Next week, Ottawa theatre-lovers, you’re in for a treat. Against the Grain Theatre’s #UncleJohn is having its third run as part of the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. If you saw #UncleJohn in Toronto last season, you’d recognize the cast of singers:

• Cameron McPhail (Uncle John)
• Neil Craighead (Leporello)
• Miriam Khalil (Elvira)
• Betty Allison (Anna)
• Sean Clark (Ottavio)
• Sharleen Joynt (Zerlina)
• Aaron Durand (Masetto)
• John Avey (The Commander)

Also heading to Canada’s capital are the Cecilia String Quartet led by Music Director Miloš Repický. I was lucky enough to help out on the music end for a short while, a bizarre-in-a-great-way reunion of people and ideas. It’s an impressive thing to watch such a strong cast reconvene; there’s efficient work in a show-specific shorthand, but there are still questions about the space, the audience, the dialogue, all in the name of keeping #UncleJohn fresh.

Against the Grain Theatre is having its most exciting season yet, having just finished their workshop production of A Little Too Cozy at the Banff Centre, the third in Artistic Director Joel Ivany’s trilogy of Mozart/Da Ponte “transladaptations” (preceded by Figaro’s Wedding and #UncleJohn).

If you’re in the Ottawa area next week, you can catch one of three performances of #UncleJohn, August 3, 4 & 6 at Tabaret Hall, University of Ottawa. Follow the box office links below for more details.