Winding Down with Naomi

Hmm...what is this all about, really? It's me jotting down ideas about things that go on in my life, and some occassional pictures of things I've seen and done.

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Location: Ontario, Canada

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Heart of Gold- a review

This evening I spent an enjoyable 2.5hours watching the story  of Timmins- 100 years ago come to life .
It was a masterful piece, with amazing costuming, wonderful music played by the Timmins Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, interpretive dance and talented amateurs!!

With the help of youths enjoying the show from the seat behind (love you E and S),  the power of the imagery was intensified- the worry as the fire built, the giggling for childish antics, the concern for the safety of the cast...the show felt real.

The beginnings of the City of Timmins, as a very divided, segregated by language camp of camps, was well portrayed with the use of many languages in the opening scenes. One word, common to all "Gold".

The river, fire and trees came alive with the interpretive dancers, and "love" danced across the stage for one song.

The tableaus made up in the pharmacy, in the camp fire dance and throughout the poignant scenes of the disaster made you feel as though you were peaking in through a window back in 1911.

Some of the characters were gutsy, well suited to be out in the wilderness, hunting for something to make their fortunes. Maggie Buffalo's story was sad and touching. You felt her need to be part of something bigger than herself, a family once more.

The cast was made up of a wide range of ages- from 10 on up. Two main characters, Pearl Crawford O'Day and John Campsall with amazing voices, led the audience and worried mothers around the bush in their hunt for gold.

The sets were simple, but effective and set changes were done to lovely bridging music. The Orchestra kept the music alive and set the ever changing moods for us, to tug at our heart strings.

Some of the other main characters started out on the wrong foot together, but made it up with more beautiful, cockles of your heart-warming lyrics.

We had the opportunity to feel fear, hatred, love, hope, joy, mourning and relief over the course of the play and it was a masterful piece performed from the heart to celebrate this wonderful community.




This could not have been done without the dedicated work done by Laureen Kuhl and Luc Martin. What a wonderful show- I only wish I was able to stay in town to enjoy it again!!

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