Onegin

by guest reviewer Meaghan Smith:  

Walking into Onegin (pronounced oh-ney-gin for anyone else fighting over that) I already had high hopes. I have heard nothing but amazing things about the lead Meg Roe and I love musicals, so I figured at the very least I’d have some fun moments. Little did I know I would have the most fun I’ve had at the theatre in awhile. Not only was Meg Roe fantastic as promised, but the rest of the cast also blew me away. For the geeks out there, my roommate and I immediately started hitting each other when we realized the other lead was Lieutenant Gaeta from Battlestar Galactica (or Alessandro Juliani as I’m sure he’d much prefer to be known as). While BSG fans already know that he has an angelic voice, I was impressed with the depth and range that he reached in his musical numbers.

Okay, less fangirling, more reviewing time. The play, which is co-created by the outstanding Veda Hille, who also serves as the pianist of the play, puts most of its emphasis on incredible music, and its casts’ performances. The story is nothing new (although the ending was extremely satisfying!), but because the cast is so amazing and the music so engaging it doesn’t matter that you’re watching a basic love story, this time set in Russia in the 19^th century. The play is done in an intimate style with the audience separated into three sections around the massive stage. The play doesn’t take itself seriously and the cast engages with the audience, even drinking with a few lucky members, and breaks the fourth wall quite often in the first act. The musical numbers are varied and abundant. The musical accompaniment was on stage making sure the audience was engaged not only with the amazing singing, but also the incredible musicians in the production. 

Seriously, I was so impressed by every single aspect of this play. The costuming, the stage design, the lighting, and the choreography are all so spectacular that I found myself staring at small elements of the play because they were so perfect and well done. My roommate may not have enjoyed hearing about it all the way home, but I can’t not include it. Tatiana’s final dress and coat was so beautiful I couldn’t stop fawning and definitely had me mesmerized for most of the ending.

The play is only running for four more days at the beautiful new Goldcorp stage, but if you can make it I highly highly suggest it. This is by far the best Arts Club show I have ever seen! 

Onegin has been extended and will close on April 17th at the Arts Club.