Great Pairings: Eyes on the Future

Date and Venue Oct 4 @ Massey Theatre

Reviewer Karen Fitzgibbon

It is refreshing to see a variety of acts: ballet, classical Indian dance, improv, choir, and songs from Broadway hits all in one production.

Amika Kushwaha performed the classical Kathak dance from India to the sound of modern jazz with Jesse Cahill at the drums.  I was impressed by the duo's magic uniqueness--Kushwaha with her bare feet dancing rhythmically as Cahill beats on his drums. She dances beautifully in her colourful Indian costume. They are the perfect pairing, as the title of the show is thus called.

Another unique pairing is Tabla master and vocalist Cassius Khan (the only performer in the world that plays the Tabla), and guitar master John Oliver (an  acclaimed chamber music guitarist).  Again we have modern with traditional ragae. The sound of Khan’s voice melts into the drumming of the Tabla. The sound he produces is enchanting.

Then we fly off to Broadway with the duo of Jolene Bernardino, vocalist, with Thomas Lamont, pianist and vocalist.  His tenor voice matches well with Bernardino’s.

It was fun to see Daniel Chai paired up with Rile Darrian in Improv. Improv is not an easy thing to accomplish. An actor must be extremely creative as well as intuitive to pick up on just where your partner is going with his/her next line. I loved Daniel’s line when their chairs were far apart and he says “Wow this river is really wide.”

Overall this was an enjoyable evening and I would like to wish the Massey Theatre the best on their 65th anniversary!

© 2015 Karen Fitzgibbon