This was my first time in the Theatre Junction Grand.  The theatre, as well as the upstairs lounge, made enough of an impression on me that I am anticipating any chance I get to go there again.  The seats are comfortable, the acoustics are good and it’s not too big and not too small.  It’s a great little theatre that’s really easy to get to.

The High Performance Rodeo is now 24 years old.  That means it has almost been around as long as I have.  This unfortunately was my first year attending.  I really wish I had gone other years because it was a great night.  I’m not going to go in-depth into what the High Performance Rodeo is, because there are lots of other places to find that info (on their new website for instance hprodeo.ca).  But suffice it to say that it is a bringing together of many different art forms into one city for one glorious month of celebrating creativity and imagination.  Well, now that that is over with let’s get on to the Tubular Bells.

The show was split into two acts.  The first act was four pianists playing Canto Ostinato composed by Simeon ten Holt.  It was a great piece that alternated from a lullaby low to a heart-soaring high.  My heart-strings were plucked and my mind was thrown into other worlds.  It was a great start to the show.  The second act was the Tubular Bells from the title.  Four pianos with four ballet dancers.  The music was great but it was the dancers that really had my attention.  Their movements as they went from slow to frantic and back to slow brought you on a journey.  And while I didn’t always understand the specifics of the journey, what I did understand were the emotions, and the emotions were amazing.  You know a show is good when the words that come to mind right after are spectacular and up-lifting.  If this is what the High Performance Rodeo has to offer, then sign me up for the rest of the month and every year to come.

Tags: High Performance Rodeo, HPR, Tubular Bells

This entry was posted on Monday, January 11th, 2010 at 9:00 am and is filed under Festivals & Fanfare, Sounds & Vibrations, Stage & Screen. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.