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Shari Vandermolen’s theatre company, called Quarter to Nine Productions, is a sort of lovechild spawned by Shari’s incredible talent and perpetual drive. Although Shari gets a continuous stream of roles within the local theatre community – across many different theatre groups – she has set up ground for bringing her own choices to the stage.
A booming and fantastic singer (who could boast about her incredible stage presence but never would), Shari has chosen a Valentine’s Day treat as her current offering. Guarantee: if you bring your date to this show, they will be impressed. I state this with absolute confidence, and encourage anyone who wouldn’t normally choose such an outing to take a chance on this. Anyone who is thrilled about the idea: don’t hesitate any longer! Shari is a beloved local gem and I wouldn’t be surprised if tickets go fast.
When I gave Shari the opportunity to say anything at all about the show, here is what she said: “The show is first and foremost a concert about love. The celebration of it, the dreaming of it, the surrendering to it, and for some, the loss of it even though the memories of it linger.
“I wanted to add a context to the songs and one night a few months ago I was watching one of my favourite chick flicks (they are a guilty pleasure of mine) and a book was mentioned that contained love letters of great men and women from the past.
“I went online immediately and purchased the book. When it arrived I went crazy thumbing through the book discovering these beautiful letters written by famous figures from our history and I was hooked.
“I’ve been asked before why I sing the songs I sing, these ‘old songs.’ My simple answer is that they just don’t write songs like this anymore. They are filled with such love and longing and so much emotion that they speak to me in a way that newer songs today never could. I guess I’m a bit of an old soul. These letters strike me the same way. Look at how we communicate today...e–mail, text messages, if you’re lucky you might speak to someone on the phone for a brief minute. An overture might be a text that says something like ‘Hey, wanna hook–up l8r?’
“The art of writing a love letter appears to be a lost one, and what a shame that is to accept when you hear the beauty of these letters...hopefully we can provide some inspirations.”
Shari will be accompanied by Steve McRae – piano, Lisa “Chops” Kiely – trumpet, Keith Kindree – trombone, Urmas Soomet – bass, Vincent Waters – drums, and Special Guest singer Dean Rooney. Check out the website for band member bios – all players are very active on a local level.
“I can tell you that the first rehearsal with the musicians gave me chills,” says Shari, “What an amazing feeling as a singer to be supported by a group of musicians that are completely there for you and who each bring their own individual talents. You couldn’t have slapped the smile off my face if you’d tried.
“Dean Rooney, another local actor and singer was the final addition to the show who was brought in to share these love letters and other fun anecdotes with the audience. I first met Dean doing a valentine’s revue show for Hammer Entertainment a few years back and worked with him again in The Drowsy Chaperone for the same company. I’ve always enjoyed working with him so I felt he was the perfect choice for this.”
Don’t fall short this Valentine’s Day – do something unexpected, and truly impress your date. V
MY FUNNY VALENTINE
Feb. 9–11, 8pm.
Presented by Quarter to Nine Productions.
@ Theatre Aquarius.
190 King William St., Hamilton.
quarter2nineproductions.com
tix: (905) 522–7529
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