After the distinct style and extravagant beauty of Vancouver, Edmonton is rather like the plain jane bridesmaid at a society wedding. The capital of the Province of Alberta, it has a rather dull feel to it, like many nondescript cities we have played in the states; I have heard a couple company members liken it to Dayton, OH. Of course it is unfair to compare it to Vancouver but nevertheless it does make one really appreciate how special that city was. Edmonton closes down at 5 or 6PM and before the sun has set the streets are deserted. In Vancouver, every night of the week was full of street life; bars and restaurants and music venues all hopping. It is perhaps a blessing that Edmonton is so sleepy. A chance to recover from the expenditures of money and energy in Vancouver.
Edmonton is nicknamed "Festival City" because it hosts several cultural and sporting festivals throughout the year, among them the Edmonton International Fringe Festival, a theatre festival second only in size and scope to the Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland. It also hosts things like the International Street Performer's Festival, the Free Will Shakespeare Festival, and the Canada Rodeo. None of these will be happening while we are here--the Fringe Festival starts a week or so after we depart, which is perhaps a good thing for our box office! In addition to the cultural festivals, Edmonton is home to the largest mall in North America, the West Edmonton Mall, with over 800 shops. Edmonton is also home to the impressive Muttart Conservatory, which is a cluster of enormous glass pyramids housing plants and flowers from all over the world. Regrettably this is closed during our visit here.
I did visit the West Edmonton Mall and it is just heartening to know that America has not cornered the market on tackiness.
The largest mall in North America is everything every U.S. mall is, but on steroids. It's all the same familiar stores and chain restaurants but just loads of them, accompanied by rather absurd attractions, including a giant pirate ship surrounded by water on which kids can paddle boat around, an ice skating rink, and an actual amusement park with rides, including an indoor roller coaster. I suppose the winters here in Edmonton are long and brutal so a place like this is a welcome distraction for families with kids. While I found the whole place ridiculous, I did join in the celebration of capitalism by making perhaps my most frivolous purchase yet on the tour--a pair of Prada sunglasses. They are gorgeous but there is no doubt that buying them was an act of complete indulgence. Ah well, hard work should entitle us all to a few toys.
On the side of substance, I had the pleasure of visiting the Art Gallery of Alberta, temporarily housed in a University building downtown while its permanent home is under construction. The current exhibitions all reflect, in various ways, the relationship between Canada and its Aboriginal peoples, as well as Canada's artistic relationship with itself. There was a very interesting showing of the Group of Seven, an early 20th century group of painters in Toronto that were the first organization of modern artists in Canada. These artists sought to present impressions of the unspoiled Canadian landscape and created much controversy amongst those that wanted to project a more modern view of the country.
There were several exhibits of art and photography by contemporary Aboriginal artists who use their work to express their feelings about reconciling their traditional culture with the modern Canadian world they live and grew up in. Some of these expressions are funny, some bitingly satiric, and others mournful.
My favorite exhibit was of portraits by Nicholas de Grandmaison, who grew up in Imperial Russia, emigrated to this area and became fascinated by the various tribes of Plains Indians. He traveled extensively, meeting these peoples, executing startling oil and pastel portraits of them and using early recording equipment to capture audio records of the stories and history of the Indians from their own lips. For his efforts he was not only honored by Canada as an artist, he was presented with ceremonial garments and inducted into one of the native tribes he befriended. The portraits are truly beautiful and masterful and give a very personal face to people who at that time were considered little more than picturesque remnants of a dying culture.
We are performing this week in the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, which is located on the attractive University of Alberta campus.
The theatre was a gift to the people of Alberta from Her Majesty the Queen of England in 1955, along with a twin theatre in Calgary, the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (where we will be next week). The two theatres are completely identical and whenever one gets improvements, the other gets the same. Both theatres were renovated in 2004 in preparation for their 50th anniversaries. I find the house acoustically one of the best we have played, and the audiences have been large and appreciative. We take the local light rail system to work every day, and the trip affords a beautiful view of the Saskatchewan River.
My dresser in Edmonton is Donna, and what a versatile and talented lady she is.
Donna, in addition to working wardrobe for theatre, film and TV, is also a costume designer for a local burlesque troupe, and a trombone player and singer in an eccentric rock band called The Wet Secrets. She is a friendly and charming person to work with and this week has been a pleasure. So, next week takes us to Calgary, where we will celebrate the tour's 1000th performance, and where this Canadian leg of the tour will end. The following week I will get three wonderful days in New York prior to our Philadelphia opening. Since I have not seen my apartment in eight months, you can imagine how excited I am to tread those dirty streets again!
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