Blind Date: all dates should include this much kindness

Watching Blind Dateis so much like falling in love that it feels a bit like the real thing is happening. The concept for the show is fantastic. Rebecca Northan had the idea nine years ago and the performance I saw on Wednesday night was number 712. In the hetero form...

Hir: rhymes with “here”, as in “here and now”

Taylor Mac’s Hir celebrates diversity while simultaneously exposing the underside of identity politics. And it’s a comedy, although its humour is dark—like blood-encrusted dark. A US Marine named Isaac comes home after three years of overseas duty. He’s been working...

Soul Samurai: enough with the backstory already

Before the show, a company member from Soul Samurai lets everybody know that there’s a crisis line that audience members can call if they find anything too upsetting. The script is so awful I very nearly dialed it up. And, in one significant way, this production makes...

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley. Send your regrets.

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is going to do very well at the box office—but not because it’s good. Co-written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, the play is a sequel to Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice. With her husband, the dashing Darcy, Lizzy now...

Mortified: smells like teen girl spirit

This might seem like an odd thing to say but, to me, Mortified feels whole and perfect in the same way that a body can feel whole and perfect: it’s just that organic, sensual—and complicated. And, like being embodied, Mortified is more than a touch surreal. Playwright...