Historical rock opera remounts as unplugged concert experience in Edmonton
Historical rock opera remounts as unplugged concert experience in Edmonton
Edmonton-based theatre company Catalyst is remounting its 2015 production of “Vigilante" as an unplugged concert experience. A scene from the production is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-David Cooper
A theatre company is remounting its production of a musical tragedy, based on a true story of Irish immigrants finding solace in Canada, in an unplugged concert experience.
Jonathan Christenson, artistic director with Edmonton's Catalyst Theatre, who wrote, directed and scored the music for "Vigilante," says the stripped-down version allows the audience to centre on the story and the music.
“Our shows are visually pretty full on. There’s a lot going on, a lot to take in. In some ways, you get to hear the lyrics, the music and the text in a new way," Christenson said.
The rock opera is based on the story of a young Irish couple who leave Ireland in the midst of the potato famine and conflict among Catholics and Protestants in the 19th century.
Christenson said he heard the story when he was growing up in southern Ontario.
“They were refugees from Ireland on these boats that were crammed full of people who had paid their life savings to get one of these boats. Many of them died on the trips over, the conditions were absolutely terrible,” said Christenson.
“I was really struck by the parallels to what we’re seeing in the world today with refugees in such desperate situations coming to Canada and proceeding to try and build a new life for themselves.”
“Vigilante” premiered at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton in 2015 and went on to tour in Ottawa and London, Ont.
Catalyst has done stripped-down versions of productions in the past. With the COVID-19 pandemic, Christenson said recording albums of the work provided a new life line.
"We had to look at other ways of getting our work out. And so over the past couple of years, we've started creating cast recordings of a couple of our shows," said Christenson.
"It just gives people another way to access our work and get a sense of what it is that we do."
Christenson said the theatre company is also recording video on some of its productions, but sometimes theatre doesn't translate to film in the most organic way.
"Theatre artists aren't necessarily film artists. So, the results weren't always the most engaging.
"There's so much more storytelling that happens in the text, so I do think it tends to translate into audio better or more easily," said Christenson, adding the company has received requests to record albums before.
Catalyst has been based in Edmonton since the late '70s. Back then, it operated as a social action theatre company working with community groups to educate and empower change.
In 1996, Christenson, who was building a reputation for his original productions, was asked to join and reinvent the company.
His visual style has been compared to American filmmaker Tim Burton, who is known for gothic-fantasy style films including "Sweeney Todd," "Sleepy Hollow," and the "Corpse Bride."
Christenson said that most theatre companies in English Canada don’t have a touring model like others in Quebec or in other parts of the world. Many produce plays written by other playwrights and show them for a short run for hometown audiences.
Catalyst's shows often tour across Canada and Europe.
“It's exciting to reach audiences beyond your own community,” said Christenson, adding that they’ve been able to reach tens of thousands of people.
Christenson said the company hopes to tour the full production of "Vigilante" again, but with COVID-19 still causing precariousness in the theatre industry, it's unsure when that might be.
"Vigilante — In Concert" premieres Friday at the Westbury Theatre in Edmonton, with another show available in person and via streaming on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2023.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.
In an effort to keep the foreign interference story at the forefront, and to do an apparent endrun around the Liberal filibuster blocking one study from going ahead, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is forcing MPs to debate and then vote on a motion instructing an opposition-dominated House committee to strike its own review.
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Some of the world's largest central banks came together on Sunday to stop a banking crisis from spreading as Swiss authorities persuaded UBS Group AG to buy rival Credit Suisse Group AG in a historic deal.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to meet with Vladimir Putin in a political boost for the isolated Russian president after the International Criminal Court charged him with war crimes in Ukraine.
The Town of Strathmore and Siksika Nation hosted the first Lead By Example Powwow this weekend in honour of a young Indigenous man who was shot to death four years ago.
Autopsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death for two constables responding to a domestic dispute Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service says.
Travel nurses go from place to place, all over the world, filling in wherever help is needed. To assist with current shortages, some are in Saskatchewan.
Pile O Bones hosted their 18th annual tattoo convention at the Turvey Centre on the weekend where artists from around the country were able to highlight their talent.
The University of Prince Edward Island Faculty Association says its staff has gone on strike after what it says are failed attempts to enter additional negotiations with the university's administration.
The student union president at Cape Breton University said food insecurity has become a concern for many students and the on-campus food bank cannot keep up with demand.
Ontario employers who withhold foreign workers’ passports or work permits could face steeper penalties under new labour laws, with maximum fines setting them back up to $200,000.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) announced Monday morning that a third person has died in connection with the tragedy in Amqui, in the Lower St. Lawrence region, where a driver drove his pickup truck into pedestrians a week ago.
The Rideau McDonald's Farewell March brought people from across the city, some dressed in costumes, who wanted to say goodbye to a part of what they say makes Ottawa Ottawa.
If you are yearning to walk the trails around Mud Lake in the Britannia Conservation Area, be aware there are wild turkeys looking for mates. A gang of three have been chasing and pecking at visitors to the nature trail for weeks.
Ontario employers who withhold foreign workers’ passports or work permits could face steeper penalties under new labour laws, with maximum fines setting them back up to $200,000.
A community is in mourning after a 10-year-old girl was killed earlier this week when flames tore through her family’s camping trailer southeast of Brantford.
St. Patrick's day street parties in Waterloo, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau making an announcement in Guelph, and a woman charged with defrauding doulas round out the most-read stories of the week.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
One person has been confirmed dead and six people remain missing as police continue to search for victims after a fire swept through a building in Old Montreal on Thursday.
Vancouver firefighters were called to the Downtown Eastside Sunday evening after a fire destroyed multiple tents in an encampment and spread to a building near Main and East Hastings streets.
An international student was swarmed and beaten by a group of people who ripped off his turban and dragged him across the sidewalk by his hair in Kelowna, B.C., Friday evening, according to a local politician.
Mounties in Port McNeill violated a suspect's Charter rights by failing to allow him to contact a lawyer promptly after his 2019 drug trafficking arrest, a judge has ruled.
Edmonton-based theatre company Catalyst is remounting its 2015 production of “Vigilante" as an unplugged concert experience. A scene from the production is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-David Cooper
