Archives for October 2020

Buffoon: Read this review and watch the show (not necessarily in that order)

illustrates review of a play called Buffoon

Andrew McNee is performing with a broken arm. (Photo by Moonrider Productions)

It’s story time. And you could hardly ask for better storytellers than playwright Anosh Irani and actor Andrew McNee. (McNee and Kayvon Khoshkam are alternating in this solo show.) [Read more…]

Little Volcano: plate tectonics

Veda Hille, Little Volcano, The Cultch

The power of counterpoint: Veda Hille in Little Volcano (Photo by Emily Cooper)

All alone in my living room, I applauded.

These are lonely times and getting to watch the livestream of Veda Hille’s Little Volcano for 90 minutes is like having the most fascinating person over for the most intimate of conversations. [Read more…]

I Walked the Line: Solidarity, sisters and brothers!

I Walked the Line, Allan Morgan, Firehall Theatre

Allan Morgan really did walk the line when his union was locked out in Burnaby.

Allan Morgan is a big ol’ homo. That’s a big part of why his solo show I Walked the Line is such a glorious celebration of resilience, compassion, and belonging. [Read more…]

Hey Viola! Get a better title!

Krystle Dos Santos, Steve Charles, Viola Desmond

Krystle Dos Santos and Steve Charles are both gifted performers. (Photo by Emily Cooper)

Representation matters. Viola Desmond’s legacy matters. And I’m a white guy who doesn’t think that this telling of Desmond’s story works very well — which is my way of acknowledging that perspective also matters. Please take it into account. [Read more…]

A War of the Worlds: real life is more chilling

@theatreinthedark, #waroftheworlds

There are all sorts of adaptations of H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds running around. Maybe some of them will be affecting.

Trump is scarier. Climate change is scarier. Covid is scarier. [Read more…]

The Doll’s House Project: theatrical space isn’t digital space

The Doll's House Project, Studio 58

Theatrical space can look empty on video. Still, this show is strong. (Photo by Amir Tabatabaei)

The Doll’s House Project has huge things going for it, including playwright Henrik Ibsen’s shifting moral perspectives and a gallery of fine performances from a bumper crop of student actors. But Laara Sadiq has directed the piece for the stage even though it’s being delivered primarily online.* [Read more…]

No Child… : Yes, child!

Celia Aloma, Arts Club Theatre, No Child...

Celia Aloma reminds us that live theatre is all about embodiment. (Photo by Moonrider Productions.)

Are you looking for a really good reason to go back to the theatre? Here you go: the Arts Club’s production of Nilaja Sun’s No Child… will remind you what it’s all about. [Read more…]

counterFACTUAL: Maybe FACTUAL would be better

CounterFACTUAL takes place in a (more) dystopian version of Canada.

What? Why?

So much nothing happens in counterFACTUAL that I was genuinely confused when the lights came up. I couldn’t quite believe it was over. Wasn’t there going to be some kind of ending, some kind of resolution or at least an intriguing cliffhanger? But there was a curtain call. People started leaving. It really was the end. [Read more…]

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