BWW Reviews and Interviews: Cynthia Dale (In Concert)

This season, the Stratford Festival is offering something new to accompany its theatrical productions. Artistic Director, Antoni Cimolino is introducing "The Forum"-A series of concerts, talks, and other exciting events that aim to enhance the overall experience of the Stratford Festival audience. The performances and events draw on the themes of the season and allow the audience to delve deeper into the productions they see. It also provides a behind-the-scenes look at this season at Stratford Festival.

The first event in this inaugural year of "The Forum", is a series of 10 concerts in May and June, starring one of Stratford's most shining stars of the last 15 years; Cynthia Dale. Ms. Dale has dazzled Stratford crowds with past performances as: Guinevere in "Camelot", Maria in "The Sound of Music", Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady", Sarah Brown in "Guys and Dolls", Nellie Forbush in "South Pacific", Dorothy Brock in "42nd Street" and many many more. The concert, entitled "Outside Looking In" uses a varied and appealing selection of music to draw on the themes of the season. These themes include: the concept of 'Community', what it means to be an outsider of a community, and how people are made to be outsiders. Featuring music ranging from Stephen Sondheim...to Stevie Wonder...to Stevie Nicks (and much more), as well as personal anecdotes from Ms. Dale about her career at Stratford and beyond; this concert allows Ms. Dale to really endear herself with the audience.

Special guest Dan Chameroy is equally as endearing and engaging. His on-stage chemistry with Ms. Dale makes this reviewer wish I had seen them play Lancelot and Guinevere in Stratford's 1997 production of "Camelot". Their duet of "Falling Slowly" from the Tony Award winning musical, "Once" is breathtaking.

BWW had the opportunity to chat with Ms. Dale in a Stratford coffee shop about the concert series, and about her thoughts on "The Forum":

BWW TORONTO: Congratulations! The show was fantastic. How did this all come about?

Cynthia Dale: "Thank you so much. This came about last fall. Antoni and I had a conversation about my involvement in the season and doing concerts. Then he asked me if I would be part of the forum. I've done concerts before, but never with such a direct theme or with an idea, and so I said 'well, you don't learn anything in doing 2 shows-you do one, and then you close it-so it takes you three to learn anything', and he said: 'how about 10?!' And I was like 'OK!' (Laughs) So that's what it became. Then, I thought, well, if I could have anyone in the world that I would dream to do this with...it would be (director) Gary Griffin...

BWW TORONTO: Yes I saw that! Already a reunion from (last season's) "42nd Street"

Cynthia Dale: Yes! He's incredibly amazingly wonderful, and every day I walked into rehearsals and thought "Oh my gosh! I am so lucky to be working with him". He is the crème de la crème. He is the smartest and he is the most caring and he's knowledgeable, and he's hard, and he's insightful...and so I was really really glad that he said yes.

BWW TORONTO: Fantastic! So did you come up with the vision for the show, or did he?

Cynthia Dale: We both sort of had it. We had conversations last fall about it. We wanted some themes from the season; of community and of sort of prejudice and racism, which is why (a lovely medley of) "You've Got to be Carefully Taught", and "Children will listen" were in there.

So we knew that we wanted the first act to be me outside looking in to a world-my world or anyone else's world. Then in the second act it would be often what it was like in a relationship. To be in a relationship or to be outside of a relationship and looking in. And I thought 'you can't do "Community" by yourself, and so.....

BWW TORONTO: How fun is Dan Chameroy!

Cynthia Dale: Yep! I'm a lucky girl.

BWW TORONTO: And what an excellent band behind you too!

Cynthia Dale: Yes, and Rick Fox did incredible arrangements-like the mix of "Sorry/Grateful" and "Everyday a Little Death"

BWW TORONTO: Yes! That was beautiful. There's lots of Sondheim! Have you done Sondheim before?

Cynthia Dale: No. (Smiles). I have sung the odd Sondheim song, but I have never done Sondheim.

BWW TORONTO: Well, you do it very well!

Cynthia Dale: Because of Gary (Griffin). Because he's amazing. He's the expert on Sondheim. He's done A LOT of Sondheim..and if you're going to be at the Stratford Festival where the best is Shakespeare-there is no greater equivalent in music than Sondheim! So, ya, there's a lot of Sondheim. Some of it from me and some of it is a direct thing from Gary.

BWW TORONTO: The Sondheim was great, but there was still lots of variety! You went from Sondheim to Momma Cass!

Cynthia Dale: (Laughs) Yes! And Stevie Nicks!

BWW TORONTO: So you mentioned the themes of the season...were you thinking of songs ahead of time and then seeing how they fit, or were you coming up with songs based on theme?

Cynthia Dale: You know, you come up with four hundred songs and then you narrow it down. I started working on coming up with songs in November. As soon as the season ended last year, that's when it started clicking and I was lucky enough that there were a few people that I adore and love that I got to go to and say 'ok...this is the theme. Help me come up with some tunes!' And so we came up with a list of 400 songs. My dear friend Carl Danielson (also from last season's" 42nd Street") who lives in New York City made lots of suggestions, and Gary made lots of suggestions. .. And so I went to New York in January, I met with Gary, and we went through all kinds of music and narrowed some of it down...and then I met with Rick (Fox) and we came up with even more! (Laughs) And that's how you do it. They had to be songs that spoke to me...and then when we were in rehearsals. Gary showed up 2 weeks ago and [at that time] we had different links between the shows...and two weeks ago he went 'this is what the links need to be'.

BWW TORONTO: So leading right up to the first show, you were coming up with which anecdotes to share, and when?

Cynthia Dale: Yep. Pretty much! (Laughs)

BWW TORONTO: Well its seamless. It works so well!

Cynthia Dale: Well, we've been working on the music for a while and then within the last couple of weeks we talked. We talked a lot at rehearsals and the stories evolved out of that-me telling him stories from my life.

BWW: Do you have a favourite moment from on stage (at Stratford Festival)? Or is that too hard?

Cynthia Dale: Its too hard! Its like asking your favourite child. I mean, there is no doubt that the 50th season with Richard (Monette), with "My Fair Lady" was a more golden season than any other. It was a tough season for many reasons too...but it was a golden, tough year...and that's why I do what I do.

[BWW asks about a certain 'unplugged' performance that I will not spoil in this article...]

Cynthia Dale: As you get older...it costs...its harder to open up, its harder to be brave as you get older...but that's when you have to. And so, if I was gonna do this, the only way its worth doing is if [took risks] and that's what Gary kept saying..'strip away, strip away'....its a pretty exposed show. I am a character on stage usually...this time I'm very much more me.

BWW: Well you really endeared yourself to the audience.

Cynthia Dale: That's good! Thank you. Because its harder!

BWW: What do you want the audience to take away from your show?

Cynthia Dale: The love of theatre. My love of theatre, my love of performing, my love of this place...and you know, after I did Street Legal, I never would have thought I would have gotten this. I had a whole other time in my life--I'm having a whole other time in my life. I did theatre before I did Street Legal, but you know Street Legal was this big CBC series, it ran for 7 years...and I'm going on 15 years now here, and who would've thought! So I guess the takeaway is that I'm older, and its ok. I've got no problem getting older...and I'm happy where I am. That's the takeaway. And I don't know what's next, and that's ok too.

BWW: Well, we are all excited to find out what you do next too!

Cynthia Dale: I'm excited too! I don't know!

BWW: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with BWW. One last question is what do you think about the introduction of "The Forum" here at Stratford Festival?

Cynthia Dale: I think what's going to be great about the forum-looking at how its set-up, is that [it gives] the opportunity to be able to further explore some of the themes of the show. You know, you can go see a show and walk to your car and think about the show, talk to someone about the show as you drive [home]--or as you sit and have dinner in Stratford, you talk about the show a little bit...and then you go away and then when you're gardening the next day you think about the show, or when you're walking your dog...and what the forum gives you is the opportunity to do that with other people and see other [aspects of performances]. The shows give you the primary colours of the season, and the forum gives you the secondary colours. That's what I think the forum will be.

BWW: I love the idea of the forum, and I'm so glad that you get to kick it off!

Cynthia Dale: Yes. So am I!

"Cynthia Dale in Concert: Outside Looking In" is full-length concert at Stratford Festival's Studio Theatre. It is directed by Gary Griffin, with musical arrangement and direction provided by Rick Fox. The show also features George Meanwell, Charlene Nafziger, and Michael McClennan as on-stage musicians. There are only 8 performances left (May 28th, May 30th, June 4th, June 6th, June 11th, June 13th, June 18th, & June 21st) so be sure to get your tickets now!

Photo Credit: Don Dixon

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