MARY JANE: EVERYWOMAN
Despite its subject matter, which might sound daunting, Mary Jane is not depressing. In fact, it’s often very funny. It’s so ambitious that it will open you up as a human being. And Mitch and Murray Productions’ presentation of the script does a superb job of...
BIG STUFF: YEP
This show is bigger than it looks and exactly as big as it feels. The set-up for Big Stuff is straightforward. Married comedians Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus tell us that, with the death of the last of their parents, they’ve found themselves with a lot of things....
TIME STANDS STILL: AND IT DID, OFTEN (IN A GOOD WAY)
As I was watching Act 1 of Curious Cats Theatre Collective’s production of Time Stands Still, my gratitude for the show was so intense it almost moved me to tears. I had more difficulty with David Margulies’s script in Act 2 but believe me when I tell you that this...
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE: YOU DESERVE THIS GIFT
The first act of this production of Sunday in the Park with George is transcendent. Truly. I have never been so moved by such a subtle combination of aesthetic pleasure and emotional resonance. To get a grip on what I’m trying to say here: there are plot shifts as we...
RED DEMON: DREAMY AND RESONANT
How often do you get to walk into a folktale? Japanese playwright Hideki Noda’s Red Demon, which premiered in Japan in 1996, feels both timeless and timely. A red creature has washed up on a beach below a Japanese village and most of the villagers, immediately...
VASCULAR NECROSIS: EAT ME (PLEASE)
Jordyn Wood can really write. In Vascular Necrosis, they take a fantastic premise and sustain their exploration of its potential for almost two hours. Halle-frickin’-lujah! Wood is a young playwright, a brand-new playwright to me, so their success is cause for...
DOGFIGHT: TAKES A WHILE
The Act 1 set-up of the musical Dogfight takes too long, the premise is off-putting, and the story doesn’t hit a persuasive groove until Act 2. On the upside, Dogfight is the inaugural production of JBM Theatre, a new local company dedicated to producing musical...
JOB: Performance Review
The Search Party’s production is excellent. My sense of the play’s fundamental flaw has hardened considerably in the hours since I’ve seen it. But keep in mind, as you read this review, that both the play and production contain riches you might want to experience....
HEIST: TIME BANDITS
I wish I had something more interesting to write about. There are positive things to say about this production, but let’s start with the script, which is a meaningless puzzle. In Calgary playwright Arun Lakra's Heist, an Irishman named Marvin recruits a team of...
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