The Spell of the Yukon

Soothing

A wonderful actor and storyteller, but hard to stay engaged in this solo act

A Good Intro to the Poetry of Robert Service

If you like the poetry of Robert Service, or want to be introduced to it, then this show is for you, as it was for me. It runs 45-50 minutes and I wish he had spent 5 more minutes giving us more of Service's biography than he did. That said, the readings were well done and the costume and props were very nice.

Wonderful storyteller

Poetrytelling storytelling at its best. David Graham was the characters that he was speaking and he kept his audience captivated. Highly recommend this one.

Breathtaking

The description doesn't do this justice: I suspect many of us are aware of the Service work "Cremation of Sam McGee," but you have never heard it recited so dramatically and emotionally. When Sam starts talking at the end, you feel that he is really there. The rest of the (incredibly wide range) of works were engaging and fastinating. There was a small audience on opening night, but strong applause after each work and extended applause as the show ended. Strongly recommended, even if you don't consider yourself a poetry person.

Mesmerizing!

Starting and ending with Shakespeare sandwiching the channeling of Mark Twain, this was storytelling at its masterful best!

Adventure Poetry and So Happy for Central Heating

If you are thinking that you want to stay away from this show because it poetry; lose that thought. Yes this is poetry, but in the hands of David Graham it becomes storytelling that is about the perils and adventures of the Yukon, the travel the cold, (makes me LOVE central heating even more) and it is chalk full of characters, annoying, charming, good, etc, that we have all met. And even though the stories are from the middle of the Yukon the stories are full of warmth and life. This show is also a reminder of the dreams that people have, the travels we have to take for them, the set backs we experience, the new roads we find, the accomplishments we make while going for those dreams and the fun and not so fun people we met along the way. See it and be reminded of those dreams of yours.

And sometimes I wonder if they was...

As like most folks introduction to his poetry, my great-uncle used to recite The Cremation of Sam McGee when i was a kid...and hearing Mr. Graham inhabit Robert Service on stage brought back the memories of sitting around the fireplace hearing those words evoke an Alaskan wilderness I could picture oh so well. Though he only uses a small portion of the arena stage, he fills the remaining air with the tales and stories Service shared of a tundra full of adventure and humor and mystery and heartbreak in a compelling, amusing, and entertaining way. make time in your schedule!

A wonderful hour of poetry reading

If you have any interest in Robert Service, the Alaskan/Yukon frontier, or lyrical early 20th-century poetry, this is a must-see. David's delivery was wonderful and he did an excellent job of evoking the story of every poem. His tales of the frozen north left me feeling quite chilled (though the theater's overactive A/C certainly helped -- bring a 2nd layer if you get cold easily!), and the emotional moments of the performance were so sincere and sweet. Loads of fun and more introspection than I expected! It was sometimes hard to hear his delivery on the softer pieces, and I wish he'd have moved around the space a little bit more for variety's sake. The poem about the painters was the only "miss", content-wise just not very interesting and kind of gross. These are minor quibbles though: if this show description looks interesting to you, then it will be well worth your time!

Memory box of poems

This was more than reciting poems, it felt like the poems were told as stories as well.

Way Up North

David has such a rich voice and captivating storytelling style. The clever manifestation of his handful of props was fun to watch as he segued from biographical bit and back into the next poem. The familiar Service cadence and the way he comfortably used the arena space provided a welcomed treat for this former Alaskan. It clocks in at a brisk 45 minutes or so, and I would have loved one more barroom romp or Yukon yuk, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying this one-man show immensely.

SO GOOD

Rarely have I seen a poetry-based show with such passion, investment, and flawless technique as this one. The poetry is well read, impeccably memorized, and stunningly performed. I found out afterwards that the performer has not done theatre before and had no training or direction. I’m stunned. I hope he does more!

Needs an audience

Someone called this a poetry reading; it's not that at all. These poems are memorized, and told exquisitely using props, costumes and perfect mannerisms for the character of Robert Service. He told a couple classics and introduced some new ones to me too. I felt bad that he had an audience of 6 on a Saturday night at 8:30; He deserves a bigger audience. Highly recommend.