September 7, 2012
Press-RepublicanSeptember 6, 2012
By STEVEN HOWELL
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MONTREAL — The fall Montreal theater season stage is set with unique Shakespearean takes, a surreal trip to a Kentucky revival, and a few singing and dancing guys and dolls.
SEGAL CENTRE
With a new theater season comes a new production company. Making its debut, Metachroma Theatre takes up residence at the Studio space at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts with its production of “Richard III.”
Taking inspiration from the Greek translation to mean “beyond color,” Metachroma Theatre ranks as Montreal’s only independent theater company of professional actors of color, according to a press release. The goal is to “address the under-representation of visible minority actors in Canadian theatre, challenging current perceptions by telling stories with a diverse cast in order to normalize the presence of these artists on stage.”
The cast of seasoned actors represents Africa, the First Nations, the Caribbean, China, India, Japan and the U.K.
“Richard III” runs Sept. 19 through 30 at the Studio of the Segal Centre. Tickets start at $18. The Sept. 19 preview is pay-what-you-can. A two-for-one special is offered Sept. 24.
The Segal Centre for Performing Arts also presents a new season of main-stage productions beginning with the classic “Guys and Dolls.”
The Tony Award-winning musical tells the tale of a band of high-stakes gamblers in the city that never sleeps. “Guys and Dolls” is presented Sept. 30 through Oct. 28. Tickets start at $29.
The Studio stage then presents the Black Theatre Workshop production of “Harlem Duet,” which offers a preface to Shakespeare’s “Othello” through the eyes of Billie, Othello’s first wife “who is left behind as Othello moves closer to a white identity,” according to the press release. It’s all set at the corners of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X boulevards in upper Manhattan.
“Harlem Duet” runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 11. Tickets start at $25 and are available at www.blacktheatreworkshop.ca or by calling (514) 932-1104.
Next on the Segal main stage is “Red,” a six-time Tony Award-winning drama about two years in the life of New York abstract-expressionist artist Mark Rothko.
“Red” runs Nov. 25 through Dec. 16. Tickets start at $24.
The Segal Centre is at 5170 Chemin Cote St. Catherine. Call (514) 739-7944 or visit www.segalcentre.org for more info.[...]