"Do You Hear the People Sing" that "It's Good to Be a Nun" in "America"?
Die-hard musical fans will see what I just did there, and they will know that it is both apropos and terribly witty.
But for those of you who don't, those are thee of the top billed songs for the musicals being put on this summer at Rainbow Stage, Winnipeg's open-air theatre experience that serves up more magic for families than Gandalf at a Middle Earth bar mitzvah.
Rainbow Stage is a beloved Winnipeg institution, so loved in fact that their YouTube channel has a whole playlist of "I Love Rainbow Stage Because..." videos that I, Mister Peg, surely wish I could be part of.
You can't beat Rainbow Stage's setting in Kildonan Park (Gerald Laggo)
My two primary reasons would be:
1) The setting itself: The building can hold an audience of 2,600, has a groovy domed design which, to me, portrays what the future was meant to look like in 1952 when it was built. Plus the lush, verdant setting of Kildonan Park is always a treat.
2) Last year was one of the best years ever for two huge reasons: firstly, the production of The Producers was a pretty bold thing for a venue that usually only shows family-friendly fare, of which The Producers was a bold, completely not-politically correct and hilarious departure.
And second, The Little Mermaid was, in my humble opinion, possibly the best production I have ever seen on Rainbow Stage -- especially as I came at it with low expectations with it being Disney and all. The songs were great, the guy who played the Sebastian the crab was hilarious (as was the French chef who tried to boil that crustacean), the woman who played Ursula stole the show with a performance filled with so much gusto that Bette Midler would have been proud, and the set and effects were top-notch.
Rainbow Stage production of The Little Mermaid (Robert Tinker)
Plus, the audience for The Little Mermaid was in it to win it, with so many kids dressed up like their favourite characters -- from little girls as Ariel, to little boys as Flounder -- making an atmosphere filled with enough cuteness to crush a kitten (with snuggles).
Okay, so that was more than one reason, but whatever, a real man (who despite being a wooden clothespin) gets excited when it comes outdoor musical theatre.
Anyway, back to the songs I've mentioned at the start, let's put them in context shall we?
The 2015 Rainbow Stage season starts with West Side Story (June 4th – 19th), that classic adaptation of star-cross'd lovers featuring Puerto Rican sharks (not the swimming kind, but the dancing kind!), knife fights, Jets (not the hockey kind who don't like Ducks, but the dancing kind!), an iconic snap your fingers low to the ground dance move, and Maria and Tony in the midst of it all just trying to find real love.
It's looking like a blockbuster season at Rainbow Stage
Then, from July 9th - 24th, it's Les Miserables, which sees Jean Valjean go from stealing a candlestick holder to feed his family, to the French Revolution (replete with a barricade and much flag-waving), through many a glorious song including everybody's favourite beer-soaked number, "Master of the House."
Then, praise the lord because the final musical is Sister Act, that witty, uplifting story of redemption where a lounge singing diva witnesses a crime, then gets hidden by the cops under the habit. This show is guaranteed to get your toes tapping featuring original music by eight-time Oscar® winner Alan Menken.
Tickets are all on sale now at rainbowstage.ca at affordable, family rates as low as $89 for the season, or $39 for individual shows (with kids tickets only $28).
So join Mister Peg this summer and sing along in the audience at Rainbow Stage!
