The show is the perfect musical to bring people who don't like musicals. There is enough "SNL style" humor that it will keep anyone entertained. Providing they are not easily offended.
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I Call myself Princess is a remarkable new play that deals with cultural appropriation in the best way possible — by taking back that which was stolen. Paper Canoe Projects and Cahoots Theatre, partnering with Native Earth Performing Arts, are presenting this world premiere of I Call myself Princess, written by Jani Lauzon.
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More details are available at https://capitoltheatre.com/.Although the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale was first published nearly 200 years ago, the version of the Little Mermaid that most people have ingrained in their minds is that of the hugely successful Disney animated film that started the Disney Renaissance of the late 80s and early 90s. The version of The Little Mermaid that is now being produced by the Port Hope Theatre Festival at the beautiful Cameco Capitol Arts Centre in Port Hope, Ontario, is the Disney telling, which was adapted for the stage and made its Broadway debut in 2008.
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The world of political machinations took a precarious turn of events at the opening night production of Julius Caesar at Stratford’s Festival Theatre. Seana McKenna essays the role of the pompously doomed, Ides of March leader who returns victorious from a civil war against the forces of the rival general and statesman, Pompey. Caesar is welcomed back with a mighty popular acclaim from the Roman people. His friend, Mark Antony (a confident and bold Michelle Giroux), offers the crown to his ruler which becomes an issue of contention and alarm among a group of senators led by Brutus and Cassius (Jonathan Goad and a tightly solid performance by Irene Poole) who consider this move by Caesar as politically ambitious and a threat to the Roman government system.
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Soulpepper is adding a splash of fun to the dog days of summer, with Bed and Breakfast, a comedy by Canadian playwright, Mark Crawford. Bed and Breakfast is a delightful romp about a young gay couple, Brett (Gregory Prest) and Drew (Paolo Santalucia), who are growing ever tired of Toronto’s urban rat race and frustratingly competitive real estate market. An opportunity drives them to move to small-town Ontario and turn a beloved deceased aunt’s house into a bed and breakfast.
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Through all their faults, mistakes and errors, Eduardo De Filippo has written a story of human individuals who have learned to embrace their foibles and weaknesses no matter how awful and terrible in whatever time and place these people find themselves. This production of Napoli Milionaria does appeal to our humanity and, in doing so, this appeal has enabled the playwright “to find an eager audience among all social classes’ as Cimolino writes in his Director’s Notes.
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Purported to be the last play the Bard had written alone, Stratford’s version of The Tempest captures a sweeping tale of revenge, compassion, empathy and forgiveness now on stage at the Festival Theatre. I can recall reading the rather challenging text during my undergraduate years and remembering there was so much going on at so many levels. It would take a discerning vision somehow to connect all that is going on to a diverse twenty first century audience taste.
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Initially I wasn’t too sure if I really wanted to see Rocky Horror again as I felt I had seen it enough already. Director Donna Feore certainly made me feel welcome, when I changed my mind, with the warm invitation in her Director and Choreographer Notes: “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from; right here, right now, you’re family. So come as you are, in whatever you like, and take your rightful place.”
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I’ve read several recent online articles about the value of the spontaneous standing ovation, and if it is now somewhat expected at the end of each play rather than earned by hard-working actors. Has the standing ‘O’ lost its’ impact because audience members simply jump to their feet since they either are friends of the cast or director and do not want to disappoint or offend anyone? I’ve noticed recently in some of the larger professional/semi/non-professional Toronto/GTA houses that, while I may have enjoyed a performance but felt it did not merit me standing, I’ve had to do it begrudgingly, so I can watch the actors take their earned bows.
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Theatre on the Ridge’s production surface dives initially and then spirals downward deeply into the very being of a disintegrating family.
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Breathing fresh, modern relevance into a play written some 420 years ago is challenging to say the least. Sure, there are themes and archetypes that transcend time, but when the play is old enough to be seemingly written in a different language, the challenge certainly remains for any theatre company tackling the works of William Shakespeare. The Driftwood Theatre Group takes on this challenge so effortlessly with their production of Rosalynde (or, As You Like It) that you find yourself wondering why Shakespeare is so notorious for being difficult to understand in the first place.
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Dashing Canadian hero, Richard Hannay, whisks us on an epic journey through an adventure-filled myriad of iconic film noir characters, accents, and scenes in hopes of revealing the meaning behind ‘The 39 Steps’. Take a 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film thriller and adapt it for the stage. Add some slapstick comedy, mix in four brilliant actors who play an array of iconic spy genre characters plus a dash of some quirky stage directions, and you’ve got Capitol Theatre’s latest, boisterous and bona fide hit, The 39 Steps!
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To see actors who have received proper professional training in the use of two core instruments – their bodies and their voices – and to tell a story that keeps its audience riveted for just over two hours was marvelous in every extent. Soulpepper’s opening night production of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando (adapted by Sarah Ruhl) was magically executed by five creatively talented actors who never once faltered in telling this story of gender identity with the utmost empathy.
One of the production highlights that worked so well for me was the simplicity of Orlando’s staging. Upon entering the auditorium, I was immediately struck by a theatre in the round setting, so very different from the traditional proscenium arched stage that I am accustomed to seeing in this venue.
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Recently, I had written an article on whether classic twentieth century musicals have run their course with such titles as Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady and The King and I coming to mind. The latter is one that has always puzzled me for its continued fascination with audiences.
The story chronicles the experiences of widow Mrs. Anna Leonowens, a British school teacher, who was hired as part of the King of Siam’s drive to modernize his country in the early 1860s. Mrs. Anna and her son Louis travel to Siam where she will teach the Royal Family all about British culture, etiquette, and customs. Since the King is also considered a barbarian, Mrs. Anna must also prepare a party for a group of English diplomats with the hope they will change their opinions about the King.
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When I first saw Wicked in 2008 in Chicago, audience members around me were wiping tears from their eyes and I wondered why they were crying. I must be missing something as I didn’t ‘get it’. I remember the beautiful costumes and fantastic set design along with the dazzling ‘Defying Gravity’ show stopper at the end of Act One, but that was it. Whenever I saw advertised the show’s periodic summer return to Toronto, I never chose to attend as I thought nothing would have changed from Chicago.
Fast forward ten years of life happening.
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‘Tis a puzzlement, these plays of Oscar Wilde. They require audiences to pay careful attention as it is easy to get lost in the intricate and, sometimes, silly plots. Considering the advent of #metoo, I’m also wondering if Wilde’s plays of characters who withhold secrets and indiscretions still hold relevance for a twenty first century audience. I sat on the incompletion of this opening night review for a few days to ponder whether Stratford’s ‘comedy of manners’ production of An Ideal Husband was a wise choice for the 2018 slate.
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Even after having taught this American classic to high school students for over thirty years, I never thought its story can still pack an emotional wallop. It did, courtesy of Christopher Sergel’s script and this highly engaging Stratford production directed with clear vision and compassionate insight by Nigel Shawn Williams.
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Director Miles Potter and the company’s naturalistic approach and vision of this production is critical for a true appreciation of O’Neill’s 20th century American masterpiece tragedy. Kim Solga, professor of Theatre Studies at London, Ontario’s Western University, adds to this understanding of naturalism with the term geopathological drama (I never heard it before) in the Playbill analysis. Ms. Solga writes the Tyrone country cottage, itself, seems to be killing each member of the household slowly.
And right she is on this account.
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Soulpepper bills La Bete as a ‘modern comedy of classical insanity’. What happens when two diametrically opposed approaches to drama clash with each other especially when one is preferred by a member of the royal French court?
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Jackie Maxwell’s direction is sharply attuned in this extraordinarily outstanding ensemble piece. The nicely rehearsed choral work was flawlessly executed as each consonant-enunciated sound was clear. Overlapping voices from the past provided suspenseful tension as I wanted to hear as much as possible what the townspeople had felt and endured during this time. I was riveted with much anticipation on each word spoken during both acts and was surprised when intermission rolled around. Under the guidance of Ms. Maxwell, this remarkable company treats this controversial subject material of guilt, innocence and responsibility with compassion, humanity and dignity.
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