All posts by Mike Anderson

Mike was that kid who walked into the high school stage crew booth, saw the lighting board, and went ooooooooooooh. Now that he’s (mostly) all grown up, Mike keeps his foot in the door as a community-theatre producer, stage manager and administrator. In the audience, he’s a tremendous sucker for satire and parody, for improvisational and sketch-driven comedy, for farce and pantomime, and for cabaret of all types. His happiest Toronto theatrical memory is (re) Birth: E. E. Cummings in Song.

X (Sunny Drake) 2013 SummerWorks Review

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Sunny Drake, currently starring in X (at the Scotiabank Studio), is a force of nature. A real-life cartoon. He bounds, jumps, fizzes and cranks his way across the stage, full of pluck and charisma–and we can’t look away. Drake’s considerable talent as a performer also extends to staging: his cheap-but-brilliant lighting tricks are a highlight of the performance. This is someone who knows how to play to his strengths, who knows what his audience is here to see, and has no shame or guilt in throwing it at them.

So here’s the thing: I just didn’t get it.

I liked this show. I liked its component parts. I especially liked the man behind the curtain. But it just wasn’t meant to be.
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Jackie’s Not A Real Girl (Ground Queero) 2013 SummerWorks Review

not a real girl

Jackie’s Not A Real Girl (running at Theatre Passe Muraille as part of SummerWorks) is just about as dark as dark can be; almost a sort of torture porn, carried out live on stage. But Nicki Ward’s script doesn’t deal with things that lurk in shadows, or in tiny rural villages, or malevolent forces from beyond the veil. Her horrors are real: they dwell in the sunlight; they live in our neighbourhoods; they walk among us.

The plot of this show must be seen to be understood. But in short form, Sadie–a charismatic bartender and a survivor by nature–mourns the death of a dear friend, Jackie. Jackie hasn’t actually died, mind you–it’s much worse than that. Jackie’s been snuffed out. Her humanity, identity, realness have been completely stripped away, leaving only a physical shell behind. So Sadie walks us back to the very beginning, and together we journey through Jackie’s ongoing trauma. It’s not a pretty sight, but this story must be told.

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Review: Something Is Wrong (Naught Theatre)

something is wrong

Naught Theatre presents Something is Wrong at Toronto’s Pia Bouman Theatre

When Something is Wrong (playing at the Pia Bouman Theatre) works, it has some insightful and interesting things to say. At its best, it marries harsh but interesting politics with beautiful and significant movement, creating something far more appetizing and interesting than these component parts alone.

When it works.

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Review: Offers of Home (Panfish Productions)

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offersofhomeChallenging Stuff at Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille.

The first time I saw Offers of Home by Stephen Joffe (currently playing at the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace), I was struck by its mundanity. The stories it explores are so earthy and realistic that the experience has a voyeuristic quality: the audience isn’t watching a play, they’re walking down a suburban street–and peering through the letterboxes as they go.

This expanded version–a longer script and a fully-mounted production–maintains that intimate feeling, while also sandpapering off some of the rougher edges. A better framing device, a grittier staging and some stronger character work all make for a great evening.

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Fringe for Free! Toronto Fringe ticket giveaways for shows playing on Friday, July 12th

Now, me? Me, personally? I don’t really like closing weekend. The NNNNN shows will be packed to the rafters, while the other companies are often struggling just to pull an audience! But you know what makes everything better? Free tickets–and this Friday, we’ve got some great shows up for grabs. So enter a contest and Fringe for Free! Here are the SIX (!!!) shows that are we are giving away tickets for on Friday June 12th, 2013.

Today’s shows are:

God is a Scottish Drag Queen – To be entered into the draw for a pair of tickets to the 4:00 PM show at the Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst St.), please send an email to contests@mooneyontheatre.com with the subject line “Scottish Drag Queen contest” by 7pm on Thursday, July 9th, 2013.

Honest Aesop’s Fables – To be entered into the draw for a pair of tickets to the 1:00 PM show at the Palmerston Library Theatre (560 Palmerston Ave.), please send an email to contests@mooneyontheatre.com with the subject line “Aesop contest” by 7pm on Thursday, July 9th, 2013.

Saint Francis Talks to the Birds – To be entered into the draw for a pair of tickets to the 3:30 PM show at the Helen Gardner Phelan Playhouse (79 St. George St.), please send an email to contests@mooneyontheatre.com with the subject line “Saint Francis contest” by 7pm on Thursday, July 9th, 2013.

2 for Tea – To be entered into the draw for a pair of tickets to the noon show at the Randolph Theatre (736 Bathurst St.), please send an email to contests@mooneyontheatre.com with the subject line “2 for Tea contest” by 7pm on Thursday, July 9th, 2013.

One Side of an Ampersand – To be entered into the draw for a pair of tickets to the 7:30 PM show at the Randolph Theatre (736 Bathurst St.), please send an email to contests@mooneyontheatre.com with the subject line “Ampersand contest” by 7pm on Thursday, July 9th, 2013.

The Late Night Tonight Show LIVE in the Morning with CHICKA BOOM! – To be entered into the draw for a pair of tickets to the 10:30 PM show at the Free Times Café (320 College St.), please send an email to contests@mooneyontheatre.com with the subject line “CHICKA BOOM contest” by 7pm on Thursday, July 9th, 2013.

Below the jump: more more information on all of these shows, and our full contest rules.

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