June 4, 2004

Posted June 04, 2004

San Francisco Joni fans have a chance to enjoy a new interpretation of her music this month when American Conservatory Theater's Young Conservatory (YC) presents Ladies of the Canyon: The Music of Joni Mitchell. In an A.C.T. press release, Creator/Director Craig Slaight says "I was drawn to Joni Mitchell by her immense skills as a musician and poet ... her music is universal, ageless, and the perfect source for dramatic interpretation." The entire program is sung, solo and in ensemble, with each of the 24 songs in the show presented as a dramatic scene.

Ladies of the Canyon: The Music of Joni Mitchell is the latest production in YC's New Plays Program, which focuses on "creating theatrical explorations of the works of contemporary composers, with the goal of creating pieces that look at the world through youthful eyes." Earlier productions have been conceived around the music of Simon and Garfunkel, as well as around the music of Bob Dylan (the Bob Dylan show was also staged at the National Theatre in London).

With musical direction by Krista Wigle and music adaptation by Naomi Sanchez, the show opens June 5 and runs through June 19 at Zeum Theater, at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco. Tickets are available by calling 415.749.2228, online at the A.C.T. website, or at the door.