THE CAVE
The Cave is a new cabaret event by renowned Canadian artists John Millard (composer), Tomson Highway (lyricist) and Martha Ross (book writer). It is their distinctive and imaginative response to our planet’s precarious survival.
The Cave was first performed at Soulpepper’s Tank House Theatre as part of Luminato 2019 and was live streamed across Canada. We are pleased to announce that a newly designed version of The Cave will be touring British Columbia in October and November of 2022.
TOUR DATES
Interior B.C.
Oct 19 Rotary Arts Centre (Kelowna)
info and tickets >
Oct 20 Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre (Vernon)
info and tickets >
Oct 22 Arts Revelstoke (Revelstoke)
info and tickets >
Oct 25 Kicking Horse Culture (Golden)
info and tickets >
Oct 27 Key City Theatre (Cranbrook)
info and tickets >
Oct 29 Capitol Theatre (Nelson)
info and tickets >
Vancouver
Nov 10 – Nov 20 The Cultch at the Historic Theatre
info and tickets >
CRITICAL RESPONSE
“The Cave does what the best cabarets do: takes aim at the status quo. A fable told by animals in Cree and English song, we leave The Cave understanding that if we don’t get off our fat complacencies, all life will be lost to the coming inferno.
The creative trio behind The Cave, Tomson Highway, Martha Ross and John Millard are brilliant. They wield song and humour the way a surgeon wields a scalpel. You are so busy enjoying yourself, you don’t feel the cut–not at first. The energy the performers bring to the production is incendiary. Breathtaking!”
Shelagh Rogers
Host/producer CBC Radio
Honorary Witness TRC
Chancellor Emerita University of Victoria
“Daringly conceived and brilliantly performed, Canadian composer John Millard and Cree author Tomson Highway’s heady, mischievous cabaret discovers fraternity in the myth world as our natural one burns.”
Noah Richler
“We’re hearing a lot about the coming climate change apocalypse these days. The worry, of course, is inaction and folks repeating the same concerns over and over to the point that others stop paying attention.
Maybe it’s time to listen to the animals. A garter snake with 77 babies has something to say. So does a workaholic beaver, a surfeit of skunks in a funk, a dog who calls out humans for overconsumption and the oldest creature of them all: a grandmother spider who sings in Cree. All of these creatures and more are hanging out in a super-moody makeshift nightclub in the Distillery District, singing gorgeous songs written by John Millard with lyrics by Cree playwright/national treasure Tomson Highway.”
-Karen Fricker, The Toronto Star ( 3.5 / 4 Stars )
“Ushered in from the holding bar area the audience enters the cave, a dark, almost womb-like space. There’s a lot to love about The Cave… The experience is worth it for the singing and aesthetic alone.”
-Irana Lucas, Mooney on Theatre
January 2021
Vancouver Press quotes:
Colin Thomas (colinthomas.ca):
“The Cave is almost ecstatically entertaining”
“John Millard’s music for The Cave is glorious. And who couldn’t use some gloriousness these days?”
“Playfulness abounds… But there are operatic thrills, too, and heartbreaking lyricism.”
Janet Smith, Stir:
“Messages on climate crisis delivered in a creatively charged cabaret that defies expectations”
“It’s the dark-carnival music and atmosphere that most set apart this production”
“The singing is strong and diverse: Samaras has a flowing, jazz range, and Bickersteth displays rich, operatic chops alongside a lithe physicality for characters like the Lynx.”
Jo Ledingham (joledingham.ca):
“See it whenever/wherever it goes. Even the online version is stunningly, hauntingly gorgeous.”
“The Cave is never preachy, always entertaining.”
“The Cave is aesthetically spectacular and it’s wonderful that singing animals, usually relegated to Theatre for Young Audiences, have moved to the adult stage where grownups might begin to listen.”
Jay Minter, On the list:
“John Millard’s catchy melodies and Tomson Highways clever and thoughtful lyrics allow the environmental message to impact the audience by putting them in the footsteps of the animals.”
Monika Forberger, Entertainment Vancouver:
“Let’s hope The Cave and its inhabitants come back soon for another visit.”