Magical, moving Métis musical feels like homecoming ceremony

Back in the day, when having Cree ancestry was not as in vogue as it is now, having a Métis connection was largely acceptable because it was only “half-Cree.”

For some of us, it was only through that acceptable connection that we were able to hang on to our indigeniety at all; Métis roots were a way to keep Cree roots alive.

Roots, jigging and connection are the main ingredients of Rubaboo: A Métis Cabaret, the season-ending show at Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. Written by Flin Flon-born Andrea Menard with music by Menard and Robert Walsh, this 85-minute show is part sharing circle and part guitar mass, looking at Prairie Métis history through song and storytelling.

Menard guides us as the cabaret’s storyteller, while also playing the hand drum and singing. She is joined onstage by Walsh on guitar and hand drum, Nathen Aswell on Chapman stick, and the fantastic Karen Donaldson Shepherd on percussion and fiddle. All three musicians provide vocals.

Rubaboo is the Michif word for “leftover stew,” a dish that can be made with anything but usually includes pemmican, flour and maple sugar. The stew here is musical and is a bright celebration of Métis culture.

The cabaret is presented without an intermission and the show is separated into four interwoven sections named after the four elements: Fire, Water, Air and Earth.

The sections each act as a course in a meal, with the Fire section being particularly savoury. The additions of hand drum songs sprinkled throughout the show — such as the Earth section’s Chi Meegwech — make for a lovely palate cleanser.

The rendition of the Red River Jig in the Air section is a highlight, with Menard showing off her jigging skills.

Rubaboo is not a traditional theatre show and is more musical than oratory. It has the air of a traditional ceremony where we begin in thanks and end in thanks. But it also shows off the cheekiness of a Kookum (Cree for Grandma) teaching non-Indigenous people swears in the language.

A cabaret about the Métis requires an amazing fiddle player and Shepherd delivers as the true standout of the show with her soulful string playing.

The richly hued set design by Cimmeron Meyer is a feast for the eyes, with the three background pillars standing like trees.

The cabaret is a wonderful intro to Métis culture, specifically in what is now Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Though theatre audiences in Winnipeg tend to be non-Indigenous, Indigenous community members are encouraged to check out the show, as the sounds of Michif, Anishinaabemowin and Cree used in the show will be music to their ears.

Though there is some repetitiveness to the tunes, the skill of all four performers is a true highlight; a musical should have great music, after all.

In last year’s Oscar-winning film Sinners, music is shown to be capable of summoning the ancestors. This idea is clearly present in Rubaboo and the music feels magical at times.

The cabaret feels like a long-awaited visit home.

Sonya Ballantyne is a two-spirit Swampy Cree writer and filmmaker from the Misipawistik Cree Nation. Her comic book memoir, The Unbeatable Sonya Ballantyne, is available now at McNally Robinson Booksellers.