Backed by a truly excellent on-stage 4 piece band featuring some of Calgary’s finest session musicians, Stage West Theatre Restaurant has reopened with an 8 person ensemble cast featuring both Stage West vets and some new faces in a tribute to the musical genre known as “folk rock”. Those of us who came of age in the 60s and 70s will have no trouble recognizing artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and the Mammas and Papas just to name a few, but people of all ages will appreciate the many timeless classics they covered.
The cast took turns performing and then introducing the next performers along with very interesting details about the artists and the times that shaped their music. I had no idea that Zal Yanovsky of the Lovin’ Spoonful was Canadian! The vocal skills of the cast were such that you could close your eyes and believe you were hearing the actual artist. I found the Mamas and Papas and John Denver numbers were eerily close. This was reinforced by Stage West’s trademark rapid-fire costume changes. The cast also got a lot of smiles with some great physical comedy as they were performing (check out the jackhammer in “Summer In The City”). The dinner buffet was excellent. All in all this was a great evening out.
Stage West recommends that people attending be fully vaccinated and has special sanitary precautions in place. Feelin’ Groovy runs through November 14 interleaved with other new productions. For tickets and to check out their other upcoming productions visit stagewestcalgary.com or call the box office at 403-243-6642.
