Riabko is bringing the show he loves home to Saskatoon. (Craig Sugden)

From sold out shows in London’s West End to a Saskatoon stage, it’s not a typical path for a blockbuster performance. For the creator of  Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined, Kyle Riabko though, it makes total sense.

“Coming home in a weird way is more meaningful.” Riabko explains, “Always as a kid, I dreamed of playing the Broadway Theatre. It means more for me to perform here at home.”

“Always as a kid, I dreamed of playing the Broadway Theatre. It means more for me to perform here at home.”

The idea for the show came five years ago when Riabko took a job singing demos for Burt Bacharach. The two quickly became friends and that’s when he approached the music icon about creating a show out of his entire catalogue. “I had to take demos of the show to his house for his approval, luckily he did,” Riabko explains “You have to be careful with Bacharach’s music, there’s so much there itself, you can’t just slap a cheesy story on top of it.”

The result was a show that wowed audiences Off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop and then went on to play in London at the Menier Chocolate Factory as well as at the Criterion Theatre in London’s West End. The show now has a live recording which Riabko also produced.

After all that you’d think Riabko would be ready for a rest but instead he’s back out on the road and one of his first stops is here in Saskatoon. He’s excited for people to see what he’s been up to. “This is the first time I’ve been home to perform in a long time,” says Riabko. ” The only reality that feels real to me is Saskatoon, I can’t wait to perform.”

The show is a stripped down version which Riabko jokes will be “A skinny Ukrainian child up there with a guitar”. Riabko will tell stories about the show and how it was created and of course perform many of Bacharach’s greatest hits.

Tickets are $27. Click here for more info.