Playing at the Theatre Centre in Toronto, Bears explores our environmental impactMatthew MacKenzie’s Bears, presented by Alberta Aboriginal Performing Arts and Punctuate! (in association with Native Earth Performing Arts) and currently playing at The Theatre Centre, is a rich and beguiling theatrical experience. Continue reading Review: Bears (Alberta Aboriginal Performing Arts/Punctuate!)
Toronto’s Theatre Penumbra presents a timely, intimate version of David Mamet’s play OleannaTheatre Penumbra’s production of David Mamet’s Oleanna is terrifying—to me, anyway. I had read it in my early twenties and saw Mamet’s own film version, but I was unprepared for how hard it would hit me now. There in the front row at Red Sandcastle Theatre, sometimes mere inches from the drama as it unfolded—and despite knowing how the story plays out—I held my breath and braced myself. Continue reading Review: Oleanna (Theatre Penumbra)
Scarborough Music Theatre’s passionate production of Evita will wow audiencesI was a fresh-faced adolescent with a burgeoning interest in musical theatre when I first encountered this rock opera. Inspired by the content, I went on to participate in a scholastic speech-writing competition with my piece on the rise and death of Eva Perón. Since then, I’ve acquired several cast recordings and my obsession has blossomed, but alas—I’ve only seen one prior staging. So it was with great excitement that I attended Scarborough Music Theatre’s handsome production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical Evita. Continue reading Review: Evita (Scarborough Music Theatre)
A “dark meditation on the nature of ambition and contentment” on the Toronto stageWe’ve had a solid decade of immersion in social media. The internet itself has become such an essential, integrated part of our daily lives that it often requires us to ask probing questions about the nature of human interaction and the possibilities of personalized technology. With similar thematic concerns as Black Mirror, Scapegoat Collective’s production of Daniel Pagett’s Cloud (currently playing at Artscape Sandbox), delves into some very intriguing speculative fiction. Continue reading Review: Cloud (Scapegoat Collective)
Pool (No Water) is a “haunting and darkly amusing tale” on the Toronto stagePool (No Water) is perhaps the type of story that speaks to me most deeply. It seduces, cleverly—almost covertly—draws you in and then, once you feel safe and invested, demands your complicity in thoughts, feelings and actions that are, on the surface, deeply repugnant. At the Citadel Theatre, Cue6 is offering a very special gift to the Toronto theatre scene: their vibrant and compelling production of Mark Ravenhill’s fascinating play. Continue reading Review: Pool [No Water] (Cue6)