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Friday, November 16, 2012

Chelsea Hotel Has Nowhere To Go But Up : Theatre Review
By Ricardo Khayatte



If you walk one block east of Main Street and make your way down Cordova you’ll find the Chelsea Hotel, a now buried yet iconic landmark that resides at the heart of the Firehall Arts Centre. As you pass the front door and move closer to your seat you will be sure to notice mounds of crumpled ideas and words that may have been lost forever but for now merely symbolize the tortured and romantic works of a young Leonard Cohen. A wooden desk off to stage left with a guitar at one side and a writer furiously scribbling what appears to be a new song begins the play.

The Chelsea Hotel is an extremely ambitious work that celebrates the musings of Leonard Cohen through song, dance, and theatre. It tells the tale of a writer that is searching through his past and battling with his present in order to find love and inspiration. The set alludes to the fact that the writer is staying at the infamous Chelsea Hotel, a now hidden gem within the suburbs of Manhattan that was once home to such artists as Joplin, Cohen and Bob Dylan to name but a few.

The Chelsea Hotel’s remarkably talented young cast draws you into a world that was once filled with Beat Poets and a postmodern society of young artists and musicians.

The cast performs classic Cohen songs like I’m Your Man, Suzanne and First We Take Manhattan yet provides an interesting twist to both the arrangements and the interpretation of these pieces.

In the first half of the play, The Writer played by Adrian Glynn McMorran, a local singer-songwriter himself, proved himself with a unique and haunting rendition of Tonight Will be Fine. With the full approval and applause of a sold out Firehall audience, Glynn’s opening night jitters went right out the window and wondrously, a more human Cohen emerged.

While nothing is perfect (especially on opening night), the fact that each cast member also wielded tremendous ability behind a plethora of instruments was remarkable.

Musical Director Steve Charles, which also performed as the character Sideman, led the way on most songs either by playing Guitar, stand-up bass or even drums.

Benjamin Elliott who played The Bellhop gave Chelsea Hotel a twinkle of humour when it needed it most. A gifted performance that provided Glynn’s somewhat serious tone with an uplifting flavour which the Sister’s of Mercy played by Rachel Aberle and Lauren Bowler also allowed.

The second half of Chelsea Hotel shot forward with brute force and truly took the audience by surprise. Again it was not only the newly interpreted renditions of songs that made this performance unique but also the way a story finally began to reveal itself.

Bright red lights and fierce guitars accompanied by an electric version of Hallelujah, which then melded into A Singer Must Die – then If It Be Your Will which Marlene Ginader sang with the grace and conviction of Cohen’s long lost love.

While it would have been nice to have had a bit more with regards to dialogue, the unique experience of watching six wonderful actors, that also made up the band for the night, was not only inspiring but made one feel like they were back at the Chelsea Hotel.

Review by Ricardo Khayatte | Photo by David Cooper

The Chelsea Hotel is playing Firehall Arts Centre.

To find out more check out the website: http://www.firehallartscentre.ca/

“ Theatre scene - Leonard Cohen musical must see ”
Oct 07, 2012, 11:50 PM

Theatre and music enthusiasts in Vancouver in Octoober 2012 should check out the excellent musical production called Chealsea Hotel at the Firehall Theatre in Gastown...great interpritation of Leonard Cohen songs...Weds matinees are pay what you can shows...catch it if you can!

REVIEW: Cohen’s Brilliance Shines Through In Chelsea Hotel

By Stephanie McKay, The StarPhoenix
November 3, 2013 4:00 PM


Rachel Aberle, Kayvon Kelly and Lauren Bowler in Chelsea Hotel at Persephone Theatre.
Photograph by: Greg Pender , The StarPhoenix

When you check into the Chelsea Hotel you get an experience like no other. The latest play in Persephone’s 2013-14 lineup is a smart and beautiful musical from Vancouver’s Firehall Arts Centre.

Chelsea Hotel tells the story of a writer haunted by his past loves. As he tries to write, in a room filled with endless crumpled-up balls of paper, the women return to him and we see why the relationships fell apart.

It’s a love story, artfully told through the lyrics of one of Canada’s most celebrated songwriters, Leonard Cohen. Even people who aren’t fans of his work will surely leave with a better appreciation of his brilliant words. In the wrong hands, this concept could fall apart, but the song and lyric choices are intelligent and the arrangements are unique.

The play by Tracey Power has very little dialogue. The dialogue that does exist is still Leonard Cohen lyrics. Even without lengthy conversations, the story is compelling. It starts out mysterious and gradually weaves in pieces of the writer’s story.

Everything in the play is strange and exaggerated. Power has created her own dark, little world that you can’t help but want to spend time in.

The set is spectacular, even in its tones of cream and beige. The colour red plays a big role in this neutral world.

The musical stars Kayvon Kelly, a former Saskatonian, in his first professional play in his hometown since moving away. Kelly is a well-rounded performer, with his understated but pleasing vocals, genuine emotion and some instrumental talent to boot. His acoustic rendition of the song Chelsea Hotel No. 2 is stunning.

The cast is wonderful. In addition to singing, acting and even a little dancing, each one of them plays a minimum of one instrument. The performers play accordion, violin, upright bass, harmonica and even the kazoo. These talents are used cleverly throughout the show.

Benjamin Elliott, in the role of the bellhop, is the Jim Carrey to Kelly’s tortured leading man. He is wonderfully weird and engaging. Sister of Mercy Lauren Bowler stands out for her gorgeous vocals.

For as stunning as most of the music is, there was one part that didn’t quite work. The three-part harmony on Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye never sounded right, even though the vocalists — Bowler, Marlene Ginader and Rachel Aberle — are very talented. But it was just a small flaw in a great production.

The most-quoted line in Chelsea Hotel is from Cohen’s song Paper Thin Hotel: “You go to heaven once you’ve been to hell.” You’ll get a bit of both before you check out of this musical, but it’s a pleasant stay either way.

Chelsea Hotel runs until Nov. 17 at Persephone Theatre.

smckay@thestarphoenix.com