Worth Every Penny: 2022 Stratford’s The Miser Review

After seeing the incredible production of Chicago at the Festival Theatre, another opportunity led us to fill the gas tank up and head right back to our beloved Stratford this week to be part of an exciting video taping of the hilariously- modernized stage show The Miser, staring Colm Feore and directed by Antoni Cimolino. Not only that but we had front-row tickets, something that was extra special and gave my husband and I the opportunity to get quite a view.

Before sitting, a quick photo before the show started.

Lots of cool props on stage to set the tone!

Molière's 1668 satire comedy is spun quite a bit differently with Ranjit Bolt’s new adaptation of The Miser, which doesn’t take itself too seriously and is riddled with pop culture references and plenty of millennial nods that explore the conflicts of greed, family legacy, love and who could forget, money.

Charlie (Qasim Khan) is head over heels for penniless Marianne (Beck Lloyd), and sister Eleanor (Alexandra Lainfiesta) is smitten by the butler, Victor (Jamie Mac), yet they are both consumed with fret over the notion to tell their wealthy, curmudgeon father, Harper (played by Colm Feore) who will gladly axe them entirely out his inheritance, if they don’t succumb to his demands.

Meanwhile, Harper is up to all sorts of trickery of his own, devising an arranged marriage for his daughter and planning to actually marry Marianne with a little help from matchmaker, Fay (Lucy Peacock).

Paranoid that everyone is out to steal his money, chaos erupts with poignant moments to reflect upon and scenes that leave you in pure full-bellied laughter.


Some highlights:

👉Taking things to another level, my husband told me that my eyes lit up when I first saw Colm Feore walk onto the stage. He shined as Harper, giving such a passionate performance and showing his tremendous skill of physical comedy.

👉Charlie, played by Qasim Khan. What a delight to watch perform. He had a sharp quick-witted tongue and commanding presence on stage that leaves the entire audience laughing whenever he flounced into the room.

👉Ron Kennell as Jack – a wearer of many hats (chef, chauffeur) and is down-right hilarious and cooks up quite a performance.

👉The set and costume design by Julie Fox was outstanding, especially the ridiculous pastel-like purple top hat and bell-bottomed ensemble that Harper (Feore) slipped into, which had discount Rocky Horror attendee meets Abba vibes!

We’re taken on a wild ride here with some surprising twists along the way that I’m not going to spoil for you. Fitted with yet another perfectly-crafted cast that brings loads of humour, talent, and laughter, The Miser is, as my title says, worth every penny!

Have you seen this one yet? If so, leave me a comment or send me a message via my webform! I always love to hear from my readers.

Visit the website to see what's currently playing.

*Tickets are available to see The Miser until Sat. Oct 29th, 2022.

💜https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/

They Had It Comin’: 2022 Stratford’s Chicago Review

Stratford's Festival Theatre

Directed and choreographed by Donna Feore, along with Music Director Franklin Brasz, Chicago is set in the Roaring Twenties era and checks off all the boxes of showcasing a crime-inspired musical that’s full of corruption, murder and chaos. So take your seat because you’re in for the time of your life here at the Stratford Festival Theatre, with the dazzling production of Chicago.

Many of the dance numbers were very catchy, almost to the point where you could sing along if you didn’t already know the tunes, and then combined with the dynamic choreography performed by many of the cast of talented Gangsters all the way to the Razzle Dazzle Dancers, it’s perfection. Songs like, Razzle Dazzle, All That Jazz and Cell Block Tango exploded on stage.

Let’s not forget the gorgeous costume designs as well by Dana Osborne, from well-crafted suits to sultry and sparkly vaudeville outfits. The set design by Michael Gianfrancesco oozed smokey jazz bar days, where prohibition went well with a cup of coffee and a bit of mayhem.

In this story, two of the lead prison inmates and fame-seekers, Chelsea Preston as Roxie Hart and Jennifer Rider-Shaw as Velma Kelly were deeply committed to their performances and engaging. Their characters were both trigger-happy (thus being jailed for crimes of passion), seemingly coming across as rivals, as one never likes to share the spotlight. However, by intermission, it’s a sure thing that the commonalities of bringing down their scuzzy lawyer, Billy Flynn, (played brilliantly by Dan Chameroy) is paramount to their freedom and success to overthrow the constraints of societal expectations.

With many surprises along the way that I won’t spoil, a few things really stood out:

👉The shocking and stunning operatic vocals of reporter, Mary Sunshine, played by Robert Markus.

👉Dan Chameroy ignited the stage as sleazy lawyer, Billy Flynn, with a sheer spectacular performance from start to finish in the song “All I Care About.” Commanding a stage is very hard to do, many try, few succeed, yet Dan succeeds every time I have seen him perform. The most recent one before the pandemic struck was in the cult-favourite, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

👉Then we have Steve Ross (I loved him in HMS Pinafore). This role was made for him, as Steve gives one most touching performances as Amos Hart, Roxie’s rather clueless, gullible yet lonesome husband. Mr. Cellophane was clearly made for this man to perform. As we hear the entire audience let out an “awww” as he exits the stage, we need a minute to take in a breath to appreciate what we just experienced in our thoughts and collectively as audience members.

👉Again, all the dancers who complemented so many scenes. Incredible stamina, flexibility, precision and energy.

After 2 years of not being able to see any performances due to the pandemic, walking through the Festival Theatre doors again was an utter joy for myself and my husband. Seeing Chicago was a perfect way to not only celebrate our 14th anniversary together, but to enjoy world-class entertainment and you know... all that jazz. 

Check out the link below for current productions and what's happening for the exciting 2023 season!

💜Official website: https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/