Presented by Festival at the Fort
Written by Rick Salutin
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Simon Richards as Lieutenant Governor Simcoe/General Brock. Photo courtesy of FLIP Publicity & Promotions Inc. |
In advance of the City of Toronto’s War of 1812 bicentennial celebrations in 2012, Festival at the Fort is now running Great Voices. If you haven’t visited Fort York lately, there is a fun historical theatre experience awaiting you! We recently attended Great Voices and learned more about Canada through the performance than we did during grade nine history class.
Nestled among the looming skyscrapers and the Gardiner Expressway, you wouldn’t imagine Fort York as an ideal setting for a theatrical performance. However, the epic theatre style is well suited for the show and the audience also gets a tour of the grounds and buildings during the performance. The comforting smell of burning wood and the lovely sound of bagpipes help set the mood and transports you back to the 1800s. You forget the CN Tower watching over the bustling city — instead the union jack flies high.
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Jeff Legacy as Tecumseh. Photo courtesy of FLIP Publicity & Promotions Inc. |
The charming production includes songs and a memorable performance by each cast member and much more. The music is composed by James Gordon and includes an informative and enchanting song during his performance as USS General Pike. The “Words of Tecumseh” is delivered as an intimate soliloquy by Jeff Legacy and is quite moving. The Dancing Native Spirit Puppets provided by Red Pepper Spectacle Arts Inc are simply magnificent. They seem larger than life when they rise over the stone walls of the fort. We were not only impressed by the size of them, but the artistic beauty of the puppets almost took our breath away.
Have you ever wondered why we call Lake Simcoe and Castle Frank by their names? Join the platoon for the night and find out! You’ll be glad you did.
Great Voices runs until August 22nd. For tickets, more info and to join the mailing list, visit the Festival at the Fort website. The Festival at the Fort will produce a new theatrical production annually with guest companies.
