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All for love: The MadriGALS serve up a vocal tribute to Renaissance revelry 234 In... St. s., Walerlop (coma onung St & Union St t I “I www.rtligeratrnveUom hey scampered up the stairs, fa-la-la-ing all the way, and gently shooed a couple of sur- prised latecomers into their seats. From that moment on. there was little doubt that Sunday's K~W Chamber Music Society performance by the MadriGALS would be an evening of much, much more than early music and sweet voices in Elizabethan costume. The Toronto trio of Trish O'Reilly, Abby Zotz (sopra- nos) and Denise Norman (alto) have been regaling audiences since 1996 with a unique blend of beauty. bawdiness and bon mots drawn from England's pro- lific golden age of courtly song and theatre But the pristine, scholarly style of so many early music ensembles isn't where you'll find these dramatically gift- ed and vocally abundant young women. For they've discovered something few "purists" dare to explore - that just under the polite surface of many an amorous ttith-century aire or poem is a seething mass of primal desire. We know it simply as The MadriGAIS. howev- er, have restored that overused four-letter word to its original stature of vast ambiguity. shamelessly uncovering its coded sexual wanderings, its subversion of social and political order, its sly detours around the semantic sensitivities of the Church. As nearly 50 listeners Found out (just in case they hadn't suspected before) there's a lot of mileage in love, so what better metaphor than a journey. a Renaissance Love Safari? "nlrjke any major trip. this one moved in stages, stop- Br PAUUNE ENC" For The Chronicle "iiTfra52lt1 741-0770 ping just long enough to let vicarious travellers take in the emotional scenery along the way. There was bloom- ing Innocence. followed by titillating Discovery and promiscuous Intensity. each set ftlled to bursting with love's humour. passion and rhetoric. And then came the more poignant, sometimes som- bre mileposts of feverish Crisis and rueful Reminiscence, before (as expected) the route returned us all to the beginning ready to start the amorous cycle over again. Wt set the MadriGAtS so distinctly apart from the The MadriGALS are (from left) Denise Norman, Abby lot: and Trish O'Reilly. ARTfijflL)fliJS . I majority of period-costume acts, however, was their con summale technical com- mand of every musical and tonal nuance in a string of nearly four-dozen songsand poems. Each was presented a capella (without instru- mental accompaniment) and almost entirely from memory Using a jaunty felt hat as their only prop for tem- porarily assuming male roles. the MadriGALS were free to roam around the stage space, playing out the meanings of their selections, drawing listeners into every naughty or nice stanza. and generally having a great time. Church choir this wasn't! With that kind of high- energy, top of the line artistry it's not surprising that Norman, O'Reilly and Zotz have develo busy careers doing maggnther things with their vo ' tt matic and choreographtc talents, But as the MadriGALS. they travel light, leave good feelings along the way. and remind us all that spring- time (at least in words and music) never really fades. (Pauline Finch is a local amateur musician and stw dent at Wamrloo Lutheran Seminary.) Draylon Entertainment welcomes Virginia O'Brien to the role of Patsy Cline in its smash-hit production of A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline at the Schoolhouse Theatre in St. Jacobs. O'Brien is sanctioned by Patsy Cline's estate to play the part. She is replacing Margot Sampson, who has left for an exciting ppportimity in thy Mefit.erpnearr "Virginia's vogals' are éxceblional and she's worr derful to watch," says the show's direclorWade Lynch, "Her perforrpamie is incredible" Lyhch and O"Brien worked together in the same production in Charlottetown. and are pleased to be reunited. O'Brien is no stranger to the area. as she impressed audiences in St. Jacobs four years ago in the Sweet Dreams Fantasy tour. A Closer Wail: With Patsy Cline plays eight shows a week until Dec. 31st. Most show dates in the fall are already completely sold out, but there are still some great seats available in December. This toe-tappin', foot slompin' musical is a tribute to the singer who made musical history with her recordings of Crazy, Walking'Afrer Midnight. I Fall to pieces, She's Got You. and Sweet Dreams, "We are thrilled with the response from theatergo- ers," says Alex Mustakas, artistic director of Drayton Entertainment. "This show is guaranteed to touch your heart, make you laugh, and leave you singing your way out of the theatre." The production traces Cline's remarkable career, including her early days singing in hunky tanks and on the radio, her rise to fame at the grand Ole Opry'. her triumphs in Las Vegas and Carnegie Hall, and the unforeseen circumstances that cut her life short. Rttg, Rhythm Ballroom Dance will host a dance turday. Oct. 21 at the Bingeman Park Ballroom. The evening begins with a seminar on technique in the slow foxtrot. conducted by Steve Miller from 7-8 p.m.. The seminar will be followed by general dancing until midnight. The event will also feature door prizes, alight buffet and a cash bar, Also, reserve now for Rainbow Rhythm Ballroom Dance's New Year's Eve dinner. dance, floor show and midnight buffet. _ _ _. A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline is sponsored by Home Hardware and 96.7 CHYM FM. Tickets can be ordered by calling the Drayton Entertainment box office at (519) 638-5555. Tickets are now on sale at a discount rate until Nov. 11. For further Information, call 744-4915. St. Jacobs welcomes the new Patsy Cline Rainbow Rhythm Ballroom Dance hosts event at Bingeman Park www.hannah'soistro.oom g1 KING 31’. N. 'MbioaBF - -a3sentt, tEO-tas- LIP-TOWN WATKRI.OO “ERNIE GOOD FOOD A [tum +1.34 trl “2‘,th T I 'Ceis