Never the Last
Created by Christine Quintana and Molly MacKinnon
Directed by Laura McLean
Choreography by Kayla Dunbar
A Delinquent Theatre Production
Vancouver Civic Theatre’s Annex
April 9 - 20, 2019

Vancouver, BC:   For lovers of the violin, or for those who appreciate a story of love that survives both adversity and individual triumphs, playwright and actor Christine Quintana and violinist Molly MacKinnon have crafted a musical play  about the 10 year love affair of composer/violinist Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt Gramatté and expressionist painter, Walter Gramatté . The story of their meeting, courtship and marriage is performed by Quintana as Sophie-Carmen and Anton Lipovetsky as Walter Gramatté. Scenes are woven into and around 10 violin pieces composed by Sophie-Carmen Gramatté , and played by MacKinnon.

My husband loved the violin.  As an adult, he acquired a violin and began  lessons. His music collection was classical and predominantly featured recordings of the great contemporary violinists.  I, on the other hand, loved music that set my feet dancing, from the spicy rhythms of cha cha, mambo, salsa, to the dreamy romanticism of waltz or foxtrot. Sounds of Beethoven and Brahms filled our sitting room. From my upstairs office there usually came a Latin beat, while each of our kids had their own favorite musicians.  Yet despite our very different tastes in music, we lived our lives in perfect harmony. As I watched the scene of Sophie-Carmen composing and playing in her music studio while on the opposite side of the stage, Walter was creating his paintings, I was reminded of our music-filled home and how vastly different creative forms appeal to so many different tastes.

I enjoyed this 70 minute multimedia homage to an overlooked female composer. It was an interesting concept, well performed. However, comfortable though the seats are in this great black box Annex space, by the time Caprice No.10 flashed up on the screen I confess I was ready to rock and roll.

The show runs till the 20th at 8 PM with a 2 PM and  8 PM show on the 20th. Tickets are available at theatrewire,com,