All posts by Samantha Wu

Samantha is both a writer and a fan of the arts and has been able to find numerous ways to pair the two. Aside from being an editor here at Mooney on Theatre, she's a photojournalist for Been Here Done That, a travel, dining and tourism blog that focuses on Toronto and abroad and previously for  Lithium Magazine, which got her writing and shooting about everything from Dave Matthews Band to Fan Expo. She's passionate about music, theatre, photography, writing, and celebrating sexuality -- not necessarily in that order. She drinks tea more than coffee, prefer ciders over beers, and sings karaoke way too loudly. You can follow her on various social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Review: Airship (Femmes du Feu)

‘Proud’ spectacle of steampunk acrobatics at Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.

In celebration of Toronto Pride Week, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre has once again put together a month’s worth of innovative and captivating Pride-themed productions to rev up audiences to embrace their own pride and prepare for the upcoming Parade. One of these productions is Airship produced by Femmes du Feu – a rollercoaster ride of steampunk themed acrobatics, stunts, music, dance and comedy.

Continue reading Review: Airship (Femmes du Feu)

Review: The Hypochondriac (East Side Players)

The Hypochondriac playing in Toronto takes a comedic look at the medical community

Hypochondria is the belief that various physical symptoms lead to serious illness regardless of the existence of medical evidence to support the illness. This belief becomes the driving force behind the highly comedic interpretation of French playwright’s Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid, namely The Hypochondriac adapted by Richard Bean and directed by Harvey Levkoe for East Side Players. Continue reading Review: The Hypochondriac (East Side Players)

Review: Paris 1994/Gallery (The Dietrich Group)

Paris 1994/Gallery weaves a dance which reflects abstractly on life and memory over time

To love, to lose love, to spend life living through motions unaware of the people that cross your way. To have the elements of time and distance strain the separation of love. That is the subject matter that weaves and flows through the dance performance Paris 1994/Gallery by The Dietrich Group.

Playing at the Enwave Theatre, the production features dance artists Danielle Baskerville and Tyler Gledhill in a modern contemporary piece that combines movement with spoken word, projected film and sound to capture distant memories reflected in time. Dissonant sound more so than melodic music as the dancers are often accompanied by the sounds of record scratching, electronic humming, unrecognizable voices and even the clicking of their own shoes.  Continue reading Review: Paris 1994/Gallery (The Dietrich Group)

Review: Sia (Cahoots Theatre Company)

Earlier last month, a viral video surfaced on Facebook and other parts of the Internet about a man named Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, a Ugandan guerrilla group who utilizes the services of child soldiers. The video was courtesy of a project called Invisible Children, Inc., an organization aimed at bringing the war crimes of Kony to global awareness and the man himself to face justice. Now, regardless of the mixed revelations surfacing about Invisible Children, the crimes of Joseph Kony cannot continue unrecognized. I was distinctly reminded of that video posted to my Facebook wall after last night’s production of Sia. Continue reading Review: Sia (Cahoots Theatre Company)

Review: Drakul(j)a (Theater Du)

The age old story of Dracula received a breath of new life with Drakul(j)a, a modern adaptation that brings the story into the setting of an asylum. The key players have been modified, the names changed, a few twists are added but the classic tale lives on for any true Bram Stoker fan. The story is also told entirely in German for a different, cultural twist – but for all the non-German speakers out there, don’t let this fact deter you.

Continue reading Review: Drakul(j)a (Theater Du)