Swan Song of María (A Tragic Fairy Tale)
A play by Carol Cece Anderson

A POETIC FUSION
"Before it all went to hell, it was just…confusion. Just a dark space. Just a huge yawning space that swallows you for an instant. Takes you back in time. And tricks you into thinking you're still here. 'Til you come out of it. And you don't know where you've been. And you don't have any idea how long you've been away…'Til one day, you don't come back. But you're still here…"  -  Jillian from Swan Song of María

REVIEWS...

"Beautifully written by Carol Cece Anderson and intricately staged by Mark Cassidy, this play speaks of the human experience in a profound way." - Adelina Fabiano, Mooney on Theatre

"Gritty...Entertaining...Inspired." - Theatromania

"A poetic blend of word and image…Leaves the audience spellbound…
A bittersweet joy...A gem...Anderson doesn't preach, she weaves.."      - Pat Donnelly, The Montreal Gazette             

"The play is innovative, fusing language, dance, and music to tell a story."
                                                                         - The McGill Tribune

"A new take on Swan Lake spins the fairy tale on its head…Realistic in its depiction of   Alzheimer's…Powerful and heartbreaking."     - The Concordian

"There is much human frailty here."    - The Rover

 

A radical re-imagining of Swan Lake, Swan Song of María is a poetic fusion of theatre, classical ballet, tap, Afro-Cuban-Latin-Jazz, and Tchaikovsky. It tells the tale of Joe and Jillian, an interracial couple who met in Toronto in the late 1960's. As tap dancer Jillian confronts Alzheimer's disease, she is haunted by playwright husband Joe's ever present muse, María - a beautiful ballerina who appears, dancing on pointe, whenever Joe's memory brings her to life. Joe met María in the early 1960's, on a Caribbean island, whose revolution, like his and Jillian's relationship, has outgrown its idealism. As Jillian struggles against being drawn into a world of diminishing memories, she wonders where she belongs in her husband's life. Was the "pallid beauty" María his ideal? Spanning the years before and during Joe and Jillian's nearly forty years together, Swan Song of María is a story of two souls desperate to make sense of their lives before it's too late.           

In November 2009, the Black Theatre Workshop produced the critically acclaimed world premiere of Carol Cece Anderson's Swan Song of María (A Tragic Fairy Tale) at the MAI Theatre in Montreal. It played to many sold out houses.

The Toronto premiere of Swan Song of María featured an outstanding team of creative artists. Director Mark Cassidy was at the helm, well supported by ballet choreographer, Roberto Campanella; and Tap Choreographer, Debbie Wilson. Legendary prima ballerina, Evelyn Hart, served as ballet mistress. The National Ballet of Canada's First Soloist, Stephanie Hutchison brought her considerable talents to the title role of "María". Cuban born pianist extraordinaire, Hilario Durán provided the sensuous Cuban vibes, as well as the familiar strains of Tchaikovsky. Acting veteran John Blackwood played Joe. And former tap dancer, and talented theatre veteran, Lili Francks - familiar to Toronto audiences from such plays as Adventures of a Black Girl In Search of God, Consecrated Ground, and Goodness - played Jillian. Playwright Anderson wrote the character for Francks - the actor's most challenging role to date.

 

         

Swan Song of María was developed and produced with the support of:

     Canada Council for the Arts         Ontario Arts Council                  Toronto Arts Council

  AfriCanadian Playwrights Festival    National Arts Centre       Black Theatre Workshop

 Next Stage Theatre Festival