Blake Thorne is in the business of theatre. About a week ago while walking down Toronto's Spadina Avenue he was handed a flyer about the Divine Performing Arts Chinese New Year Spectacular coming to the Sony Centre this weekend.
It was just this morning that he decided to come to today's Sunday matinee. "I thought, I'm going to do something a little different, so I came down here and it was absolutely phenomenal, it was fantastic! I really enjoyed it. And I'm a producer/actor myself, so I can appreciate the theatrical aspect, the glamour. It was just unbelievable, it was lovely!" he said.
Thorne is a producer, director, and actor with the Cabbagetown Theatre Company, which has been presenting the annual Slaw Festival of short, original plays in Toronto for 13 years.
"I'm a great fan of what you might call short sound bites, and this kind of fits that format. They're short dance pieces, and then a song, and then another dance piece. It's always something new, so I very much enjoyed that particular format," said Thorne.
He also enjoyed the drumming and was captivated by the dancing. As for the dynamic backdrop scenery, "there was a lot of magic there," he said.
"With the horses coming through the back screen and the chariot-like force, it really was gripping. I was quite shocked at the effectiveness of it. It was extremely well done."
Noting that he does not have a great deal of knowledge about Chinese culture, Thorne said he appreciated the background information provided by the host and hostess prior to each performance.
"I thought it was cute the way the English and Chinese commentators were playing off each other. It definitely helped me a lot, so I appreciated that."
Divine Performing Arts, the performing company presenting the Spectacular , says that beyond aesthetic beauty the show tries to convey themes of courage, righteousness, virtue, and faith that are at the heart of ancient Chinese culture.
Thorne noticed that from the show. "There are some crossovers in certain societies where you have oppression and where you have people who stick together, have a sense of community, and fight their way out of the oppression. I got that sense from some of the history that was brought out here today," he said. "It helps open our eyes to what other people go through as well."
"The whole show was very well put together, beautifully done," he said. "I was quite enrapt in the whole thing. It kept me engaged through the whole performance."
"I will be back," said Thorne, and he will "definitely" ask his friends to come as well.
With additional reporting by Allan Zhou.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts shows that will perform in over 60 cities worldwide in 2008. To find a show near you, please visit www.bestchineseshows.com.
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