A R T S
TALLY HO AND HEY YOICKS AWAY! IT’S TIME FOR SPAMALOT! GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
Do you know the way to Camelot? Be careful about taking a wrong turn or your quest could find you ending up in Spamalot instead. The Russell Association for the Performing Arts (RAPA) celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and, in honour and recognition of anniversary tradition, RAPA members have chosen a real “pearl” of a production to put on stage. Start with a grain of irritating puns and coat them with layers of off-the-wall song-and-dance routines, bold, brave, and sometimes buffoonish knights in armour, or at least almost-real-genuine-simulated-faux armour, a beautiful otherworldly enchantress who is a real diva type, and a legendary king who just wants to do the right thing. Yes, that’s right, it’s Monty Python’s Spamalot! “We’re really good at horrible jokes,” said Joyce Chartrand, with a chuckle, during a phone interview. Chartrand, who has been a RAPA member since 1997, when she was cast for a role in The Nerd, is sitting in the assistant director’s chair for this production. As the AD she is the right-hand-woman for project director/producer Gord Hawkes, helping him get the quest off to a good start and on course to its glorious guffawing end. “I’m another set of ears and eyes here,”
Ce ne sont pas vos acteurs RAPA et ce n’est pas la version RAPA de Spamalot. Mais soyez assurés que lorsque les gens de la Russell Association for the Performing Arts en auront fini avec cette version, personne ne pourra oublier le classique et populaire hommage musical de Monty Python à la légende du roi Arthur et des chevaliers de la Table ronde. Tout sera sur scène en avril. —photos fournies
Doubling up is also part of the challenge for some of the 20 cast members, who may also portray one-off walk-on characters in addition to their primary roles. “It is an ambition production,” said Chartrand, “and most of the cast is on stage almost all of the time. There’s lots of singing and dancing. The challenge, for a show this iconic, is you have to find the fine line between slavishly reproducing what has been done before, and letting the actors infuse some of their own personalities into the roles.” The Quest for Spamalot! begins the last week of April and continues to its hilarious end during the first week of May. Check the RAPA website for advance and reserve ticket information.
she said. “Gord is an excellent director, with great vision, and he asked me to help, so I said ‘Yes,’ since I can’t sing.” Something completely different Spamalot! is the musical version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a British comedy classic movie that took the revered Legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, turned it upside down and spun it around to see who and what falls out.
Since RAPA has an anniversary this year, Spamalot! seemed a logical choice. “It’s like the Holy Grail of musical plays, isn’t it?” said Chartrand, chuckling. “At RAPA we like doing stuff that is a bit off-beat. This is a Big Picture piece but with a little bit of edge and a little off-the-wall. And besides, it’s the Quest of the Holy Grail!” Just as in the movie, the knights never ride around on horses; they trot around, knocking together coconut shell halves to mimic the sound of horse hooves. Expect to hear a lot of coconut-clacking during Spa- malot! That is assuming the set deco and props’ gang is able to find enough coconuts for everyone who wants to go “horse riding.” Otherwise some folks may need to “double up” on their coconuts.
UN DINER TRÈS POPULAIRE À CASSELMAN
These are not your RAPA actors and this is not the RAPA version of Spamalot. But be sure that when the folks with the Russell Association for the Performing Arts are finished with it, no one will be able to forget that version of the classic and popular Monty Python musical tribute to the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It’s all on stage in April. —supplied photos
Publié le jeudi par • Published on Thursday by: La Compagnie d’édition André Paquette Inc. Imprimé par • Printed by: Imprimerie Prescott et Russell, Hawkesbury, ON # convention : 0040012398 1100, rue Aberdeen Street, C.P. / P.O. Box 1000, Hawkesbury, ON K6A 3H1 1-800-267-0850 Fax.: 613-632-6383
BERTRAND CASTONGUAY Président • President bertrand@eap.on.ca FRANÇOIS LEGAULT Directeur • Director francois.legault@eap.on.ca GILLES NORMAND Dir. Production et Distribution Mgr. gilles.normand@eap.on.ca MARCO BLAIS, CARL LALONDE Infographie et prépresse Layout & Prepress pub@eap.on.ca
Nous invitons les lecteurs à nous faire parvenir leurs lettres qui ne doivent pas dépasser 300 mots. Nous nous réservons le droit de les modifier ou de refuser de les publier. L’expéditeur doit inclure son nom, prénom, adresse et numéro de téléphone. Readers are invited to send us their letters that must not exceed 300 words. We reserve the right tomodify themor to refuse to publish them. The writer must include their names, address and telephone number.
Le Comptoir Deguire et ses bénévoles ont organisé, le 22 décembre dernier, un diner bien spécial du temps des Fêtes pour les personnes qui étaient seules durant cette période. La municipalité de Casselman et 417 Bus Line ont été d’une aide précieuse dans la réalisation de cet évènement. Une navette était offerte pour les personnes qui désiraient participer à ce souper, qui s’est tenu au Centre communautaire de Casselman. On voit ici des bénévoles qui ont su mettre de la joie dans le cœur de nombreux participants : Cécile Desnoyers, Angèle Gélineau, Gilles Desnoyers, Monique Lavergne, Ginette Surprenant, Robert Surpernant, Yvon Lavergne et l’administrateur Gaétan Genier. —photo fournie
Publicité • Advertising: pubreflet.news@eap.on.ca
Toute reproduction du contenu est interdite à moins d’autorisation écrite au préalable. No content may be reproduced without prior written permission. Avis : En cas d’erreur ou d’omission, la responsabilité du journal ne dépasse, en aucun temps, le montant de l’espace de l’erreur en cause. Attention: In case of error or omission, in no way will the publisher be liable for more than the amount charged for space concerned.
Nouvelles • News: nouvelles@eap.on.ca
CLASSÉES • CLASSIFIED reception@eap.on.ca
www.editionap.ca
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator