After a season of virtual performances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MacEwan University’s Department of Theatre is set to begin its 2021/22 season with performances that will take place in front of live audiences for the first time in almost two years.
The season will consist of two shows: The World Goes ‘Round and The Drowsy Chaperone.
“We are all very excited to be performing in front of an audience once again,” says Scott Spidell, chair of the Department of Theatre. “Last year, the students ran the shows and performed to a nearly completely empty house, save a few instructors and classmates. We can’t wait to see those seats fill up this year.”
Audience members will need to show proof of complete COVID-19 vaccinations and will have to be masked at all times, including during the show. Some seats in the front rows will be blocked off to ensure physical distancing from the performers who will be unmasked.
The World Goes ‘Round
December 1 to 5
The World Goes 'Round is a retrospective celebration of one of Broadway’s most iconic songwriting teams, John Kander and Fred Ebb. For over four decades, their successful collaborations have included the smash Broadway shows Cabaret and Chicago, as well as innovative, challenging works like Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Scottsboro Boys and The Visit. Their films include the Academy Award-winning films Cabaret and Chicago. Their works are marked by a striking theatricality, sharp wit and heartfelt sentiment.
The World Goes 'Round is not a typical revue. Instead, it is approached and structured as a standalone theatre piece. Song suites provide glimpses into diverse worlds and characters. Each song tells a story, each with its own mood, pace and style. It weaves Kander and Ebb's iconic songs into a rich musical tapestry.
The Drowsy Chaperone
March 30 to April 3
Winner of five Tony Awards (including Best Book and Best Original Score), The Drowsy Chaperone is a loving send-up of the Jazz-age musical featuring one show-stopping song-and-dance number after another.
In a little apartment, a man in a chair puts on his favourite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life and our show begins. With two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone, you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight.
Hailed by New York Magazine as "The Perfect Broadway Musical," The Drowsy Chaperone is a meta-musical that pokes fun at all the tropes of the musical theatre genre.
Tickets are available at MacEwan.ca/TheatreSeason