Arts & Culture
Songwriters' romance takes Centennial Concert Hall stage
From the iconic 1967 Newport Folk Festival to Topanga Canyon in Los Angeles, a new musical tells the story of the brief romance that played a pivotal role in two of the greatest songwriters who ever lived. Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell: The Untold Love Story takes the Centennial Concert Hall stage for one night only this week, sharing some of the most iconic songs written by each of the performers during their time together, and some of the songs that were influenced by that time. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } “Their love and connection lasted throughout their whole careers,” says Joe Nolan, who plays Leonard Cohen in the show. “This show tells that beautiful story of how not only their careers, but their love was intertwined throughout fifty years.” Like many music fans, Nolan and Dana Wylie, who plays Joni Mitchell, came of musical age listening to both artists. “With Joni Mitchell’s albums, I always felt like I kind of entered them, like almost going into a little cave or something,” says Wylie, “and you’re just in that for a while and it just seeps into you. I’m certainly steeped in it.” “They’re both just so untouchable,” adds Nolan, “and it’s so cool to dive into their music and the story and get to feel like you can really get a sense of how special it really was and how special the music is.” .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } The special influence that Cohen and Mitchell had on each other’s music is something that audiences will be able to hear throughout the show. Wylie identifies three songs written by Mitchell that were specifically about Cohen and points out an obscure track not featured in the show’s set list that sounds eerily like Cohen’s iconic “Suzanne”. For Wylie and Nolan, the goal is not to portray Mitchell and Cohen as closely and accurately as possible, but rather to let the music carry the story of their romance and influence. Wylie notes that since both artists have multiple iconic performances of their songs, the pressure on them to imitate those performances is lessened. “What we want to do is embody the songs and pay homage to the heart of the songs rather than kind of try to do a carbon copy of a particular recording or something like that,” she explains. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Centennial Concert Hall (@centennialconcerthall) Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell: The Untold Love Story will be shared at the Centennial Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. on September 23. Tickets and more information are available at the venue’s website.