Public Service Announcement
from the Chemainus Theatre Festival

Tonight...Piaf
by Joëlle Rabu and Ted Galay
musical arrangements by J. Douglas Dodd
January 23 - February 10

Award-winning Canadian singer-actor, Joëlle Rabu will be performing her highly acclaimed show Tonight...PIAF. This stirring musical play recreates intimate life stories of the internationally famous Parisian torch singer Edith Piaf. Set in 1961, in the New York's Waldorf Astoria Ballroom, Edith Piaf is scheduled to perform what will be her final North American concert.

Rabu is accompanied by a quintet of brilliant multi-instrumentalists that bring to life the unforgettable music of the 1920s to the 1960s. Rabu returns to the CTF stage after her dynamic role as Reno Sweeny in Anything Goes. The Playbill Dining Room is open before every show: 2 pm: Wed, Sat & Sun., 8 pm: Tuesday through to Saturday. Tickets from $30-$70, Student rates available. Limited engagement, book early, for reservations Box Office 1-800-565-7738. Info: www.chemainustheatrefestival.ca and www.joellerabu.com.

Tonight...Piaf appears at the Chemainus Theatre Festival

By Kate Cino
The January/February 2008 issue of Boulevard

The story goes that Edith Piaf was born on a policeman's cloak, under a lamplight, on the chilly streets of Paris in December 1915. Her mother, a café singer and prostitute, deserted her; her father, a traveling acrobat, went off to war. Piaf spent much of her early childhood in the bordello run by her grandmother in Normandy. From the age of seven, she traveled and sang with her father's troubadours, then at fifteen began singing on the streets of Paris. Eventually, her powerful, expressive voice was discovered and marketed to a wide audience. Through her signature torch songs, Piaf became the darling of the French people, and an international celebrity.

The triumphs and tragedies of this strong-willed, charismatic woman are well documented in many books and revues including the powerful French movie La Vie en Rose (2007). "I think our version is very authentic and unique," explains Joelle Rabu, who co-wrote the two-act play Tonight...Piaf with Ted Galay in 1989. Rabu, who plays Piaf in the musical drama, grew up listening to the remarkable French singer. Her family emigrated from Brittany, France to Winnipeg shortly before she was born. "If you truly understand the lyrics," she says, "you are able to sing them with great depth and feeling". For over twenty years, the natural power and emotive warmth of Rabu's voice has dazzled worldwide audiences.

Tonight...Piaf offers more than dynamic singing (some in French and some in English). The musical theatre production, which plays January 23 - February 10 at Chemainus Theatre Festival, is a poignant snapshot of a pivotal moment in Piaf's career. The time is 1961, and the place is the grand ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The audience and orchestra anxiously await Piaf's arrival. The singer, who is recovering from stomach surgery in a city hospital, finally appears. "Piaf is in pain," comments Rabu, "and addicted to morphine and alcohol." Aware of her terminal illness, Piaf proceeds with her final concert. Weaving anecdotal tales in English with a heavy French accent, she purges her soul in a mesmerizing performance.

Rabu, who has performed the piece hundreds of times, is always buoyed along by the applause, laughter and tears coming from the audience. Rabu's captivating storytelling creates an immediate connection between the character and her listeners. The raw, gutteral quality of Piaf's voice adds to the emotionally charged atmosphere. Piaf's voice, full of smoky drama, was an unusual sound for a woman in the 1930's. She mesmerized audiences and revitalized the vocal milieu of her time.

Over a dozen instruments including guitar, piano, clarinet, guitar, banjo, cello, saxophone and accordion accompany the vocals. Musical director and pianist Douglas Dodd explains that French music is playful, and has a delicate, feminine quality. "Instruments are used to grab the essence of a song," says Dodd, "then expand upon the mood and theme." The upbeat improv style accentuates the roller-coaster ride of emotions and memories. Dodd, who teaches Voice for the Stage at Malaspina College, met Rabu in 1983 when she auditioned for a Piaf revue. The revue's musicians have worked together ever since.

Rabu and her excellent musicians look forward to performing in the intimate luxury of one of Canada's finest theatres. "Chemainus really is the little town that did," says Rabu. Tourists can spend the day visiting the famous murals, sightseeing and shopping. Evenings offer the luxury of fine dining, live professional theatre and five star accommodation. "It's the best of all possible worlds," concludes Rabu, "and so close to home".