Bedraggled: this diva's down on her luck!

"I really believe in this show," states Gabrielle Maes. "It brings together all my interests; writing, acting, comedy, tragedy, concern for our environment and singing of course. The story is really a reflection on how we treat people. Depending on how you dress, behave, etc., it determines your place in society. We strongly label the weak, the unwashed and the mad by pretending they don't exist. For an hour and fifteen minutes, I give this filthy woman in rags her moment. She has her say and the audience must listen. She represents all the people out there who have been marginalized, judged harshly, shunned and who have no voice," she concludes.

Bedraggled sold out during its limited run in Montreal and was one of the top shows at the 2006 Atlantic Fringe Festival.

Gabrielle Maes is thrilled to be playing this gamut of emotions and rhythms. She explains, "I hope people are also swept up in the combination of sophistication mingled with the absurd as well as a little dash of Marx brothers, Mozart and Moondog."

Gabrielle has brought her cabaret home from Paris where she performed with Les Voutes and as a soloist at the American Cathedral. Gabrielle continues to sing as a soloist for leading orchestras as well as with ensembles throughout France and Canada.

In this production, she is joined by Ari Snyder, best known as the musical director for Montreal's popular production of Ain't Misbehavin'. Ari was company pianist for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. The show will be directed by award-winning director and multidisciplinary artist, Pierre Carniaux, who works in France, the U.S. and Japan. This is his first show in Canada.

Bedraggled will only be performed four nights. Opening night is Friday, February 16, at 8 p.m. and then it runs on Thursday, February 22 until Saturday, February 24, at 8 p.m., at La Balustrade, Monument-National (1182 St. Laurent). Tickets are $15. Box Office: 514-871-2224.