It is the last week to catch  New West Theatre’ “surprise ” production of Rocker’s Gone Country. It’s a surprise because they usually save their big music -comedy revues for summer.
 Rocker’s Gone Country is as entertaining as   you’d expect. Also true to the  title the show is all about the rock side of country music, particularly ’90s country.
The show opens with a group performance of Shania Twain’s “ Rock this Country, and continue strong with  Rylan Kunkel’s  excellent performance of Alan Jackson’s “ Gone Country.”

There aren’t as many group numbers in this show, but there are a lot of numbers featuring one or two cast members backed by a couple of others.

 There is also a lot of comedy, some of it pretty inspired, particularly a bit featuring Devon Brayne talking to Erica Hunt about how much has changed since he’s been away. Hunt explains to him how many bars and clubs have either moved for changed ownership.
It is great to see Brayne back with New West. He returned last year as Johnny Cash in  their production of “Million Dollar Quartet.” Brayne brings his Cash back on a show stealing solo acoustic performance of Cash’s cover of “Hurt.” His bartender steals the show for some of the best comedy bits, and one of the few where the cast go full on hillbilly. The rest of the humour is pretty straight forward with no accents. Though Erica Hunt’s old woman goes before a judge. Hunt and Scott Carpenter’s Lethbridge news break was pretty popular with the crowd, Friday, Feb. 15 as well. One of the more surreal comedy bids is  Coalhurst interpretive dance company featuring Devon Brayne and Rylan Kunkel in black tights miming out titles of popular country songs throughout the night.

The band is solid as well with Scott Mezei on guitar, bassist Greg Paskuski playing more guitar than usual, Bente Hansen covering most of the bass on her keyboards and drummer Theo Lysyk.
 Mezei and Paskuski take centre stage with acoustic guitars  to accompany Erica Hunt and Kathy Zaborsky singing  Fleetwood Mac/The Dixie Chcik’s “Landslide.”

Cast member Kathy Zaborsky appears in the background adding extra keyboards. Kyle Gruninger and Devon Brayne add extra guitar on a couple of numbers as well. Gruninger leads the band  on an excellent rendition of Jon Bon Jovi’s  Blaze of Glory.”

University of Lethbridge students add a little twenty-first century panache to Lewis Carroll’s beloved children’s story Alice In Wonderland, with their new production happening in the David Spinks Theatre, Feb. 12-16.

“It isn’t about plot, it’s about experiencing a dream world,” said director Mia Van Leeuwen.

“Alice: A Devised adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland” is described as “an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's fantastical masterpiece that explores the puzzling journey of Alice through performing objects, movement and mask. The work will be created through a devised theatre process that reconsiders all the main characters with a focus on the surrealistic dimensions of Wonderland. ”
Students created the show based on Lewis Carroll’s original story.

“We didn’t have a script,” said Van Leeuwen, noting the roots of the production come from her immersive theatre class, which began back in September. The 22 member cast have been in active production of the show since January.

“It’s the students’ adaptation of the original story and characters,” she said the show is episodic like the book is so the students play multiple roles throughout the show.

“Some are solo roles, others are four people or  group numbers. Some include the who cast,” she said.
“It’s lots of fun,” she said.

You may remember  Hunter Semrau for his spirited portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis.
in New West Theatre’s production of the Million Dollar Quartet in September. But expect  to see a completely different character this weekend, Feb. 8 and 9 at Southminster United Church as he plays the title role of Candide in The University of Lethbridge Opera Workshop and Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra’s annual collaboration.

“They’re two completely different characters. Jerry Lee Lewis was a bit of a jerk and really full of himself. Candide is a caricature of the most honest self, purity and niceness,” Semrau described, noting  playing Jerry Lee Lewis was a departure for him as his major is opera performance.
“I love musical theatre too, but this is what I’m studying,” he said adding Candide is an interesting, relentlessly optimistic character.
“He (Voltaire) was making fun of  the way other philosophers looked at how mankind viewed how everything works out for the best,” he said.

“ He remains optimistic no matter what happens to him,” he continued adding a lot happens to Candide, who is flogged, gets kidnapped by the Spanish Inquisition and gets shipwrecked after being taken in by a con man who sells him a leaky boat. On top of that, he is in love with a woman who is not only a thief, but a selfish grifter.

“He’s in love with Cunegonde but while they’re separated she ends up being greedy, graspy and selfish. She gets close to men in order to separate them from their money,” he continued.

He is excited to be part of the  production and backed by the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra.