Formulaic wackiness: The Twelve Dates of Christmas (Photo of Melissa Oei from Moonrider Productions)
Christmas is coming, we’re in the middle of a pandemic, theatres in BC have been hit especially hard, and I don’t want to look like an asshole. But, if I’m going to be honest, there’s no way to avoid saying this: The Twelve Dates of Christmas is a waste of time. [Read more…]
Clockwise: Amanda Sum, Josh Epstein, Meaghan Chenosky, Chirag Naik
I’ve never posted an emergency review before, but here it is. You’ve got to see do you want what i have got? a craigslist cantata and your last chance is today at noon. Here’s where to book your tickets for the livestream.
Based on real-life Craigslist ads and posts, this musical is eccentrically hilarious and, especially in these times of Covid loneliness, heartbreaking. [Read more…]
(Photo of Steve James and Tracy Jennisson by Nancy Caldwell)
The Red Priest (Eight Ways to Say Goodbye) is a smart script and, in this United Players production, it’s being performed by smart actors.
Playwright Mieko Ouchi’s text is about a fictional relationship between Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi and the wife of one of France’s most powerful noblemen. The script identifies this character only as Woman. Her husband has bet the King of France that Vivaldi can teach her how to play the violin in six weeks — at the end of which time, she will perform for the French court. [Read more…]
(Photo of Shawn Macdonald and Amy Rutherford in The Amaryllis by Emily Cooper)
Michele Riml’s script is a screwball comedy. But director Mindy Parfitt’s production is lacking a screwball: Amy Rutherford is miscast. [Read more…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
