SUBMITTED BY ARTSPRING
The year may be coming to an end, but there is still much to look forward to before ArtSpring closes for the holidays. Next week is packed with dramatic gems, with the Met Opera’s Andrea Chénier and two nights of Bear Grease the Musical lighting up the theatre.
Bear Grease the Musical
After a successful summer off-Broadway, Bear Grease the Musical is coming to ArtSpring for two nights as part of the ArtSpring Presents season. This Indigenous satirization of the hit musical Grease reimagines the classic story in a parallel universe where colonization never happened.
Bear Grease was created by husband-and-wife/hip-hop duo LightningCloud in response to the lack of Indigenous representation on stage. The pair have revamped the soundtrack to blend hip-hop, doo-wop, and Pow Wow styles, resulting in something both nostalgic and totally fresh. For example, “Hopelessly Devoted to You” becomes a round dance, and “Summer Lovin’” becomes “Summer Snaggin’.” The character names get a twist as well, as Rizzo and Kenickie become Rezzo and Canuckie, and the Pink Ladies become the Pink Aunties.
With over 200 performances under their belts, Bear Grease also comes with a powerhouse cast of seasoned actors, dancers and musicians. Melody McArthur brings an acclaimed musical prowess to Sandy, having won the 2022 Indigenous Hip Hop Award for R&B Single of the Year, 2022 Native American Music Award for Best Pop Recording and the 2022 Indigenous Superstar Awards for Best Pop and Rising Star.
Bear Grease’s creators Crystle Lightning and Henry Cloud Andrade also bring impressive acting backgrounds. Lightning won the 2021 Canadian Screen Award Winner for “Best Actress in a Drama Series” for her work in CBC’s Trickster, and Cloud is known for his work in Paramount’s Yellowstone.
The curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 8 and Tuesday, Dec. 9.
Met Opera: Andrea Chénier
It may be the season to be jolly, but we’re ending 2025 steeped in the tragedy of Giordano’s Andrea Chénier, which streams live from the Met Opera next Saturday, Dec. 13.
Set before and during the tumultuous French Revolution, Andrea Chénier is based on the life and death of poet André Chénier. This intensely emotional story was penned by librettist Luigi Illica, who also wrote the libretto for the enduring classic La Bohème. Like La Bohème, Andrea Chénier belongs firmly to the verismo tradition — a style that turned away from Romantic opera’s focus on mythical and aristocratic subjects to elevate the visceral, realistic stories of ordinary, lower-class people caught up in high drama.
The role of Andrea Chénier is a treasured one for a tenor, renowned for its four demanding arias that give the singer ample space to showcase his range and dramatic power.
After the smashing success of their recent partnership in Giordano’s Fedora, star tenor Piotr Beczała and soprano Sonya Yoncheva reunite to star as the titular poet Chénier and his aristocratic lover, Maddalena. Baritone Igor Golovatenko rounds out the cast as Carlo Gérard, the servant-turned-revolutionary who dooms the lovers to the violence of the Revolution. This run uses Nicolas Joël’s bold production, which debuted at the Met in 1996.
Showtime is 10 a.m. with a runtime of 3.5 hours.
To purchase tickets, visit purchase.artspring.ca or contact the ArtSpring box office.