE ANY TIMETO MAKE YOUR DONATION:

905.874.2800

Save a Seatfor someone you love.

INNOVATION ELEVATED TO AN ART FORMIntroducing the All-New 2014 Lexus IS

Complete Lexus Price $39,430*Taxes and licensing extra.

HID headlamps • Smart key system with push button start

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Call 1-877-331-0089 today or visit northwestlexus.com

*Complete Lexus price for a 2014 IS is $39,430. Complete Lexus price includes freight and PDI of $1,995, EHF (tires) of $29, EHF (filters)of $1, A/C tax of $100, and OMVIC fee of $5. Taxes, licence, registration (if applicable) and insurance are extra. Factory order may be required. Offers are subject to change without notice. See Northwest Lexus for full details or visit www.northwestlexus.com..

Northwest Lexus is the official vehicle provider of the Rose Theatre and proud supporter of the William Osler Health System Foundation.

2280 Queen Street East, BramptonMinutes from the 407 and Airport Road

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february 2014 odeum magazine

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