My first reaction to the announcement that Stage West would be doing a 90’s theme for their popular musical revue shows was joy. As someone whose life was influenced heavily by the music of that decade, I was excited to see the show. My second thought was feeling old – it was only a few seasons ago that 80’s Solid Gold ran and now my generation is getting a show?

The 90’s however is big right now. Bands like Gun’s n’ Roses and U2 are selling out stadiums, 90’s stalwarts like Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys and Celine Dion are selling out Las Vegas, and one of the biggest viral videos of the year was Back to the 90’s. While there was still a long way to go, the 90’s was when the LGBTQ community really started to gain acceptance. It’s an era that has fond memories for many of us, and the artists that defined the era are featured in Pure 90’s.

The cast shows incredible versatility in paying tribute to the featured artists. Adriana Crivici captures the physical performance and unique vocal style of Alanis Morrisette, then later shines as Madonna. One moment Jacob Woike is busting out Snow’s Informer in white rapper getup, later he is pure sex appeal as a shirtless, leather jacketed Bono. Calvin Laveck delivers a soulful Bryan Adams early in the set, and later is a barrel chested, mulleted Billy Ray Cyrus. This is just a few examples of how talented cast delivers tributes again and again.

90’s purists may blink at the early inclusion of 2000’s Oops I Did It Again. The wrong decade slipup is quickly forgiven as the song as well as Madelyn Kriese’s version of Baby One More Time nails the choreography from the videos. This is something that quickly becomes apparent, director and choreographer Timothy French must have spent hours watching music videos as the choreography to songs like Janet Jackson’s Together Again, N’sync’s Bye Bye Bye and Madonna’s Vogue are step by step recreations of the iconic dance moves in the videos. Even non-dance numbers like Shania Twain’s Man I Feel Like A Woman features Sarah Horsman in a perfectly recreated outfit while the guys strut behind her with white guitars, leather pants, and red shirts tight enough to look painted on.

Antonette Rudder stunningly captures Janet Jackson, Brandy Norwood and Scary Spice. Jeremy Carver-Jones has the daunting task of paying tribute to the likes of Michael Jackson and Will Smith, showing both rapping and singing skills. Michelle Bardach makes us Believe with her Cher tribute. Victoria Scully’s Celine Dion tribute is a showstopper, as is Gaelan Beatty, who somehow manages to race through the lyrics of Garth Brook’s Ain’t Goin Down (Til The Sun Comes Up) without tripping up. Jesse Weafer & Dean Deffett spend a lot of time dancing their asses off but get the chance to shine in some of the group numbers as well as songs by REM and Aerosmith.

As with last years movie themed show, Andrew McGillivray takes on a hosting role for the show. A long time Stage West favourite from shows like The Wedding Singer and One Hit Wonders, McGillivray continues to show his talent for physical comedy and impressions. While he isn’t in many of the evenings numbers he does get his own opportunity to do some songs which the audience loved.

Hopefully like many of the past revues, Pure 90’s will get a sequel in the future. There are so many great acts and genres such as grunge that weren’t touched on that would be fantastic in the future. While it may be hard to imagine Nirvana or Moist being performed at Stage West, this show features California Love by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre – a sentence I never would have imagined writing before. In the meantime, the current incarnation is a fantastic trip back to the days of boy bands, divas, and dance music. Out of the many revues I’ve been privileged enough to witness at Stage West the combination of songs I know every word to, incredible choreography, and a super talented and energetic cast makes Pure 90’s one of my favourites. Check it out before it disappears February 4^th.

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Contributor Jason Clevett |

Locale Calgary |

Topic Stagewest | Theatre |