13 November 2019

Hallelujah for beer and classical music

The

Winnipeg Beer Choir returns with a two-night sing-along of Handel’s ‘Messiah’

KAELEN BELL, STAFF

Performing a biblical oratorio written in 1741 seems like a big undertaking for even the most seasoned vocalist, but for an unrehearsed group of casual-drinking choristers,

it’s a chance to come together in the spirit of music.

On Nov. 15 and 16, the Winnipeg Beer Choir is gathering at Young United Church to tackle George

Frideric Handel’s Messiah, known for its recognizable “Hallelujah Chorus.”

“It’s about a two-hour long [event] that we put together with an orchestra and with soloists and, if you come

out, then you’re part of the choir and you sing along with everybody,” coorganizer Ian Campbell said.

“It’s a great way to meet new people” — Ian Campbell, Beer Choir co-organizer

The Winnipeg Beer Choir has been gathering for several years, drinking beer and singing contemporary pop and traditional choral songs — unapologetically unrehearsed.

“I would describe it as an opportunity to get together and sing songs that you may or may not know, with a group of people who love doing the same thing,” Campbell said.

“It’s a great way to meet new people, and [have] an old-fashioned good time.”

Campbell and co-founder Katy Harmer — both U of M music faculty graduates — were inspired after witnessing a similar event while at a choral conference in Minneapolis,

Minn., in 2015. They became the coorganizers of the Winnipeg chapter of the predominantly U.S. Beer Choir group.

Campbell describes the event as an important chance to gather likeminded people and build community.

“We have people that have met at Beer Choir, and they’re now Beer Choir friends,” he said.

“And we know that singing is really good for people’s mental health — just coming together and being in a group.”

While the beer is a major draw — and a basic part of the event — drinking is in no way mandatory.

Beer Choir welcomes singers of any age.

Campbell said 2018’s holiday singalong was big and they expect to top it with this year’s event.

“[For last year’s Messiah event] we had a choir of 200 that just came together and crashed their way through this music,” he said.

If you can’t make it to this year’s Messiah performances, don’t worry — there are more Beer Choir events coming down the pipe for their 2019-20 season.

Iconic musical remains a triumph of the human spirit

‘The Color Purple’ opens the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre’s 2019-20 season

T

he Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre launches its 2019-20 season with the musical The Color Purple starring a stellar African-Canadian cast at the John Hirsch Mainstage. The Color Purple is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the Academy Award-nominated movie. The Grammy Award-winning music softens the storyline but does not lessen

the dramatic impact. Winnipegger Kimberley Rampersad is directing the play. Over the course of two and a half hours, Rampersad provides an intimate look at a story of oppression and reclamation by focusing on the sensitive script by playwright Marsha Norman.

The simplicity of Brian Perchaluk’s powerful set consists of two barren

trees with their branches forming a canopy and a hint of an interior, while Hugh Conacher’s subdued but dramatic lighting enhances the set. Together, these elements complement the director’s vision by focusing attention on the characters.

The story follows the transformative journey of Celie — a poor teenager living in the southern United States — who is trapped in a life of

unimaginable hardship and abuse in the early 1900s but ultimately finds inner courage through self-discovery.

With a narrative that involves racism, sexism, rape, incest and violence, most characters come from a place

The sermon leaves you hopeful about the healing power of forgiveness and love

of pain — some deeper than others. Despite this, they all achieve a measure of happiness and inspiring redemption.

Starring in the lead role of Celie, Tara Jackson gives a vulnerable performance while simultaneously exhibiting a quiet resolve and strength of character with her emotionally powerful singing voice. Ryan Allen, who plays her cruel husband, digs deep to portray a multi-dimensional, damaged character.

The indisputable power in the musical comes from Celie’s examples of female inspiration — namely, her husband’s mistress, Shug Avery, and her daughter-in-law, Sofia.

Karen Burthwright gives a com-

pelling, feisty performance as Shug, seeing the goodness within Celie and showing tenderness far beyond the harshness she has known.

Janelle Cooper infuses her role as Sofia with humour and shows Celie that a woman can stand up to a man with her anthem of female empowerment, “Hell No!”

The love that the female characters show each other transcends their own pain to lift the spirits of others, and eventually the men in the musical make this choice as well.

The superb cast of 16 vivid characters each have powerful solo voices and, when they sing together, they lift your heart.

In particular, the gossipy church ladies deliver comic touches while sashaying to the live band under the direction of Floydd Ricketts.

The Color Purple — beginning with a church scene, ending with the word “Amen” and infused with gospel songs exuberantly sung throughout the musical — transports the audience to a religious service.

The sermon leaves you hopeful about the healing power of forgiveness and love.

The Color Purple runs until Nov. 16.