“Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show” panders and meanders its way through a muddy mix of Christmas songs and jokes, that equal parts put you in the holiday spirit as they do put you to sleep.
Read MoreI’ll be honest that improvisational theatre was and still is not a personal favourite of mine. This tremendously hardworking group of performers did not put the kibosh on my preference; however, they have created an entertaining evening of laughter, sometimes rather naughty, at Coal Mine.
Read MoreAnyone who is or was a fan of Cher during the past six decades will find it difficult to resist the urge to see the new Broadway musical based on her fascinating life and intriguing career that is now playing at Neil Simon Theatre. It would be wise to follow that urge and see for yourself how the beat still goes on. “The Cher Show” follows the same format as a similar musical currently running on Broadway – that show scheduled to close at the end of the year after its successful nine month run.
Read MoreThe massive loss of life – especially when it’s as many of 492 people – is a horrifically sad incident, in and of itself. For the survivors and the people who remember, including those who didn’t survive completely unscathed, it leaves an emotional and psychological scar that their bound to carry for the rest of their life. That’s exactly the message which James Hansen Prince seems to be trying to show his audience in his period piece entitled “Inferno! Fire at the Cocoanut Grove: 1942” about a tragic real-life fire that occurred at a supper club in Boston in 1942.
Read MoreI honestly try not to be as colorful in my reviews that I write, as I normally would be in regular, everyday conversation. Having said that, I also owe the readers of OnStage Blog honesty, and thus, I feel obligated to say that while waiting to see the world premiere of Krista Knight’s new play “Selkie”, the only question I could think of, over and over, was…
“What the fuck is a Selkie?”
Read More‘Slava’s Snowshow’ is eccentric, bizarre, kooky, nutty, offbeat. And you should go see it. What a wonderful present during this Christmas/holiday season to give ourselves.
Read More1965’s “Man of La Mancha,” the “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” of musicals, can be read as a bridge between the countercultural tumult of the 1960s and the naval-gazing tendencies that characterized the “Me” generation of the 1970s. It’s also easy to see why its pliant message about the power of the imagination to uplift and transform resonates with artists—or anyone willing to fight for the right to self-expression and, crucially, prepared to risk rejection, ruination and despair in pursuit of their personal vision.
Read MoreLike Sherlock Holmes, Ebenezer Scrooge is a character whose renown has seemingly outgrown his source material. His grumpy “Bah humbug!” has become as well-known a catch phrase as any in the realm of theatre. Soulpepper is currently taking theatregoers on their annual journey to 19th century London to experience Michael Shamata’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, amid the hustle and bustle of Toronto’s Christmas Market in the beautiful Distillery District.
Read MoreWhen I saw that “Shadows” was described as a “dance musical” I was unsure what to expect. Were we going to get a show where all of the songs were sung from an offstage singer and the actors onstage simply danced? Were we going to get something that was mostly dance with a little bit of dialogue to carry us from scene to scene. But what we got was something very different and very engaging. Taking place entirely in her apartment, “Shadows” tells the story of Claire (Janine Divita) who starts an affair with her real estate broker, Alex (John Arthur Greene) and how they deal with the difficulties of keeping their two lives at bay and whether or not they even want to. In addition, we get a story told entirely through dance about a similar affair by Claire’s great-grandmother (Irina Dvorovenko). These stories intersected in a way that felt like a dance in itself and created an almost magical tone to the whole show.
Read MoreFrom the moment you walk into the old victorian house where “Consumption” is being performed, you know that you are in for a different kind of show. Loosely telling the true-ish story Elena Hoyos and Count Carl Von Cosel, and the rumors around their relationship, “Consumption” takes us through the lives of five different couples (All played by Tracy Weller and Devin Burnam) all intersecting through different points in time and space, yet somehow, also all connected. The story is told in an immersive format, all taking place within the Beverly Social Club.
Read MoreYes, we’re told at the end of the story that Scrooge becomes another strong adult influence over Tiny Tim. Yes, the suffragette movement changed this patriarchal thinking but it was a time consuming process that did not occur overnight. From my historical understanding of the Victorian era, women were relegated to the role of raising and rearing children and never ventured outside and never owned businesses. Additionally, there is no other half in Scrooge’s life where she and another person can influence children and young adults. I am looking forward to hearing what others have to say about this
Read MoreThe holiday season is officially upon us. ‘Tis the season to celebrate the joys of time spent with friends and family, bake cookies, wrap gifts, roast chestnuts, hang stockings…have a nervous breakdown in the middle of a department store while desperately trying to subdue your screaming child after standing in line for two hours to enjoy a 30-second visit with Santa just so your five year old can ask for an $800 iPhone for Christmas.
Read MoreWhat does a typical pre-theatre agenda look like? Perhaps a medium rare steak and a bottle of merlot at your favourite lighting challenged restaurant. This night was different – a grilled cheese sandwich, strawberry milkshake and a sundae! A perfect gastronomic pairing for Ross Petty’s The Wizard of Oz running through January 5 at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre. After all it’s a kid’s show and we know that going in.
Read MoreIn an age of inescapable information inundation, First Maria Ensemble’s “Macbeth,” directed with ferocity by Celeste Moratti, is a light in the dark. Lines are blurred between truth and fake news, leadership and tyranny, and this production shines with an earnest honesty to interrogate Shakespeare’s classic text in a way that can only be driven by our modern time’s aggrandization of the self in an increasingly isolating world.
Read MoreLike all other revivals, productions of William Shakespeare’s large canon of plays tend to be a mixed bag. Some prove to be colorful and innovative takes on these classics, while others make you fall asleep, if not scratch your eyes out. This past weekend at the Players Theatre, I found myself viewing the worst of the worst in this category of productions, when director/producer Carrie Isaacman’s production of “As You Like It” made me wish I weren’t there as a reviewer, so I could feel like I didn’t have to stay in the theater from beginning to end.
Read MoreGreater Boston Stage Company provides a theatrical take on a classic Christmas story with its production of “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Similar to the beloved film, the stage version, which has been adapted from Frank Capra’s original screenplay by Weylin Symes, features many of the same famous characters, themes, and morals, with a couple unique elements that turn this well-known tale into something fresh and new.
Read MoreDancing! Romance! Ghosts!
To some theatergoers, the above combination is certainly one that is bound to lead to a night of entertainment that they will love. I will confess, neither ghost stories nor romances are exactly the genres that excite me most, when heading out for a night of theatre. However, not even I can deny that the recent production of Shadows is one of the most impressive and sophisticated musicals to premiere in the NYC indie theatre scene within the past year or so.
Read MoreThere is quite an intriguing theatrical event occurring at the Rattlestick Theater, where two ninety-minute plays separated by a thirty-minute communal dinner break takes the stage to engage an audience of fifty, in two compelling dramas. The playhouse is stripped down to its original walls discovering weathered multi paned windows and worn wainscoting, wearing years of neglect, with some sections beyond repair. This is the performance space, perhaps a foreshadowing of a shared theme of discovery, as two brave young people make a journey following the steps of their ancestors only to reveal the ugly past and face the troubled and turbulent present.
Read MoreThere is no doubt that the so called “Hello Girls,” the bilingual operators that were sent to the front line to operate secured switchboards, were invaluable to the Signal Corps units in World War I. It is unfortunate that they needed to fight for sixty years to be recognized as veterans of that war in order to receive appropriate benefits. It was just one more example of the historic and ongoing women’s crusade for equal rights. So, it is fitting that there be an acknowledgement of their service in any form, including the documentary and the current stage musical by the same name now running at 59E59 Theaters. This recent tribute is produced by Prospect Theater Company and features a remarkable cast of performers who do triple duty as actors, vocalists and musicians playing multiple instruments.
Read MoreIn their mission statement, the independent theatre company spit&vigor describes themselves as being dedicated to producing works that are both “spirited” and “innovative”. Indeed, this troupe of performers does come off as spirited, and there’s a fair amount of talent and energy to be seen. However, a better word to describe the play they’ve selected for production – The Brutes by Casey Wimpee – feels less innovative and more middling than anything else.
Read More
