NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONTARIO—Summer is theatre season in Ontario. The four-month rest we get from Canadian winter is necessarily jam packed with arts events. It can be difficult to weed through the multitude of events and be assured your entertainment dollars are well spent.
I was very pleased with my first visit to the Shaw Festival. Located in the scenic and shamelessly quaint Niagara-on-the Lake, Shaw Fest is currently celebrating its 50th season.
Initially mandated to feature only the works of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries, the festival began with a single theatre on the two blocks that constitutes Niagara-on-the-Lake’s main drag. Today there are four venues supported by the festival, and the company is investing in new play development. Three new plays are running this season.
It is a glorious set up. A world-class theatre company rather conspicuously nestled in the charming and neatly manicured countryside where nice hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and restaurants have taken up residence beside dozens of vineyards. It has definite Dionysian potential, but appears kid friendly before 8 p.m.
When planning your visit you could, or dare I say should, literally binge on theatre for three to four days. If one watched three shows a day, it would take four days to make it through all the theatre. Add wine-tasting tours or horseback riding and your summer vacation may take quite a bit longer. Use moderation when mixing any of the aforementioned activities together. Certainly don’t [tell anyone I told you to] park your inebriated horse outside of the Court House Theatre.
Part of Shaw’s attractiveness is that it mounts full-scale musical theatre productions in intimate venues. This year’s family favourite is “My Fair Lady,” a musical written by Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe and based on Shaw’s play “Pygmalion.”
You may, like me, have grown up with the film, and fear that no one could ever be as wonderful as Rex Harrison or Audrey Hepburn. Well, good news. When you come to Shaw this year you will finally get to hear Frederick Loewe’s notes sung properly. Neither Harrison nor Hepburn could sing. In fact, Hepburn never sang a note in the film—all her parts were dubbed by Marni Nixon. Because the film is etched in the public conscience it may be necessary to explain why you should leave your house to see it live.
