KEEP CALM AND MURRAY ON: FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ONLY

KEEP CALM AND MURRAY ON: FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ONLY

Keep Calm and Murray On is kind of like a kids’ tap recital: the only reason to attend is if you know somebody who’s performing in it and you want to be supportive. With a couple of exceptions, the evening is an amateurish mess. Keep Calm is being billed as an...
CHARLIE AND THE (DARK) CHOCOLATE FACTORY

CHARLIE AND THE (DARK) CHOCOLATE FACTORY

I haven’t seen the film or read the book, but Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the musical comes into its own when it’s at its nastiest. There are upsides and downsides to this. (I’m mostly going to deal with the downsides first, but hang in with this review if you...
EARWORM: WORKS ITS WAY IN

EARWORM: WORKS ITS WAY IN

Playwright Mohammad Yaghoubi’s Earworm is such an intriguing combination of elements. They didn’t all work for me, but they sure as hell kept me engaged. The central relationship is between an Iranian-Canadian podcaster named Homa and her adult son Pendar, who lives...
MIDDLETOWN: SURPRISING PLEASURES

MIDDLETOWN: SURPRISING PLEASURES

Artistic adventure is rare in Vancouver theatre these days. Want some? I’ve got a show for you. On so many levels, Sticks and Stones Theatre’s production of Middletown is such a surprising pleasure. Like Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, which clearly inspired it,...