If you’ll pardon the easy pun, putting on the musical version of the Peter Stone penned / Maury Yeston composed Tony Award Winning musical of the Titanic, is a “Titanic” undertaking.
 The LSCO fundraising presentation happens at the newly renovated Yates Centre, Oct. 18-20.

Including crew, there are over 120 people involved in the production from all walks of life and of varying theatrical experience from people who are brand new to the stage to people to whom the stage is like a second home.

There are familiar faces from Hatrix, Shakespeare in the Park, Playgoers of Lethbridge LMT and the U of L and even New West Theatre veterans, plus people who have never on stage before and people who haven’t been on stage for a while.
“Ken Rogers and I won’t put on any musical that isn’t outside the box,” said director Fran Rude who is directing a cast of 39 plus working with Rogers to organize an orchestra of 21 and  a chorus of 42.

“Go big or go home,” she said.
“It isn’t anything like the movie, emphasized Rude, who is excited to piece the entire show together during “Hell Week.”

 Instead it is based on the book “ A Night to Remember,” by Walter Lord and Robert Ballard, who discovered the wreck.

“That‘s important because it is based on interviews with the survivors and their descendants,” Rude said.

 She is excited to welcome James Robinson back to the stage as E.J Captain Smith.
“As soon as I decided to do this, I had James in mind for the captain. We haven’t been on the stage together for 30 years when we were in South Pacific together,” she said.
“I wanted to be involved because wanted to work with Fran,” said Robinson.

It is another great week for roots and blues music in Lethbridge, not to mention a great week to hear Edmonton musicians play Lethbridge.
 Edmonton blues and folk musician Kat Danser and the Tall Tales plus Steve Dawson play the Geomatic Attic, Thursday, Oct. 18. Tickets are $37.50. The Edmonton musician just finished her PHd and has released a long awaited new  CD “Goin’ Gone.”
Carter Felker returns to Lethbridge on Tuesday for a special show at the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Oct. 16.

Also in the county vein, Winnipeg’s Sean Burns returns to Casino Lethbridge with Grant Siemens and the Windy City Band.
 Burns sticks around town for Sunday, to play a matinee show the Owl Acoustic Lounge.
The Slice has a big blues show on Saturday with Colorado’s Johnny O Band beginning at 8 p.m.

 But it’s not just about blues and roots this week. Both the Slice and Owl Acoustic Lounge are holding pot legalization parties on Oct. 17.
The Owl features a prohibition party including a screening of “Reefer madness” followed by a the jazz jam hosted by HBO3 and Josh Davies.
 The Slice goes rap for their pot legalization party as SDKs Blaze ON3 with Katy L and NKI Louise plus local support from Sammy and the Fiend, Heavy Knowledge, Trey Mark, HayZe, Vosh, War Ready and DJ Stevie Heavy and host F Bomb. Admission is $10.

Thursday will be fun. With Kat Danser at the Geomatic Attic. But the Smokehouse features a big punk show with Victoria’s No Liars and local band the Hockey Moms and metal band Chernoff. There is a $10 cover.
 And the Zoo over at the U of L starts a new Thursday night open mic beginning at 8:30 p.m. Ian Morrice host the Slice’s Thursday open mic this week.

 The Slice features a slice of Edmonton rock on Friday, Oct. 19 with Edmonton rock band Upsidedown Town with Nicholas Rage and the Beaumont, Alberta punk band Gentlmans Pact.

Boulder, Colorado based bluesman Johnny Ohnmacht is excited to make Lethbridge one of his first ever stops ion Canada, when he plays the Slice, Saturday, Oct. 20.
 He will be connecting with Calgary musicians  drummer Hollywood Bob and bassist Victor Szuroczki for a couple Alberta shows in Calgary and  a solo show in Okotoks, the night before the Lethbridge show.
“I love doing that. I’ve toured Mexico and South America and I’ll pick up a band of local musicians to play with me,” he said from Colorado.

“I like doing that. As a trio, it’s easy to steer. If the bass player turns left then I can turn along with him. It’s not as if you have to  work with a horn section and are always asking what key you’re in. I play blues and funk music. If they can play it. I can do what I do. It’s always a lot of fun laying with new guys in foreign countries always interesting to hear how other people play it and where they pause.It‘s always a pretty nice surprise,” he continued.

“It’s like a musical adventure every time.”
He will be playing blues classic and original music.
“It’s like high energy blues, funk and soul. I love Chicago style blues. I’ll play Albert King, B.B. King and Freddie King and all the classics. I think it’s very high energy, danceable stuff,” he said adding there will also be originals from his previous CD including his most recent “Tough Times,” which was released in 2012.
“The guys have the videos and the music from the CDs I’ll be bringing with me I sent them, so they’ll have it in hand. We’ll have one rehearsal before the shows,” he continued.
 He has been playing the blues for many years.