FRONT ROW CENTRE: Angelwalk Theatre debuts with production of 'Altar Boyz'

MARK Andrew Lawrence

September 25, 2009

With the opening of Altar Boyz Friday Sept. 25, a new theatre company is inaugurated into the North York performing arts scene.

The opening in the studio theatre at the Toronto Centre for the Arts will be watched by a handful of theatre professionals anxious to see the success of this production as well as the response of the audiences.

Angelwalk Theatre is the brainchild of two local theatre enthusiasts, Brian Goldenberg and Kevin Horton.

"Angelwalk is another name for the catwalk that goes above the theater," explains Goldenberg, the artistic producer. "Kevin and I went through quite an extensive name search looking for just the right name for this new company and it spoke to both of us. It definitely feels like we made the right decision."

It may have taken the pair a while to settle on a name, but the two were very clear from the start about the goal of Angelwalk.

"One of the purposes of our company is to provide opportunities to both emerging and established Canadian theatre professionals," he says. The plan is to produce two musicals a year, and for their first production they have chosen the satirical off-Broadway hit Altar Boyz.

Altar Boyz deftly mocks the U.S.A.'s post-9/11 fascination with religion, and it is no coincidence that it was created in the waning years of the Bush administration. Despite the satire on boy bands and so-called Christian rock acts, the show never goes out of its way to offend. Instead it presents five guys - Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and their Jewish friend Abraham - as they tour the country trying to save souls. At the same time they learn about the importance of friendship, which perhaps explains the show's universal appeal.

Altar Boyz has a cast of five, but Angelwalk's second production, opening next spring, is a two-character musical: The Last Five Years. Jason Robert Brown created this musical at a time when his own marriage was falling apart. It chronicles the relationship of a rising successful writer, Jamie, and a career-challenged singer/actress, Cathy, telling their stories in criss-cross: his from start to finish, hers from the end back to beginning.

They meet in a brief wedding scene in the middle of the show. Brown's score covers a range of musical styles and has yielded a number of selections that have become popular in the musical theatre world.

Musical theatre is a particular passion for Goldenberg, who is also a registered teacher with the Royal Conservatory of Music. He has also written a full-length musical, The Seven of Us, which premiered in Markham in 2004.

Will we see an original musical by him presented by Angelwalk? Only time will tell. In the meantime he promises the first production will be good, clean, family-oriented fun.

"It's hard to come see Altar Boyz and not have a good time."

For more information on Angelwalk Theatre, visit www.angelwalk.ca

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Mark Andrew Lawrence's column appears regularly in The North York Mirror.