Chelsea Hotel - The Songs of Leonard Cohen
Part song cycle, part concept musical, and all Leonard Cohen, I was lucky enough to catch this show opening night, and will be going to see it again. There is no plot, per se, but there is a vague concept of a writer who has checked into the Chelsea Hotel in an attempt to revive his muse, but who must first struggle with the demons of his past.
"It's written on the walls of this hotel/ You go to heaven once you've been to hell" we are told at the outset, and, somewhat like a musical divine comedy, we journey with the writer through his own hell on his way to possible redemption.
On the way, we are treated to inventive and sometimes heart-breakingly stunning arrangements and performances of Leonard Cohen's music. The performances of Bird on a Wire, and Famous Blue Raincoat, especially, are worth the price of admission. I also cry Hallelujah that the song of the same name gets a fresh and unexpected treatment. This is mostly an ensemble piece, and the cast (who also each play multiple instruments) is uniformly strong, though Ben Elliott, Christina Cuglietta, and Jonathan Gould give particularly charismatic performances.
The set, designed by Marshall McMahen, piled high with thrown-out drafts of poetry and lyrics (echoed on the paper-thin walls) is evocative. Equally evocative are the costumes by Barbara Clayden, which feature lyrics scrawled right onto the fabric.
Tracey Powers direction is clean and crisp, and she deftly avoids turning this into anythign concert-like. Without a beat or breath, one song melds to the next, seducing the audience in. While I found Act I enjoyable, it was certainly Act II that stands out as the time that the emotional stakes get raised and the piece comes into its own.
Recommended
Chelsea Hotel plays until Feb 21, 2016 at the Theatre Passe Muraille.