The Normal Heart playing at Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre takes on the heartbreaking issues related to HIV/AIDS in the 1980’s gay community

The Normal Heart, now onstage at Buddies In Bad Times produced by Studio 180 Theatre, takes place during the onset of HIV/AIDS in the New York gay community in the 80’s. It’s about the fight to get attention and money paid to research a disease that no one wanted to acknowledge existed; it’s about the conflicting values between sexual freedom and curtailing a fatal epidemic; and it’s about watching the people you love die.

So bring some tissues. This one is a weeper. Continue reading Review: The Normal Heart (Studio 180 Theatre) →

I’m Not The Indian You Have in Mind explores stereotypes of First Nations peoples through dance at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre

I’m Not The Indian You Have In Mind, playing at Harbourfront, is a dance show produced by Native Women in the Arts inspired by Thomas King’s short film I’m Not The Indian You Had In Mind. It doesn’t tell the same story, however, and at times it was hard for me to understand the connection at all. The dancing is lively and lovely, and there’s a lot of humour and good moments, but no cohesive thread throughout the piece. Continue reading Review: Not The Indian You Have In Mind (Native Women in the Arts) →

Alumnae Theatre takes Moore’s novel from page to stage to open its 2012-2013 play season in Toronto.

Film adaptations of novels are often disappointing and similar challenges exist when adapting a novel for the stage. I was very intrigued to see how Lisa Moore’s script of February, based on her novel of the same name, would handle these challenges. February is a powerful novel, based on the true life event of the sinking of the Ocean Ranger, a tragedy that killed eighty-four people when it sank off the coast of Newfoundland in 1982. The stage adaptation of February is the season opener at Alumnae Theatre. Continue reading Review: February (Alumnae Theatre) →

Recreating the familiarity of the often tense parent-teacher dynamic with Nightwood Theatre in Toronto.

Nightwood Theatre is keeping up their trend of excellence with Between The Sheets, a two-hander from brand new playwright Jordi Mand.  The conflict of the story is based on a situation so well-worn it could easily be cliché, but the script has a superb rhythm and in the hands of virtuoso performers like Susan Coyne and Christine Horne it’s a gripping showdown. Continue reading Review: Between The Sheets (Nightwood Theatre) →

Julie Sits Waiting is a modern, gritty opera playing at Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille

My partner is very opera-oriented so in the last couple of years that we’ve been together I’ve been experiencing and learning about the genre. I’ve discovered that, while I can definitely enjoy old school offerings, I am particularly taken with more modern fare, which has a tendency towards more abstract music, experimentations with atonality, etc.  This was a big part of why I was interested to see the brand new opera Julie Sits Waiting by Good Hair Day Productions. Continue reading Review: Julie Sits Waiting (Good Hair Productions) →