There is no other city outside of New York that inhabits being a melting pot better than Toronto. Being born and raised (and constantly homesick) for my hometown in the true north, I have everything that Toronto offers right here in New York City, but to varying extremes. I see extreme wealth and poverty, extreme light on one street and extreme darkness down another, an extreme metropolis and extreme greenery, extreme cleanliness and extreme filth. It's all there.

Soulpepper Theatre Company, a place where I was fortunate enough to begin to develop my theatrical palette at a young age, has taken over the Signature Theatre on 42nd Street for the month of July and has brought some of their best work, not to mention some of Canada's most gifted artists, to share these stories with New York audiences. One of my all-time favourite pieces, Of Human Bondage, is selling tickets like hot cakes, as well as a life-affirming musical revue of the American classic Spoon River, which I was delighted to finally see this week after missing it the first three times it was mounted in Toronto. With that is the hilarious yet touching overnight hit, the family dramedy Kim's Convenience, and the TYA adaptation of the kids book Alligator Pie (which I have yet to see but hear is delightful), along with many smaller productions and concerts, showcasing the incredible talent this company has temporarily imported.

Tonight, I got to see the first instalment of Soulpepper's New York concerts called The Melting Pot. Each instalment showcases the musical influences the landed, thrived and have been influenced by the habitants of the lower, middle and upper parts of the borough of Manhattan, with tonight's performance showcasing the Lower end (the other two parts were teased to be coming next year upon the company's return). The audience is taken on a musical grand tour through time and towards uptown, from many places between Pearl Street to W 23rd Street. Working our way through the landing of our ancestors, guided by the riveting and knowledgable emcee, Artistic Director Albert Schultz, we discover the foundation of tap dance (with floor-burning dancing by two incredible local dancers, sadly uncredited in the program) as well as the roots of some of our favourite Golden Age showtunes of Berlin and Gershwin. Of course, it is a challenge to talk about the foundation of New York City without mentioning Alexander Hamilton "who is still dancing today" quipped Mr. Schultz during one of his insightful, historical spoken interludes. With powerful performances of traditional African, Irish and Jewish melodies, I was moved by each of the pieces, enhanced by the stunning and beautifully curated projections behind the performers, which showed historical photographs of the real people who came before us and built this city, often with their bare hands and hard labour. I could feel the blood running through my veins as I listened to the music that our immigrant ancestors brought with them and all that they could carry in one duffle bag. As we are taken through time, we get to listen to incredible and heart-stirring renditions of songs by some of the best artists of the last century arranged by the musical genius, company member Mike Ross. We are also graced by the musical talents of the versatile Hailey Gillis (she shows off all her vocal chops from classic opera to classic rock within minutes), the vocally rich Troy Adams, Andrew Penner who is not only a gifted guitarist but also captures a depth vocally that I have never experienced in a concert, and of course, one of Canada's national treasures, Jackie Richardson, whose unique and soulful voice draws you in with every note she sings and brings tears to your eyes as she fills each note with incredible emotional intent. With each piece, I felt these performers truly embodying the spirit of those whose music they are sharing and allow those spirits to borrow the bodies and voices of these artists to seep into our own spirits to remind us of what came before. I felt myself reacting emotionally to these pieces due to the deep passion these artists were able to capture with each song, everything was incredible truthful, which struck a chord with me. I felt both my American and Canadian heritage very strongly with this show and felt equally proud of each side respectively. This concert was also an incredibly beautiful Canadian presentation of that perspective of being enchanted and also influenced by this city.

On a more personal note, not too long before the show began, I was lamenting to my friend my trials and tribulations of my experiences living in the city and my increasing desire to leave it and go back home for good. After having an emotional experience taking in this show, I left the theatre feeling changed and felt oddly full with great excitement of the promise that our art to last and have a profound impact on the future, as shown with the incredible selections in the concert. Once I was spat back out into this city that I have been having a tough time befriending, I was able to see it in a new light. The Melting Pot was a kind reminder of what makes New York so great and fantasied about and why people flock here in planes, trains and automobiles to get a taste of it. I too, with the help of some fellow Canadians, can see this wild city with a new perspective and feel a little more hopeful that I will be okay.