January 2022 -

Stephen Lobo: More of this guy (and his character) please.

What world are we in?

The Cull, which was written by Michele Riml and Michael St. John Smith, and which is being presented as an audio play, starts off as a bougie sitcom. Nicole and her husband Paul are hosting a dinner party — in their 12,000-square-foot house — to celebrate the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary of their not wealthy friends Emily and Lewis. Lynne, a close friend from their youth, is also there with her husband John, who is seriously rich. The three couples banter and set up the rules for the evening: no phones, no business talk, no politics … “a little bit of sex is okay.” [Read more…]

I Cannot Lie to the Stars That Made Me: Where’s the centre?

publicity photo for I Cannot Lie to the Stars That Made Me

Emily M Cheung, KhattieQ, Anjalica Solomon, and Lili Robinson. (Photo by Kimberly Ho)

I Cannot Lie to the Stars That Made me is full of pleasing textures but, unfortunately, little else.

Catherine Hernandez wrote the script that director Fay Nass has adapted for the frank theatre into a 53-minute audio play with music. It’s about a woman who leaves an abusive lesbian relationship, taking her child with her. The deliberately light tone celebrates growth and survival.

For me, the star of this production is the music, which was composed and directed by Taymaz Saba. It’s circus-y, cabaret-like, with a rolling narrative tone in some sections that reminds me of The Decembrists. The arrangements are ornamented with deeply stacked but sparkling harmonies — ably carried off by the four-person cast: Lili Robinson, Anjalica Solomon, khattieQ, and Emily M Cheung. [Read more…]

Archives for January 2022

The Cull: Focus!

I Cannot Lie to the Stars That Made Me: Where’s the centre?

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