Theatre Review by Christina Manolescu</MARQUEE>
Accompanied on stage by pianist, Holly Arsenault, singer-songwriter, Barbara Lewis proves quite open and fearless, treading an emotional tightrope as she invites you to accompany her on a retro-journey, scaling the mountain-sides and ravines, winding roads and crossroads of her life.
These events, portrayed with brave vulnerability, energy, comic verve and skill, seem intensely personal and real. Yet they blend ‘art’-fully in a one-of-a-kind performance; they also strike a corresponding chord, they ring true.
In CROSSROADS, the medium also becomes the message.
Confronting her own ‘up-and-down’ life: love and loss, strife, disappointment, success and failure, Lewis’s performance is a dramatic re-enactment of a life lived. Spanning several decades from her childhood, youth and beyond, CROSSROADS highlights Lewis’s momentous decision to trade in a promising operatic career for one that was more open-ended, more personal and individual, one that allowed breathing space for artistic exploration and expression.
Faced with confusion, doubt, conflict and panic—experiences which life brings to us all—Lewis, at each of life’s crossroads, has no choice but to fall back upon her own frail and hard-won mantra as personal guidepost and light: When treading life’s quicksands, there is no escape-route and no guarantees; above all, to thine own self be true.
Lewis’s songs range from clever and quirky to dramatic, thrilling, emotional and romantic; the more you listen, the more addictive they can become.
From rustic isolation in the wild Vermont mountains to high-speed, high-rise living in New York City, by turns riding the roller-coaster of ‘stardom’ through feast and famine, grasping or spurning career opportunities, whether suspect or secure, Lewis’s life-journey traces more than mere variations on a theme.
For an immediate sense of the ‘Barbara Lewis experience,’ go to ‘YOUTUBE’: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DWnQhHwkKdw. ‘Lullaby for a deep sleep’ is a requiem from the CROSSROADS repertoire, and a popular favourite.
□ Here is one called Temptation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j9M9sgKO5I
□ And one called Love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDzpmRVeJ9U
□ Another called Gotham City: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHbauAzhfAQ
□ Finally, although not part of the CROSSROADS show, this song is sensational: The body, http://youtube.com/watch?v=UIuBuOH_oTI
A few words about the backstory to CROSSROADS which, before coming to the Centaur, was first staged at Montreal’s summer fringe festival 2006. Dedicated to remounting this production, five dynamic talents joined forces and talents to create SHEBA Productions: Susan Dubrofsky, Graphic Artist and Theatre Set Designer, Holly Arsenault, Pianist, Estelle Rosen, Theatre Critic, Publicist, Radio broadcaster, Barbara Lewis, Singer, Songwriter, and Anna Fuerstenberg, Playwright, Theatre Director.
This new company’s artistic and organizational accomplishments are impressive. Don’t miss their truly captivating début.
- Written & Performed by: Barbara Lewis
- Accompanied by Pianist: Holly Arsenault
- Director: Anna Fuerstenberg
- Producer/Publicist: Estelle Rosen
- Stage Manager: Katharine Childs
- Set/Graphics Designer: Susan Dubrofsky
- Costume Designer: Kerri Strobl