THE BATTLEFORDS — The next two shows coming to the Dekker Centre for the 2022-2023 season are Menopause: The Musical! and Three Knights and a Tenor. One is a lighthearted, hilarious musical look into the feminine journey through menopause. The other is a contemporary blend of Ken Lavinge’s unique sound and story with the classic music of world-famous musicians, including Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber.
When asked how the Dekker Centre chooses its shows for the season, Kali Weber, the general manager for the Dekker Centre, said, “There are a number of things we consider when we think about bringing a show to the Dekker Centre: planning a season of diversity and variety … capacity to bring the show into our facilities, and also … is there is an audience for it.
“For example, the majority of our shows are music-based,” Weber said. The Dekker Centre has a variety of dance, theatre and sometimes illusion or comedy shows. “Usually two to three family shows a year,” Weber added.
Menopause: The Musical! is coming to Saskatchewan Friday, Sept. 23, and they have sold out the Dekker Centre’s Gordon Tootoosis Memorial Stage. The show has toured for more than 20 years and, in that time, has run in South Africa, the United States, Canada, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand and more.
The 90-minute show without intermission will bring the Canadian all-star cast of Fredena J. Williams, Lorena Mackenzie, Sarah Lynn Strange, Barb Scheffler, and Janet Martin to Saskatchewan for the night. The musical is the longest-running scripted show in Las Vegas, and more than 17 million people have attended in more than 500 cities.
Weber said, “It’s a musical, something people love because they tend to bring us joy and laughter, and they tell a story in a light way.”
Menopause: The Musical! is centred on bringing the women in the Battlefords together by sharing and laughing about a possibly taboo subject. On the musical’s website, three listed facts add, “6K women enter menopause each day … there are 1.7B menopausal women worldwide, and there are 70M women experiencing menopause in the US.”
Then, on Oct. 7, Ken Lavigne will visit the Battlefords as he tours Saskatchewan with his show, Three Knights and a Tenor. “... he pays tributes to the greats, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Billy Joel … artists that people know really well,” Weber said.
Ken Lavigne is a renowned musician with seven albums: Believe, Keep Holding On, Showtime, Comfort & Joy, The Ken Lavigne Christmas Roadshow, Closer Than Ever and Let Me Be Frank. Lavigne played for his majesty King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2009. Since then, he has played with Grammy-winner David Foster and continues to “charm his way into the hearts of many,” according to his website at kenlavigne.com
“The timing is right. He’s actually telling a story with his music. He’s going to share their music through his own artistry,” Weber said.
For more information on the Dekker Centre’s upcoming shows, visit dekkercentre.com. To purchase tickets for upcoming shows, visit the box office, phone 306-445-7702, or visit their website.
