In Edgar Lee Masters' poetry cycle, "The Spoon River Anthology", the dead from one small town come back to life to tell their stories - and to sing! Four members of Soulpepper Theatre's production team talk about their new musical adaptation, and perform songs from the production.
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Raquel Duffy, Katherine Gauthier, Stuart Hughes, Miranda Mulholland and Mikaela Davies in Soulpepper Theatre's "Spoon River". (Cylla von Tiedemann)Soulpepper Theatre Company's musical production, Spoon River, began as a collection of free-verse poems written in 1915 by the American poet Edgar Lee Masters. Each poem is a kind of extended epitaph for people he imagined to be buried in a graveyard in the fictional small town of Spoon River, Illinois.
The poems are gritty, miniature back stories to lives come and gone. And taken as a whole, they are an ode to small town life, and to truths rarely spoken.
The Spoon River Anthology has been adapted to the stage many times. Its latest incarnation is underway at Toronto's Young Centre for the Performing Arts -- and this time, the poetry has been set to music.
The reviews have been nothing short of raves. From The Toronto Star - "heart-stopping", "a triumph of the spirits" and "a once-in-a-lifetime show." From The National Post: "Ross’s musical settings are brilliant" and "a heartfelt gift from the actors to the audience."
For Canadians who are not in Toronto and can't make it to the Young Centre for the Performing Arts to catch the show, we thought we would bring the flavour of the performance to you on the radio.
Sound check with Mike Ross, Michael Enright, Albert Schultz and Miranda Mulholland. (Brad Lepp)
Four members of the Soulpepper production team -- Mike Ross, Albert Schultz, Miranda Mulholland, and Hailey Gillis -- came to Studio 211 in the Broadcasting Centre to talk to Michael about the play, and to sing several of its songs.
Michael with recording engineers Doug Doctor and Dean Ples in Studio 211, preparing to record a conversation with 4 members of the Soulpepper production. (Brad Lepp)
