The season has begun with a trip to Stratford

Actually, the season began in July, when we went to Stratford to see two musicals. Two non-Shakespeare shows. We saw Fiddler on the Roof on a Friday night--followed by a chat with some of the performers. On Saturday night, we saw Tommy. Both were excellent productions. The music, the singing and dancing, the sets.... everything combined to make theatre magic.

Fiddler is a story we had seen on stage and screen. I have always loved the music and the production did not disappoint me. The staging was imaginative, simple and flexible. The actors were energetic and appealing.

I wasn't very keen on seeing Tommy. I have seen the movie a time or two and always found it tedious, pretentious and dated. But this production was many, many times better than the movie. The plot made sense, mostly, and the actors and sets were wonderful. The things you can do with modern technology: screens, lasers, lights.... it really worked.